The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-16
CHURCH AND THEATRE.


Irving's performances recently
and the fact also that the came MI
Beecher has just felt called apon t
deny that he attended one of Mrs
Langtry's entertainments, whicl
denial he based upon the circum
stance that he was asleep In Boston
while the lady was playing in New
York, have revived the discussion
over the propriety Of churehmer
countensncing by their presence the
theatre. as usual in these discus
stems reason is on the side
OF the theater-goers and bigotry
on that of their opponents. The
truly good people take delight
in calling attention to the fact that
a good many immoral and bad per.
sons are found among actors and
actresses; they chuckle with de-
light when they point to Sara Bern
hardt, whose three or four children
are, like a good many other ellis
dren, unwise in that they do OF
know their own fathers: it is with
especial delight that they refer to
Mrs. Langtry and Fred Gebhardt;
they suggest that it is a ciincher
when they call attention to Ellen
Terry, whose four living husbands
are scattered about the Old country.
These good people never seem to
reject that the idiosyncrasies, mis-
haps or vulgar immoralities if you
80 please TO term them, have nothing
whatever to do with the theatre or
the drama. II the uheat were to
be condemned because some of the
players haven't as high regard for
virtue as they might have, society
itself, in all its grades, from the
lowest walks OF life up to the most
exalted and sristocratic church
circles, should also be condemned as
bad. It is not an unusual thing for
people high Gin the church to do
wrong; and it is not uncoms
mon for them to be exposed
and talked about. Should the
Episcopal church be denounced and
its services be discontinued because
the learned bishop OF Michigan, a
few years ago, was shown to be an
immoral man? Woulditbere be any
sense In advising people to stay away
from the Congregational church be-
cause the eminent Brooklyn divine,
the ablest and most brilliant pastor
in the church, was the hero Of an
wful scandal? Because it has been
Shown that the morals of some, Bos-
ton priests were corrupt should that
justify the indictment Of the Catho-
lie church? The moral characters
of the ministers have more
or lees influence upon the
church, and the morality Of the
players has something to do with
the responsibility of the stage; but
the ehurch.and the drama must each
stand upon its inherent meritss and
not upon the sins, Of those who in-
terpret them. If pastor breaches
false doctrine he il to be condemned,
and people should refuse to listen to
him; if play-wrights offer immoral
dramas and actors play them, the
public should stay away from the
theatre. And this is just about the
way society conducts itself in ref
erence both to the church and the
theatre. Hexrodoxy leads none
astray who is not anxious to be led !;
Immoral plsys entice nobody to the
theatre who is not willing TO be en-.
eiced.
AS matter of fact, the stale and
oft-repested assertion that the
tendency of the drama is towards
immortality Is incorrect; on the con.
trary, it is in the opposite direction,
being refining and educating, virtue
ever being taught and applauded
and vice frowned upon and pun.
ished. Only in one way does the
theatre hurt the church memter,
and then only through supersti-
ton or false idea Of life. To enjoy
oneself, to laugh and be merry, to
be pleased in body or mind
was wicked in the estimation
of the last and previous
generations; to indulge in anything
frivolous Is sinful IN the minds Of
the puritanical, and for these the
rlay lie wicked and the theatre is