New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-31
REFORMING THE DRAMA
THE REV. MR.. TALMAGEs SCHEME.

WHICH CHRISTIANS COULD PATRoSizg Tag DAY
AFTER PARTAKING OF THE SACRAMENT.
There was not such large congregation a,
tho Brooklyn Tabernacle yesterday morning as usnaI
owing probably to the threatening weather All pyase,,
were able to find seats, and only a few persons wey
compelled to in the aisles The Rev. Dewitt Tai
mage continued the consideration OF the question
What shall we do with dramatic element implaned
In our naturesl" His text was l. Corinthians yii 81.
| "They mat this world as not abusing IT,"
| That God has imp anted dramatic element IN mos.
Of our natures, said DR. Tamage, and recognized ana
cultured it in the Scriptures ard that this element NAV
be employed in positive religions work, proved last
Sabbath the satisfaction. hope OF all who heard me
| This morning / want 10 show you that The dramatic
element may lawfully be taken into recreatOns Ts
cd Kit between the church and the theatre St goes on
The guns neither fort nave yet been spiked. nor ha.
eit or of the flags been struck The ministers on tia
side ard the play actors on the other seem all IN.
hurt Neither has gained tho complete victory over tina
other Yet according to what read In all the religious
| newspapers OF the day about the falling of Of tho
churches and what read in tho secular OF the
large att ndance financial receipts OF the theatres
the latter seems far TO have lost no ground. lnto
that contest OF centuries do to-day enter because
nave something better to do aud better to offer.
have plan OF my own to present, winch believe
will commend itself to all the good and respectable. II
is not a compromise but a most radical proposition
To-day take step IN advance OF my former theory
and control its maxims, ts laws, It's literaIure its
and IT. annlscnents If Christianity IL mighty
enough TO manage everything Int the amusemepts Of
the world then II is detective Chris ianity. Is IL
capable of keeping account Of the tears OF the world
aud incompetent 10 make record OF It's smiles! Is It
good to follow the funeral but dumb nc the worlds
payl Can It control all the clements oil DIR nature but
the dramaticl Ny idea OF Christianity is that it cn
and viii conquer everything How Is TO DE hdstenedf
BY the church going over to the tneatref II
Will not 20. BY the theatre coming TO the churchf
IL will not come. What want Is
Reformed Amusement Association In every city and
town of the United States Once announced and e1
pl;Iupd and Illustrated the Christian and phanhropie
capitalist Will forward establish II, and last
week one OF CITIZENS gave $4,000 to the Historical
Library city, there Will be pu0lic-splrted
everywhere who will do this work for tho dramatic ee.
ment Of our nature. We need institution to meet
and recognize and develop the dramatic element OF QUE
nature 1t needs distinct from everything that is
mas been l. would he dcrded at the start, as all grea,
movements but 1t would reVoutionz, society Tor
good. Wiser than we are would Daptize II Withs
name; only the purpose Of this sermon VIII oalt
The Spectacular" would have its Board OF Trustees
made Of the most Intelligent and the most unmpeach
| able EN- and women OF each community. Onehah oil
them gould nave professed and most pronounced Chris
tians ected with the chuIcnes would nave ths
Reformed Amusement Association, having III charge
The Spectacular" take possession OF some hall acad
IL might take smaller DuIuluE al Tue uut
II would soon need the largest hail. and even that wold
not hold the people; Or he VINO opens all opportunity
Tor the qualification Of the dramatic element IN human
nature without compromise and without danger doe.
tue nightest thing OF this century The tens OF thon
sands Christian homes in this country where parent:
are holdu their and daughters from the dramatic
tier aiinens OF the day would see N the establish
men, OF this institution al arrest o al their anIe
ties, and they wound cry ont on the opening Of " re
SPECTACULAR" Thank God. that is Wa; ve ali want
To make The Spectacular" grdLc s-e.il aud Ino:a
success II have certain char The enter
t,innrt must not last more than hour and three
quarters What kills sermons, prayers, lectures. concerts
aud entertainments Is their proxy. Al quarter to 10
OcO every night curtain OF public entertainment
should DROP every churcn end, every orchestra
u-trinS lis Instruments. What is moie than that comes
to evil The there drinking bars connected
with 50 many places amusement is because people are
exhausted with the and they 20 III aud stiI6
ulIe order to stand II. The most suDme thlhg ont
side Heaven is the oratorlo Of The Messiah" Or
The Creation" But never yet heard them when,
by their prclxiJy, TO nine out of ten p'oFe
| they did not become safety. The INST
hour we enchIlt"d; tie next half hour we lS- IL
ciy well, ana what remains of It is spent IN looking
| al cur watches and yaWnng aud wishing We wore at
home On the p atiorm Of rue 81, ctacuar" shall be
p.cr drama which has before the occasion OF It's rem
dcilng been read, expursaed, abbreviated Gnd uhanl
morsy sanctioned by the Board Oi Trustees. II there
b. IN Sudht speareJn play phrase Of ey suggestion
u,y VIA snkc 1t out II there be in It word Of two
iigs some word Will be substituted. Caterers
to tie pu taste uee to learn that ShAkespearean
u,>tucss better than COngrevian naStinesS You
say Who dare take tie responsibility OF changing by
| ahDrrviatlun or expursation one OF Shakespares
plays r. 1 dare. The trustees OF the :. ectacu!ar"
WI dare do not dcprec.ao entire play Of shake
| spraro because | do not want II all at one TINS
! without abbreyiaton. I like very much TO hear
| thirty pages Of MtOn's Paradise Lost" but l
should be very sorry to have TO hear all tue books
read AT one sitting Ia new institution nothing VIII
be considered III the platform that would be unht Tor
the tror Any attitude, word any lock that "ouli
| br an offence 10 YOU seated with your wife ana yOsI
dushtcrs by your hresids will be prohibited BY
nm ly of common sense OF morality can that which
l. unit for people 10 hear and see become III fo
500 people 10 and All the scenes shal! De- as
,,..re AS was lecture OF Edward Everett or sermon
! by +. ". Robert son.
On tie platform shall be assembled only such men ana
women would be welcome TO our homes We SNAIL not
,,e II 4 r4ouse that they shall be professors OF re-
| u,,or There arc professors OF religion that
| would not want either IN my par"r OF III my
| kitchen or coal-celiar. But those VINO come
| on the platform must BE- gentlemen aud adeS WIN ~
that these imply, such persons as We womb use
have SIT table and introduced TO our chipreh' az
such ns would not oUmpron II We wereiound "aA
| iLg with them down Broadway. On the pIa'io'a suO
| come ineOriat', no carUuser no e!priAp' h' w.
good morals, whether masculine or feminine o"'NA
platform we will have only good men aud COCA "o'io"
in III. ordinary social sense OF goodness. Get su'ha
platform fully and firmly built up aud many genus
VINO as yet the dramatic eement suppressed IN La
mature will step ont TO thrill the world with MS p
sOuatiOns There giants now with Wide fsule II ns
dramatic world who ali their lives have been tOins iot
tnr elevation of the drama. who wi step 1sht over Ss
this Mat orm such Charlotte Cu-hmah VI tne
uart and such men Joseph ahrrsop or the prrstn
Such p atorn, with such men and women upon h ~
such an rXpurgated drama, would draw to u mlilso
people who go only or twice IN al thelr lver M
| n drama, never see II at all ." lDe epecthvu, ~.
would combine the best music, the best architecture INV
beat Lcuiu5. .,.., .. o,,,,arf alt