The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-12
THE THEATRE AND DANCE.
Rev. L. It. Ross Makes a Statement in Re-
gard to His Recent Sermon at South Port
land.

| space to speak for myself to those of your
| readers who may be interested to know the
| truth about the reputed excitement" at
| South Portland.
| 1t is fact presumably we'll known that
| the published rules of the Methodist Episco-
pal church contain explicit declarations
| against certain forms of popular amusement
| which the representative voice of the de-
| nomination, and for that matter, the major
| portion of the entire Christian church, have
| agreed in charaoterizing as of questionable,
| or positively harmful moral nature or ten
| dency. With the purpose of explaining and
| justify ing the position of the church and of
furnishing to candid inquirers data from
which to form an intelligent opinion with
reference to the matters in question, the
discourses that have made something of a
local "stir'' were prepared and delivered.
The first one of the series was very fully
and fairly reported, Il representative of
the PRESS having been present on that
occasion. The only reference made in local
papers to the second lecture upon 'Some
Evils OF the Modern Dance" was in the
form of a few lines in the Argus, which
were for the most part but the echo of the
sneers of those who had personal or pecuni-
airy motives for attempting to weaken the
force of my remarks. On that occasion the
history of the dance and its degeneracy
from an ancient religious exercise, in which
there was no promiscuous association of the
sexes, to it's present day form as popular
amusement, was given in a manner designed
to interest and instruct, and the physical,
mental, moral and spiritual evils, directly
associated with, or:resulting from patronage
of the ball room, were faithfully set forth
and substantiated by testimony OF un-
prejudiced men and women of high repute.
In tho after meeting which followed the
lecture the position and views therein taken
and advanced were warmly supported by
those present, some OF whom had had ex-
ceptionally favorable opportunities for OBJ
tanning full knowledge of the facts where
of they spoke.
Last Sunday evening in discussing
Theatres and THEATRE GERS" pursued a
method similar to that followed in the dis
course above referred to. l recognized the
dramatic instinct and commended 1t when
it was developed and utilized on proper
lines, / noted the fact that the stage and
the play were used among pagan nations of
antiquity for the purpose of Importing
religious instruction to the masses, and
that the Christian church even, during
many of the earlier centuries, employed
this medium with the sanction of its highest
councils, as an evangelizing agency, the
Passion Play of Oberammegua, being called
as a present day relic of those old time
methods.
My contention, however, was that, what
ever might be said theoretically CT histofi-
oally, favorable to the drama, the modren
theatre as an institution had SO far degen-
Grated as to warrant its being placed under
the ban of the church and the disarproval
of the highest moral sense of the public at
large.7 The principal ground upon which
this claim was urged was that in popular
plays almost without exception, wicked
ness, and that, too, in its grossest forms, Is
made to furnish amusement. In support OF
this statement l brought forward expert
testimony of men of national reputation
who have written against the theatre, and
also submitted as evidence the analyses and
reports of plays given during this season,
presumably written up by those favorable
to them and published in the leading metro
politaRdailies.
In conclusion, by way of illustration, and
to show that the principles and arguments
against the theatre in general were fairly
applicable to the average plays given by the
Union Dramatic club of South Portland,
give a brief analysis of a play recently pro-
| duced there. by the club, the text OF which
was courteously loaned me for the purpose
| by one of the members. The members of the
| club were present in full force and gave
| respectful attention to the discussion. In
| conversation with two of them at the con-
olusion of the address, they frankly adj
mitted that had treated the whole subject
| fairly from the religious standpoint.
With regard to the definition of the word,
| the giving of which needlessly caused a
| sensation, may say that the word IL ques-
| ton was not brood" but "broadness."
| The circumstances were as follows: l was
reading clipping from one of the leading
| Boston dailes, giving report OF popular
| opera that is said, last week, to have packed
| one of the largest theatres at the Hub, with
| an audience thoroughly representative of
| the city's culture OF une of the chief
performers in this opera the report sa1d
| His jokes were mostly good, his manner
| forcible, his expression and gestures ex-
! tremely expressive, in spite of the danger
Gus proximity TO broadness, 'etc. knowing
| full we'll that there were many persons in
| my audience who were not familiar with
| the technical use of "broadness," in the
sense in which it was employed in the clip
| ping in question, paused in my reading
| long enough to substitute an exact and
familiar synonym nasty" There was no
| occasion for the repetition of the word, and
it was only used once, though if it had been
| it was entirely proper. The Kissing re-
ferred to in your published report origf-
| mated, an so far as l could judge, was con-
| fined to few rowdies in the rear of the
large audience, some of whom had plainly
been drinking, and who came to the church
with the avowed purpose of creating dis
| turbance. 1t was only by the exercise of
| great lenienoy upon the part o. the church
| officials that they escaped being arrested on
| the spot by an oe:cer who was present in
| the audience.
The reported "excitemeLtn in the COM
| munity is only such is frequently ex-
| hibited under kindred circumstances in
connection with the utterances in an I'M
| deniable truth.
Regreting that the publication of what
| was in effect, though doubtlessly not inten-
| tionally SO, Misrepresentation of my at
titude and utterances as preacher of the
| gospel, has made 1T seem 10 me necessary to
| ask for so much of our valuable space,
am,
Yours respe otfully.
| IRA G. ROSS