The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-02-07

troll the supply. In nothing else 90
Americans show such bad taste as in
their Endorsement Of plays and players.
Hamlet, y Macbeth, king Lear"
and Richard II1''-are these the types
which most frequently appear? Look
at the placards on the walls Tor the an
swer. And the Shakspeares, Goldsmiths
and Sheridans are not likely to be pop
ular so long as people throng the theater
to hear poor puns and silly songs which
the compounders Of gayety burlesque
provide.
Still am hopeful for the future. A
larger and more refined class Of people
attend the theate1 than ever.
A higher tone Of morals prevails in
the best plays and is manifested in the
character Of the players.
The church has made tremendous
mistake in it's wholesale denunciation Of
the theater. A larger part of the COM
munity attend the theater, and the ma
iority Of our population are moral and
virtuous. Amusements are proper for
Christians because the divine law writ
ten in our hearts makes them so. There
is nothing in the precepts Of our reli-
gion that makes Us march down the path
of life TO the tune Of the dead March
In Saul. y The pulpit's vituperation Of
the theatrical profession is so un-Chris-
tian as only clergyman who never saw
good play would ever dream of max
ing. The stage seldom or never strikes
back. The numerous scandals of Amer
lean clergymen now serving terms in
the various penitentiaries of the land
afford legitimate material for the stage.
These materials remain unused because
the dramatist, the manager and the ac-
tor have too great respect for the reli-
gion of Christ to weaken it by emphasiz-
ing the sins of any Of his servants.
Some men who write against the sensu-
ality of Che stage remind me Of the
preacher I'm Canada who declaimed.
against dancing in such manner that
the dancing went on, but the parson
was himself discharged on account OF
the vulgarity of his discourse. The
time has passed for offensive dictation
and inquisitorial condemnation on the
Fart of bigots.
"A Word cf Caution.
The theater is here to stay. Reform
liz the note OF the future. Eliminate the
bad. Encourage the good. The shame
full posters, the female attire, or rather
the lack Of it, the compromising atti-
tudes, the silly things accepted, the
commonplace persons admired and COM
mended- thunder as much at these as
you will. Let ridicule, sarcasm and
denunciation exhaust their armories
upon these abuses, these positive evils.
''Can go to the theater?' asks the
Christian. ! answer. IF You can. Let
every man be persuaded in his own
mind"
Refuse to do or go where your con-
science forbids, but refrain also from
condemning your neighbor, whose con-
science may not require him to walk IN
the same path you have marked out for
yourself.
From amusements that demand Of
you an outlay beyond your means you
had better stand aloof. If you have dol
lars and days for the theater, and mites
and minutes for the church. you need
reconstruction. Confirmed theater goers
are untitled for life's duties. have
scores Of women in my church who pay
good prices for their matinee seats Sat
urday afternoons who reluctantly drop
g dime in the contribution box on Sun
day. These women never have time nor
money for the Lord d's work. How many
of You are so given to leyity, so giddy,
20 frivolous, that you are incapable Of
serious thought? Your hearts are set
on having "a good time.
Once maRstood stunned. at the first
sight Of The Niagara. When be got his
breath back, be simply said, II wonder
how much machinery all this would
turn?" We are told there is enough
power there when converted into cleo
tricity to light the world. And there
is enough vigorous manhood and wom-
anhood in this city, if rightly applied,
to illumine our whole country. But be-
hold the thousands wasting that power,
throwing it to the four winds.
If at last we are compelled to look
back upon wasted life, we ourselves
will be the severest critics. And re-
member this: When you go out Of this
world and your life has been wasted. no
encore can ever bring you back to re-
enact it. LAS the tree falleth, SO it
lieth.'' Your character at the last mo-
ment will be your character through
all eternity. Mr.. Palmer, the London
actor, dropped dead on the stage while
quoting the words Of the play, 20 God,
is there another and a better world?" ]
do not know what will be your exit,
but in that hour there will come before
you all you have been and all you might
have been. Oh, men and women OF the
theatrical profession, to whom these
words may come, prepare for the clos
ing scenes of this life, when the foot
lights will be the burning world, the