St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-11
THEarERs AS EDUCATORS.
Rev. Clay MacauIey Discourses OH
Tho VaIue of PIay-HOuSes.

question
voted the first of two sermons yesteruS9'
Asa whole the discourse dealt win the at
titude of American christianity generally
towards the theater. and with the place the
theater has occupied in Christian history.
With few exceptions, said Mr.. Macauley,
tho relioious denominations of our country
are onnosed to the theater, and this oppo-
sition is based, not so much upon what may
- unworthy in tine practical management
~ the professional drama, as upon tne
theory that the theater, of itself, is delnoral-
ling and anti-TeligiOuS. But IS TINS theory
tenable? Consider what the fundamental
idea i'm the theater is. Man IS by nature
imaginative and initiative, and constantly
under the sway of emotion. He takes an
instructive delight in seeing mirror held up
to his own or any other nature. Poetic ana
dramatic representations of the great human
passions and his own syInpathlZIn2 JOY ana
sorrow i'm witnessing them are particularly
welcome to him. 1t is out OF this quality
of his nature that the drama and the theater
i'm the widest sense of the words have come.
Indeed
ALL FORMS OF ART
and the literature of fiction have the same
origin. Now, is that which VIII gratlty
such natural want of itself evil? Some
forms of religion have answered DECIDEDLY,
YES. In Christian history it has at times
been vehemently taught that human nature
is essentially so at war with the life man
should live, that as far as possible mans
natural impulses should be denied. Asceti-
cis,u or standardization. contempt of ones
own nature and hatred of the present world,
has time and again protruded itself into
Christianity For long periods much OF
Christian teaching has held that the highest
earthly existence would be gained If men
and women could live in the world as total
strangers TO il. From Augustine, through
a large part of the middle ages, through
Puritanism and into the Calvinism, which
once controlled and still influences the
largest part of American Christianity. a
persistent attempt has been made TO force
human beings to despise their natural I'M
pulses. TO consider the world scene or
spiritual ruin, and To live, as Christians, a
people separate from doomed mankind and
its dwelling place. Now the original source
of the hostility of the orthodox churches of
America TO what is named worldly amuSe-
meut and TO the theater I'm itself. lies in
lust the ascetic anti-nature quality Of the
stream of religious tradition ont of which 1t
lowed. But mankind in general, and in
deed ChristendOm as whole, have not
Identified religion with antagOnism TO human
nature and our world. Nor can / and
MANY others in this country, who still
CLAIM TO BE RELIGIOUS
and Christian. So. since we do not ac-
knowledge asceticism or its notifications 10
De the rule for the religious life, we hold
hat ii is not only perfectly natural for man
% wish to crafty his desire for such plea
sire as he finds i'm dramatic representations.
out that Of itself there is nothing immoral
II Ill, III rsaf ina hot
kind of pleasure.
Mr.. MacCauley then gave hasty review
If the place the theater has had i'm history
N India. Greece and Rome. He told the
story of the first contact of Christianity
with the theater i'm ancient Rome, and how
familiar circumstances there led to conflict
between the new religion and the debased
Roman drama The conflict was not be-
tween the two institutions as such, but be-
tween actual purity and vice. The Roman
theater diSappeared with the conquest of
Rome by Christianity. The revival of the
drama was the work of the church in the
Middle Ages. 1t met a natural want of
man and served practical aim of the
church. The gradual degradation of the
medieval religious drama was then de-
scribed, and the process OF the separation of
the drama from the church reviewed. The
secular drama in the various countries of
Christendom to the present time. In tile
Catholic countries, France, Spain and Italy,
the church is now practically the
PATRON OF THE DRAMA.
In the Protestant countries as a rule.
the theater has had good opportunity to de-
VelOp naturally. 1t has been accepted as a
needful and useful aid to social progress.
Notably in Germany the theater has been
taken under care of the government is
largely supported from the public treasury.
while the writers for il and its actors have
become hOnOred members both Of society
and of the world of letters Our interest
particularly is in the career of the drama in
English civilization. For time the theater
had natural development In England. 1t
was. as it always will be in the long run. a
simple reflex of the popular mood. Yet In
the main its path was upward and was of
brilliant promise when Beaumont. JonsOn
and Shakespeare wrote. But then came
the age of the Puritans, under which there
was an excessive attempt to crush. among
other things, the drama. When at length
the Puritan government was Overthrown
and the theaters were TeOpened, evil ran
riot. The drama was exceedingly
coarse and the players debased in character
and conduct. Since then the English
drama has had varied career. but to-day.
under freedom to develop and with liber-
aIism in religion pervadmg the people, its
prospects of growth and excellence are
quite good.
AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY
Is a growth whose roots are deep in New
England Puritanism, and so far the
theater as such has failed to become in
America a helpful force in society. the in
fiuence of the churches must come In for
large part of the responsibility. There is
no other country now in which the domi-
nant religious influence condemns the the
alter and drama as such. Yet, this opposi-
ton Notwithstanding. a change for the
better has been going on during the last.
half century. The force of the old Calvin
ism is steadily growing weaker even in the
churches, the attitude of the popular Chris
tianty towards the prOmptings Of nature
is being changed \ good part of the best
society is beginning to feel that there is no
necessary anJagOnism between such enter
tainment as the drama furnishes and relig-
ious or moral life. The natural cOnse-
quence of these changes has been a praise
worthy elevation of tone in the plays and
among the recognized supporters and eX-
ponents of the drama. Let the drama be-
come what it might be and what it would
NC uliucI tle pdIOldBe Vi rellneu Intellect
nal taste and an uplifting naturalsm in
religion and it would be powerful CO.
worker with all good influences in building
up noble character and true faith. The
drama has come to stay in our modern civil
ilizatioG. To oppose it as such will not be
to destroy it. but simply to prevent its
normal and useful development. L GER
tainly find much to object TO in the popular
drama. as L shall show next week. but in
many directions / see signs of excellence
and promise.