The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-12

dramas, but also afforded an insight into
tho customs, manners and peouliartics of
tho people of tho epochS with which no
dealt.
The example no sot has been productive
of enduring benefit to mankind Modern
drnmatists cndeavor to do as he has done,
and today tho stage Is schoolhousc and
a history maker. Military dramas, for in
stance, like Paul Kauvar'' and 'Shcnan-
doah, f" best illustrate this idea Therein
historic scenes of tho French revolution
and of our own great war arc wildly re-
produced and impressed upon tho mind of
tho spectator.
Again, comedy dramas like the one I am
now playing mt the Fifth Avenue thentcr,
New York, "The Gildcd Fool" or William
Fl. Cranes old success, "Thc Senator"
are highly instructive rs vol rs entertain
ing. They portray phases of life which
probably half an audience would he Who'll
ly unfamiliar with. They reveal oddities
of character, quaint incidents of metro
politan or capital life which rural audi
ence would never dream of. And again IL
drama like "Tho Old Homestead" affords
city people peep mt ripping rivulcts,
pretty sloping hills and II picture of rug
gcd bucolic character and worth, of stur-
dy ycoman pluck, that they knew not of
L maintain, too, that the stage is NOR
al forco us well us "a teacher of past and
contcmporancous human history. think
it Is evon greater moral force than tho
pulpit, for there arc thousands upon thou
sands of people who regularly attend tho
thcatcr who seldom if ever visit the
church. Indeed they exceed the church
goers by u largo majority" as Billy Flor
cnceS member from the "Cohosh deos-
trick" would say. The reason l believe
that tho stage is n moral forco lies in tho
fact that almost every play condemns vice
and applauds virtue. There are cxccp-
tions to every rule, and tho exceptions in
dramatic way arc few foreigners who
writo scnsuous plays and novels.
play like "Virginiils' or 'Sparta-
GUS, for instance, believe TO DO pretty
nearly as good as any sermon and quito rs
salutary in its intluencc. If that master
piece of Sir M-..tcr SCOTS works, CYAN
hoe, Z" could be dramatiZcd it would be q
greater Incentive to right doing than al
most any sermon preached NOWADAYS
What could point bcttor moral than tho
heroic sacrifices Rebccca made in defense
OF her virtue, tho lofty yet chasto bearing
or Rowena, the chivalrous manhood of
1vanhoc, tho glorious spirit of King Rich
ard and lastly the fearful fato of Front do
Bnuf at Torquilstonc. the ignominious
Hight OF Do Bracy to France and the final
overthrow of the master spirit of evil. tho
proud Tomplnr, in tho lists mt Temple
stoweP What lesson such play would
inculcate in tho minds of the young espe.
cially, and what noblo sentiments and ele-
waited thoughts would it not bcgct
Comedy dramas, too, point morals ms
we'll ms those of heavier mold Sometimes
as corrcctor of human errors they are a
bit more effective Good natured rnillcry
can bring about beneficial results mt times
when invcctivc fails. The witty if some
what caustic pen of Gilbert, for example,
brought about % reformation of some OK
listing political abuses in England which
the scathng denunciation of Disraeli or
the ponderous Nominations OF The Thun-
deror Qondon Times) could never have
done. Charles Lever in that sprghtly nov
el, Jack Hinton, tho Guardsman," tells
how the hravest kind of brave soldier
was Laughed out of Ireland" So a politi-
cal or social offender may be Laughed cut
of" some poccadillo by witty comedy.
And the best of it is that no harm is done
in the operatlon. 1t is bit of mcrrimcnt,