The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-05-08
rALMAGE's TALK.
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Aueterlitz aud Waterloo OF an August
thunder storm blazing their batteries In
TO q sultry afternoon, and the round,
Qllttering tear of this world wet on the
cheek Of the night--as In this way we
culture our taste for the. beautiful and
sublime, 80 In every lawful way we are
to culture the dramatic element 10 our
nature by every staccato passage IN lit
erature, by antithesls and synthesls, by
every tragic passage In human life.
The plainest man has In his plainest
day something histrlonic. This dra-
matte element In all our natures, or
nearly all our natures. Is exceptionally
strong or weak In some, just as there
mDy be million men who admire
noetry where there 10 only one poet, one
Tennys0n 10 England, or one Longfel-
low TO America. just as there may be a
million people who admire music where
there was only one Ole Bull TO Norway
and one Wagner TO America.
Now, have TO tell you not only that
God has implanted this dramatic ele.
ment In our natures. but have TO tell
you In the Scriptures He cultures 1t, He
appeals TO II. He develops IL. | do not
care where you open the Bible your eye
will fall upon the drama. Here II Is In
the Book OF Judges: The fir tree, the
vine, the Ollve.tree, the bramble--tney
all make speeches, Then at the close Of
the scene there is O coronation, and the
bramble IL proclaimed king. That Is q
political drama. Here II Ia In the Book
OF Job: Enter Ellphaz, Blldad, ZOpha,
Elihu and Job. The opening act OF the
drama all darkness; the closing act OF
the drama all sunshine. Magnificent
drama 10 the Book OF Job, Here II is In
solOmOn's song. The region, an Oriental
region, vineyards, pomegranates, noun
tain OF myrrh, flock OF sheep, garden OF
spices, q wooing, q bride, q bridegroom,
dialogue after dialogue, Intense, gor'
ge0us, all.suggestiye drama Is the Book
OF SOlomon's song. Here ii Ia In the
Book OF Luke: Costly mansion In the
night. All the windows bright with the
illumination. The floor aquake with
the dance. Returned son In costly gar.
ments, which do not very well ut him,
perhaps, for they were not made for
him, but he must swiftly leave of his
old Rarb, and prepare for this extempor.
ized leyee Pouting son at the back
door, too mad 10 20 In because they are
making such fuss. Tears OF sympathy
running down the old mans cheek at
tho story of his sons wandering and
suffering and tears OF JOY at his return.
Hear Murdoch recite the "Prodigal Son"
In one OF his readings and you will not
know whether 10 sob or shout. Reviyals
of religion have started Just under the
reading OF that soul-revoluti0nizlng
drama OF the "Prodigal Son." HIRE II IL
In the Book OF Revelation: Crystalline
sea, pearline gate, 0paline river, anne.
thysIlne capstone. sh0werlng cOr0nets,
one vial poured out incarnadining the
waters; cavalrymen OF Heaven gall0p-
ing on white horses; nations In doxolo-
gy, hallelujahs TO the right OF them,
hallelujahs 10 the left OF them. As the
Bible opens with the drama OF the lrst
Paradise, 40 II closes with the drama OF
the second Paradise.
Mind you, when say drama, | don't
mean myth or fable, for my theology Is
Of the Oldest type five hundred years
old--as old as the Bible. When speak
of tho drama NJ tho beginning and the
close OF the Bible do not mean an allie.
CORY, but mean the truth as stated,
That In grouping and startling effect II
IL G0d.giyen, wOrld,reaounding,
heaven .echoing drama. II God implant-
ed this dramatic element In our ma
lures, and II he has cultured and deyel'
oped II In the Scriptures, demand that
you recognize II. Because the drama
has again aud again been employed for
destructive purposes 10 nothing against
the drama, and more than music ought
TO DO accursed because II has been taken
again and again Into the saturnallan
waesalls OF four thousand years. VIII
you refuse 10 enthrone music on the
church organ because the art has been
trampled again and again under the
feet OF the laeclyious dancer IL ls moth.
Ing against painting aud sculpture that
In Corinth and Herculaneum they were
demonstratlye OF yulgarlty and turpi-
tude. The pollution OF painting shall
throw no dlscredit on Powers "Greek
Slave" or Church'a Heart OF the An
dos" or Rubens' descent From the
Cross" or Angeles Last Judgment"
The very fact that again and again the
drama has been dragged through the
sewers OF inlQulty IN the reason why we
should snatch II up and start II out on a
grand and u holy and magnificent mis-
SION
The dramatic element may be forced
into the service OF our holy religion. You
Sabbath.echo0l teachers ought TO have
more OF the element In your instructions.
by graphic Scripture scene, by anecdote,
by descriptive gesture, by lmpers0na-
lion urge your classes TO right action.
You Ind In your international a0ries OF
lessons the story Of Mary In Bethlehem,
Those teachers who most graphically
presented that Gospel heroine got the
llrmost grip upon the attention Of their
listeners. We want IN all our schools
and colleges, and prayersmoetings, and
In oil our attempts NJ reform, and In all
our churches TO have less OF the style
didactic, and more OF the style dramatic
Fifty essays about the sorrows OF the
poor could not affect mo aea little drama
OF accident aud suffering Isaw one slip
perry morning In the streets OF Philadol.
phia. just ahead OF mo was d lad, rag.
god In apparel, his limb amputated NJ
the knee; from tho pall0r OF tho boys
cheek the amputatlon had not been long
before. Az no passed on over tho slip
pory pavement carefully | helped him
until his crutch slipped and no fell.
helped him up ~ we'll ~ could, hut
whom saw tho blood run down his pale
cheek could not help but burst Into
.teare. Fifty essays about the suffer.
/ llgg OF the poor cUl'l h0t Touch QUO
like that little drama Of accident and
suffering.
Oh, wo want In all our different do.
partm0nts OF usefulness address
hundreds OF people who are trying to do
gOOd--we want more OF the dramatic
element and less OF the didactic. Tho
tendency In thla day Ia 10 dfone relig.
Ion, 10 whine religion, TO cant religion
10 moan religion, 10 croak religion, 10
eepulchariyo religion, when we ought
10 present II In an animated and spec.