The morning call., 1894-10-05

ths preacher yesterday, when asked for a
plain statement of his views on the sub
ject. 81 do not condemn standard classic
literature. but l would have it expunged
before ii was put into the hands of chill
dren. or Of the masses. Now l know
women who only seem to live to eat and
read this stuff. and l know men pretty
nearly as bad. Why. it's an .infatuation,
just as whisky Is an infatuation to the
red-nosed topper. and the topper is no worse
splr tually than the people who get drunk
on this filthy novelistic trash.
"Wo uld permit young people to read
Shakespeare? would only let expunged
copies of Shakespeare 60 into the hands of
ordinary readers. The standard of moral
ity was not the same in Shakespesre's day
as ii is now. They called spade spade,
that's true, but they had more spades than
we have any use for"
DR.. Martin, when questioned on the sub
ject of dancing, declared emphatically ::
Yes, l condemn 1t. 1 don't believe the
ballroom is an adjunct of christianity. 1t
is opposed to spiritual development and a
successful church life. There are three
kinds of dancing mentioned in the Bible
and three kinds of words used to express
them. The first kind Of dancing was just
jumping for joy it was not what we call
dancing a all. There was another sensual
kind of dancing that was forbidden. That
was the kind the daughter Of Herodias did
when she danced before Herod. When
the prodigal son returned we read that
that they danced. Well. that means that
they just jumped for joy. There was not
any revelry in that, but the third kind of
dancing, when the sexes commingle. is for
hidden under the name of revelry."
Every one who has heard DR.. Martin
preach knows that he is loss 10 the stage
he seems to have been especially built for
comedy roles, and as heavy father would
probably have reached Immortality in the
annals of the American stage. Indeed
there was q time when the evangelist
never dreamed that the career of the pull
pit lay before him. He expected to don
sock and buskiD. and 10 that eud, faith
fully studied the Thespian art for two
years. At the expiration of that time he
became converted and foreswore the
theater forever. In vain did managers
tempt him with good offers; he preferred
the meager salary of scho acher, till
his talent for interesting the multitude as
a preacher was discovered, and he bios
somed into an evangelist.
"Well, think this Of theaters," said the
doctor, who had so nearly been Thespian
himself. II think there's perhaps one
grain OF wheat in hundred parts of tares,
and some people are taking the tares to get
the grain of wheat II Christian people 90
to the theater at all we insist that they
shall be very careful and discriminating in
what they countenance and patronize.
Managers are frequently condemned for
The sort of plays they put on. The fact is
that managers only give the people the
goods they want to buy.
Il say to people who patronize the lower
walks of the drama, If your tastes were
not so perIicious, low and contemplate,
you would be given something better.
Managers are not to blame. 1t is like
trading 10 any other kind of goods. The
| stOrekeepers will keep and sell what the
public demand. Let theater-goers make
| it pay fer managers to put ON intelligent
| elevating plays, aud the managers will
| give them"
| In answer to the question whether the
theater could not become a great educa.
| tional power DR.. Martin replied: 81
might, but despair of it, while the public
only encourage most what is most low ant
| vulgar and vile."