The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-04-11

-Sirs-When at the commencement
OF the sessions, or occasion of introduce
ing my select students TO the comedies
OF Aristophanes, ] made, as could
scarcely avoid making. q few incidental
remarks on the connection between the
drama and public morals. and the rela-
ton OF the church TO the stage, for sew
eral weeks found myself made the
recipient Of weighty y. ckets OF letters,
Overlooking with Jsrem lads about the
general sinfullness OF all iheatrical
amnsements and the special sin OF
professor in the University bebolding 4
stage play. i did not answer any of
these communications. partly because |
am TOO busy 10 write long argumenta-
tive letters. partly because experience
has taught me that the class of persons
from whom such letters proceed are u
oase-hardened generation. into whose
skull II would be as vain TO attempt pei .
etratlng with sound reason as TO break
the mail OF a crocodile with the point OF
PIN But ! will give them now ore
PUBIC answer IN p sing-e sentence. Let
them go and see 10" piece which. in
the shape OF a play is rs poTerful 4
sermon on the grsce OF sacred pieiy as
Leah Is on that o. Christian forgivs-
ness: and II they return from that ex-
quisite performance with dry ewes. they
will have good reason, Instead of sland-
ering play actors. to look into their own
spiritual state, and weighty cause To ap
prehend that their hearts may be hard
as their brains are soft. Besides the
publication OF the emotion by pity,
which, using Aristoile's well-known
phraseology. is the soul Of this piece.
the play contains an incidental lesson
TO the clergy which IL would be wise for
them 10 take 10 heart. Religious peo-
pie have no more right TO be thin
skinned than their neighbOrs: and il
lords are habitually represented on the
stage as Dundresries, lawyers as petit
foggers. and school masters and pro
fessors ~ pendant. there is no reason
why the judicrous side of clerical min
istrations should not be held up TO a
lutary ridicule on the stage. On the
contrary, as the clergy from their posi-
ton are peculiarly liatle to sort OF
professional narTow-mindedness.
amounting sometimes TO what Tacitus
would have called an 'Odium hltDIGni
generis'. or at least, singular lack of
sympathy with the life of the various
classes of their fellowmen. and as We
see them not seldom solemnly attach
ing the name of God to their own pri-
vate crochets and local conceits, and
claiming divine authority for the same,
it seems only proper that they should
not be exempt from that salutary casti-
cation of human follies which It seems
Is one of the great functions Of the stage
to administer.
Hoping to see all the clergy OF all the
churches in full canonicals at the next
representation Of 30" am, etc.
JOHN STUART BLAcKIE."
This was written nine years ago.
Blackie is still theatre-goer, is still
fighting the stupidity and ignorant ar
rogance of wealth. still loved by the
people and the students. ''Jo" is still
being played. and while some of the
clergy are being thawed out, the rest
still hold to their uncompromising alb
florence Of anything theatrical outside
their own imbecile efforts at stacy eff
fects. WASDKRER.