Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-04

little IKE they are determined 10 lose
no ground, and are quietly re-enter-
Ing the orIgina'.
RoNg HOLD
from which they were driven years
ago. IL will be remembered That
| Nauvoc, Illinois, was the first point
Mt which they concentrated under JO-
sepb smith. From there they were
driven IN 1872, and witha slight effort
the evil might have been crushed then;
but now IL will cost millions Of money
to eradicate polygamy and provide
huinanely for the wives, and children
born In plural wedlock, so called. The
longer II Is deferred the greater will
be the cost. There are more than POO
600 polygamlsts and the number IL
rapidly increasing naturally and by
conversion.
Whatever action Is taken by the gov
crBment In the matter, the
WIVES AND CHILDREN
should be provided for, and should be.
come wards Of the government.
Some are OF the opinion that Mormon
ism, stripped of It's revolving violation
Of social law, poIygnmy, IL 10 worse
| than SOME other religions, but the fun
dainental principles Of the institution
are openly hostile TO all forms OF gov
eminent except those laid down by
the prophets aud "reyelatorsp Of the
Mormon faith. a writer says: "Ifit
| II contemplated that these people will
submit without resistance 10 surrender
their polygamous practices II IL
a DELUsioN.
They will resist TO the utmost unless
the commission Is sustained and sup.
ported by ample military power to
stamp out any inclpicnt rebellion.
That 10 will cost lnrge sums OF money
To provide for the wards of the govern
! nient and To enforce the laws neces-
sary % suppress the abomination,
there Is no doubt, but IL should be done
! at Whatever cost Of treasure. Should
the cost not exceed $40, 900 0O0aunually
| for the next ten or fifteen years, we
| may esteem ourselves Fortunate The
! revenues Of the government are ample
TO provide whatever shall be needed.
This IL the question Of the hour, and
| the American people demand at the
hands of the law-mnking power such
| legislation as shall prove eliectual in
the suppression Of the entire system
OF polyRamy IN all the territories.
Chicago and st. I.onis admit Nor
mon elders and their pOlygainous doc
trines, but there seems 10 be no room
In New York for the production Of
Snlmi Morse's
PASSION PLAy.
In this there Is IL glaring inconsist-
ency mt least ] am not prepared 10
say that the production before the
fnotllghts of play taken from the
life and times OF Christ would tend
to the advancement of Christianity,
for the character Is one about which
hangs such n halo of love and purity
tnnt an attempted iniporsoIatiot
might fall so far short OF our ideal ns
To shock the religious sensibilitics.
There IL something almost sacriligi-
Gus In the idea of nm amusement man
nger, presenting for pay, character
30 sublime, aud withnl 40 sncred, In
the glare of theatrical foot
lights. However, the stage Is u
mirror which reflects more
or less truly, not only the history Of
it's own times but of ages that have
pnst Historically, why would not
the life and times of the Master, pre-
scented In an artistic way, furnish use
ful and wholesome lessons?
True we do not look TO the stage for
ENildlITENMENI,
and moral teachings, but rather for
| nmuscment; but Is there not some
! good In everything? The Passion
Play ON the boards would reach thous-
ands perhaps, who know little or moth.
ing oil Chfist's work, and who use his
name only To profane II.
In Jesus Christ we recognize nm
elder brother, the only approach To
perfect manhood the world has
known, and all are benefited By the
faullcss examples he gave ua, even II
we do variously interpret the writings
OF his chronicles, thereby throwing
up doctrinal party walls M il
were between man and man.
Were the production of the Passion
Play, True to iIifo, so 10 speak, why
could not II impart lessons equally inn
| prcsslvc ~ those taught from the null
pitt 1t would rencli many whom the
latter never attracts. 10 succeed
financially the play would have 10 he
presented In mastery manner, and
would do good. IL would have tho
same advantages over the ordinary
ways of teaching that object Lessons In
| the
KtNDERGARrENs
have over the old method or teach
Ing u child without Illustrations. To
those who look upon Christ
as God, however, there
would be something revolving
In the spectacle of his impcrsonatIon
MT the hands OF coarse humanity. but
to those who hold the more comforting
humanitarian view, regarding The
Master rs an elder brother, whose
mission u was 10 teach aud save hu-
manitp hy setting I'M almost unap.
proaehablc example, the production OF
such n play, could only be consistently
Judged upon its historical and artistic
| merits.
| True. the character of Christ would
suffer at the hands of the
GREATEST ARrlsr,
but what human being, religious
or otherwise can add lustre 90 the
4 character?
We are perhaps not ready to receive
1 anything of the Kind vet, for we are
too far removed from the teachings OF
Christ. His manner OF teaching was
ever after the style and customs of
those whom he taught. The stage h
becoming more and more mouldcr OF
public opinion aud should be used as a
means OF reaching the people with
moral, eievatinR productions
Recognized only as a source of
amusement, the stage Instead of being
lifted ispushed down by well.meaning
people.
We desire to crush the vile animal.
izing ALLOW me that word night and
SUNDAY theatrical shotya fnr which