St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-05
SHALL WE GO TO THEATERS?
Rev. j. l.. Scudder of Minneapolis
Says Christians MaoGo
If They Attend Good Plays and Not
too Often.
SHALL WE ATTEND THEATERs
Rev. John L.. Scudder,S Sermon on
musemencs.

and last lecture in his course on amuse-
ments last evening at the First Congrega-
tional church 10 a densely packed house.
The subject was Shall We Attend the
Theater, and the text /. Corinthians X, 81:
Whatsoever We do, do all to the glory of
God" The speaker remarked that in ap-
preaching this subject he felt himself to be
somewhat fettered by the consciousness
that the general public regarded minister
as incompetent to handle this subject with
impartiality. Ministers were supposed not
to know much about the theater and to hate
it with inveterate hatred. They are gen.
orally ruled out therefore of the discus
sion; first, on the score of ignorance, and
secondly, on the score of prejudice. Now
let me state in the outset that l approach
this subject without one particle of pro-
feSsiOnal bias, and that large part of my
information has come, not from hearsay,
but from personal observation and expert
ence. In my earlier days, before assuming
the ministerial Office, went to the theater
and gathered certain amount of practical
information which could gain in no other
way, and which has been of invaluable
service to me in the work of the ministry
L have seen both sides of this subject, the
ministerial and the unministerial, and l
don't propose to let one side crowd out the
other. Without bigotry or narrownes
propose to discuss this question this even
ing in an honest, straightforward manner,
commencing whatever good can find in
the theater, and denouncing in very plain
terms whatever is bad.
There are many innocent and ex-
cellent plays in the world, but a
great many more that are not; some
hot info
i cannot in justice say that all plays are
bad because some of them are; neither can
/ affirm it to be an objectionable sin if a
person attends the good ones and carefully
eschews the bad ones. A line to be drawn
is the line twixt good and evil; the line
upon which the Bible lays so much empha-
sis and which cOmmendS itself to the con-
science of every human being. Dramatic
representations in themselves considered
are not essentially vicious. 1t is against
the abuses of the stage that we are obliged
to inveigh. The drama is really the MIN
icry of life and mimicing is not wicked I'M
less you mimic what is itself evil. The
only legitimate warfare between the
church and the theater is when
the latter gives performances that
are morally injurious; when the acto rs
throw their influence and art on the side of
sin. To-day the stage is permanent and
prodigious
FACTOR IN OUR CIVILIZATION
and is regarded by many as positive ne
cessity to offset and relieve the wear and
tear of modern life. Thirty thousand peO-
pie attend the theater in New York city
every every evening. and pay out annually
for dramatic entertainments over 50, 900, 00G
more than is expended in that city fol
schools, police and churches combined.
They need entertainment of some sort. eS-
pecially when they are hard worked. and
one reason why the theater finds such lib
eral patronage in this age is because busi-
ness life is SO intense. People go to the
playhouse to forget their cares
and worriments; to be amused.
rejuvenated and cheered. And
this is essentially the Office of the theater.
Its business Is to entertain and enliyen, to
provide vent for pent-up spirits; to UNI
strap mems burdens and give them an Op-
portunity to take breath and straighten
up. If the theater did this the church
could have nothing to say, and there could
be no conflict between the two; but when
the theater deScends to the low level OF
lewdness and profanity, it treads path
way in which the church cannot follow. A
GOODNESS inevitably springs up between the
two. 1t may not be wrong for a church
member to witness such play as Julius
| Cesar" or Macbeth" or such lighter
dramas as Uncle Toms Cabin" or 1.-The
Shaughraun:" but if he goes to see anC
takes delight in such performances a.
'Camille;;" Felicia" or THE School TO
Scandal" do not hesitate in saying he i
] disgrace to the religion he processes
and is on the high road to perdition
In these days there is little use in trying
to talk the theater out of existence or tell
ing the people they must not attend. The.
will go in spite of the clergy. Already 9;
per cent. of our church members can b.
found in the playhouse, and this, notwith
standing the pulpit, has been stormin:
against the stage from time immemorial
The coarse class of plays can be frownet
out of existence if the people will. The.
can make the stage-this great social in
struetor with untold possibilities for wea
or woe-just what they please. 1 don't be
lieve respectable theater goers have though
enough on this subject or appreciated thei
| individual responsibility in the matter. TIN
only way to improve the stage and get rit
of the bad plays is not to go to them anC
thus curtail their receipts. To this failure
of respectable people to discriminate in tn
| choice of plays and stand by their con
| victions and their conscience attribute tn
| present low state of the drama. We mus
have reform in the people before we cal
ever expect reform in the plays.
| Mr.. Scudder alluded here to the DECLINE
of the drama from literary point of view
and the craze for comic opera and trash!
spectacular plays. he also referred caus
tiely to the popular demand for nude fe
male actors and plays that were studdeC
with impure suggestions and doubtful
jests, and substantiated his indictmen
against the present immoralities of tn
drama with profuse testimony from promi
nent actors, managers and the dramatI
press. He concluded by cautioning al
Christians against improper plays, and de
clared that only by stern adherence II
principle in this matter of theater goinI
could the present school of immorals be
come school of morals" The theate
at best was place of amusement and no
of spiritual culture. Christians should at
tend it sparingly. In their attempt to re
form the stage they should be careful lest
should deform them. The tendency o
theater-going Christians is to drift almos
imperceptibly into worldliness, and gradu
ally give up their earneStneSS and actiyit
in the service Of Christ. IL they atten
the theater and maintain their spirltua
vitality and efficiency, well; if not, the
had better relinquish the theater and see
some form of less questionable amusement
The Socialist leaders, De Frusseaux an
Fauviaux, while proceeding to meeting q
BOriuge were arrested and taken back Z