The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-16
a REPLY TO MR.. INQUIRE.


Rev. Gnlen Wood Makes u Statesuent ne
gsrding the Thcster Controversy
To the Editor Of the Standard:
The issue Of the STANDARD for May 10
contains a communication over the sigma
ture Of John Mcclure, Actor bearing
the heading. "Defending the Theater,'
and pretending To be a reply To a sermon
on the theater. delivered on the previous
Sunday evening by n Butte city pastor.
Since the undersigned delivered the only
sermon known by him to havc been
preached at the time on the topic
named. he infers that his IL the sermon
for which the reply was Whiie
greatly regretting the unavailable delay
attending this communication, through
prolonged absence from the city and
other causes, yet, even at this late day,
the main position taken In the defense"
and some things said in support Of IL can
not b. allowed Ia pass without some pre-
s~entation of the other side Of the case.
The ''defense" abounds in somewhat
personalities, but since they
are in nowise related To the Issue ia haId,
they can readily be passed for the
present. IL must have been quite
evident TO all who heard the
sermon that Mr.. McGuirc, in his assumed
role of defender Of the reputation of the
people and apologist for the morals OF the
theater, has made himself the victim Of
either a laundering or a designing rcpor-
Ter. Melting couid he wider of the truth
than Ina, tIe .,ci,v nastorn uttered the IN
discr;minatc charge thai regular theater
gocrs are low and Immoral" The nearest
anproacb 10 such a statement was the fol-
lowing quotation from DIR. h. &. Haydn,
pastor 81 probably the most influential
Church i'm the city OF Cleveland: at has
been truly said that To the theatcr instinct
;y.lv tiocls no children IN their home. ms
sheen 10 their pasture ground, all that is
vile and disrpputable In society" This
ntterance was Guarded from misunder-
standing by the remark that, while far
tbeater are immoral. il presents To us one
OF the reasons why worthy people should
NOT Inc found there simpIy for purposes of
amusement-
s.The tbeater ms n c~orrupter of the peo-
ple." was one Of the points considered i'm
The sermon. Under il were discussed sthe
presentedr and .'the associations OF
the theatcr." Including s~audience."
factors" .~s,,rroundings'' and .'customs..,
II Is this proDosition which receives the
chief attention of Mr.. McG;uirc's reply.
A few Of the authorities quoted in SUPPORT
OF the positions taken in the sermon are
given below. In the Judgment OF the
writer the IMPARTIAL reader will agree that
estimates are quite as worthy of re-
gard as are those of the author of the eide.
mracticnIiv no othcr uthoritv -
given. and that the, are above inst
ground of suspicion of Interested motive
much more SO than the PRO
prietor of the Montana theatcr circuit
A brief review of the history of the
theaier ought TO convince any candid in
that IL has been regarded n
,.corr,Iption of the people" among ,be
noblest and hest minds OF all ages.
Tacitus saws, "The German women
were guarded against Hanger and nre-
served their purity by having no nIav
houses among them" .'Tacjt,,s was ~.
garIed a literary priu by some OF his con.
saws the ..~defense." So
much the worse for the c-ontemU,nro r;as
The .Encyclopedia Rrittanica" uives M.
terance to the tr,lcr estimate which ,iunc
the scyerest of ali critics. has pIacei
upon him when il says, "He ranks bcyoud
d,spute i'm the highest place among men
OF letters of ali aw.s,"
OF the ,hcater I'M classic times DIR. 4. "A.
VINCENT. N RECENTLY chosen bishon ~ ,hc
Methodist EpisconaI church ana chan.
cellor of the great Guantanamo uniyers;ty
The testimony thus: al was
i'm The I,ys ~ i,s glnry i'm Cro.ca .a,i
Rome. n corrIpter III the nconIe. So sn;j
the saces then. So say historians now"
4 think the cxpression ..hiroJ
claoucrs.n occurred In the sor,,,o,,
tho1igh am moi SURE 10 sn nnr'
hans IN, word ..bired, shouId Inv. Ioo,
TLe dcfcns, denies ,h,, S,,.h
are employed or made use of. This * ihc
~ have no h-ositapcy In me-.
This n dire fabricatiou and I
cbailenve The Gentleman IN Give his M,
U.rc 10 "A mar, ~ IL. ,u,Lor;,,
,,nnn which nh. chary. was mn,,Ia Snns
Ur HAYDEN. nuo,cd nbnya in can,,, 49,
inc ON the iniroduction az the .RiaoL
Crook" al Nibio,s tI,atcr. wine nrs, MIL,
of i,s r,nresontat,on. even New YorL was
astonisI,d and mnrtiiieJ' and af,ar r To-,
seconds would have hiss,,d The iasc;rin,s
exhibition. but fnr IN, cIan,m.rs cnr.r,Ii,
nlnccJ ,hronyh The housr u nr Wa,,in11
was M that Time a resident of New SnrL
If this same cxhih,,;on ,h. 49,,
UonfLJu avs. ..The initial %ayo,ing s,.
the ,be,tor nack.d"but Will men, r.
few having The tcn,.riiy Ia takc a,n,
an exhibition So ~uncstionahi"' The Soc.
ond cyruiny ,hn small fcminine ,,i,,,an,
Was iucrraseJ anil bafnrr IN, s.nnn,t
month hogan, citv DANES nf nnsi,inn ami