The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-05-08
TALMAGE'S TALK.
THE STAGE AS SEEN FROM THE PULPIT
AnaIyyIng the Productions Of The Modern
Playwright and Finding Great
Lack Of Improvement
In Moral Tone.
A sEnM0N by REV. TALMAGE.

Ing TO fetch Jacob up 10 the palace OF
Pharaoh.
The opening hymn was;
"Let our lipa and lives express
tho holy Gospel we profess
The text was Iaalah XXI, IL: "Watch-
man, what Of the nighty
Following IN the sermon In full:
Az near an eau tell II Ia about half
past four In the morning, There are
signa of dawn all around the sky.
Though the cayerns are still dark, the
mountains are being tranengured. The
sun Is evidently coming up, though he
comes very slowly. The world IL ad-
yancinQ. Since the armies Of ciyiliza-
tion and Christianity began TO march
they have never fallen back one Inch,
Here and there regiment has played
the coward and retreated, but In every
army there are men unworthy the stand
ards they carry. We are TO look to-day
into some Of the recreatione OF tho peo-
pie. You have already learned that !
have no sympathy with ecclesiastical
strait.jackets or with that attempt 10 ig-
more all amusementa and recreations, az
though they were something not III for
Christians 10 enjoy. A book came out
some time ago discussing this subject
and SAYING that II u man returned nt
nightfall from business and felt weary
and desired some recreation, and he
should put on slippers and 20 Into his
Qarret and walk around lively four or
Ave times, there would be no harm IN
that; but further than that fr0wning
upon all recreatlons and amusementa,
/ think one OF the ghastliest mistakes
ever made by Christian men Ia the al,
tempt 20 put down the sp0rtfulness OF
youth and drive out the desire OF amuse-
ment aud recreation from tho people. 30
i have known men OF such morbid state
and of such twisted theology that they
were opposed 10 bnll'playing, ana hated
puzzles, and denounced charades, ana
desplsed tableaux, and cried; Away
with all parlor amusementsl And
when young people, full OF exuberance
and vitality, asked, "What shall we d.
by way OF recreation9" they were an.
swerod, "Prayer meetIngs" have mo-
tIced, however, that the people who do
not know how 10 play do not know how
10 work. have noticed that the Nigh
lest men In the church OF God In all The
ages have Joined In hilarities and recre.
ations, William Wilberforce trrndled
hoops with his children. Martin Luther
helped TO dress the Christmas trees.
helen Chalmers told mo her father,
Thomas Chalmers, In the days when he
was most oyerworked In tho awful hour
OF Scottish history when tho Free church
was about 10 come out from tho Estab
llsbed church, and good men were at
their wits end, almost every day Tho5,
Chalmers played kite with his children
on the commons.
But are the entertainments and recre'
ations Of the world keeping abreast with
the grand march OF the agesY Are the
novels OF this day better than their pre-
decessorsp IL the dance OF this day al
Improvement on other decadesp Are the
Opera houses rendering any better mu.
aicY Have the thoaters OF our time ar-
rived at a higher moral toner To this
last question this morning give reply
In this series OF sermons, wherein am
answering some OF the absorbing ques'
,tlons Of the day. Mark you, am not 10
discuss this morning whether the then
i, ter Ia right or wrong. | am not making
n Wholesale attack on tragedian or CON-
ediap, Gm not discussing Whetherllenry
Irving, and Edwin Booth and McCu.
lough aud 10 Jefferson are great actors
or honorable mon. | believe they are.
| am not discussing any OF these impor-
iant questions, hut | come from new
standpoint to this whole subject
I, have three reasons for thinking the
Nlheaters Of America are not improving
MN moral tone.
First, because Of tho universal testl.
mouy OF oil the leading secular news
papers Of the United States. There IL
hot newspaper In the country that has
not Within the past few years. both In
EDITORIAL and reportorial column, do.
precated the styles OF play most fre-
luent In American theaters II IL
aRalnai the interests OF tho newspapers
loseyerely criticise the play houses, DO.
cause u vast amount OF advertising pat
tonage comes from them. | am told
Tint many papers receive from that
source more than from any Other source
many thousands OF dollars a year.
Whom, therefore, tho secular newepa.
pers, contrary 10 their financial Inter
eats, denounce tho theaters for frivol-
ous and unclean spectacular, their eyi.
dence 10 me 10 conclusive. roll up on
Tho negative side Of this question oil OF
The respectable printing presses Of tho
continent.
A second reason for thinking that the
theatera of America aro not improving
In moral tone | and In tho show win.
dowa aud on the bulletin boards and
board fences from ocean to ocean.
suppose that these are honest pictures
and representations OF what actually oc.
ours night by night In such places. Are
these tho scenes In which fathers and
mothers take thoir daughtereand yopng
men their alllancodp Would you allow
In your parlor such brazen indecency
az In many OF the theaters OF the United
States must be dramatized II the board
fences and the show windows are not q
libelp II their pictures arc genuine
their work Ia damnable. What IL wrong
IN tho parlor Ia wrong on the stage. II
ouQht 10 take j1at ae much completeness
OF apparel TO 6e honorable In ono place
as 10 DO honorable In another. / declare
II you fathers and mothers who take
your children TO 500 such Sodomlc lack
az robe nfterward live To 500 your faml-
lies plowed up with libertinism and
pronlgaoy you will got what you do.
scrye. AZ though q surplus Of sanctlly
hnJ been gained by Lcnten service
throughout tho United States. right af.
Tor Easter, North, South, East and West,
the atreets Of America become picture
QallarIep that rival tho museums of
Pompeli, which ure kept under lock and
key. where are the Mayors Of tho cit.
ipa and The Judges Of Courts and the pn.
lice that such things are rermitIedY
Jiiging from their depraved ADVERTISE
mpntp that blotch up our cities TO day.
conclude that many of the theateis aIe
not on their way 70 millennial excel.
Another ransom for thinking TINT Tho