The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-13

| for Christians. nor will this save It while 1t
| has within itself the seeds of corruption.
| The devil has some good qualities He has
| great executive ability and is very energetic
| and persevering, but that does not make
him proper companion for Christians, nor
WlD IL insure his regeneration. No lover of
| literature can fail TO recognize the merit in
| shakespeare plays, but many of them have
| ~ &c Put Seu ps4VIS they can pe rsau aiouu
| 10 decent people. Where is also a difference
between the effects of his dramas as liter
| allure and as played on the stage with all
| the excitement of its scenic effects, bear
| ing in mind the distinction already made
between the drama and the stage. There
Is also dlfferenee of opinion as regards
the influence of Shakespeare as literature.
| | once heard no less a person than DR..
| Henry q. weston, president of Crozer The
| genius of Shakespeare he seemed almost in
| sptred in some of his productions. but there
| was something about his writings that
| made him afraid of them He could not re-
| sist the impression that Shakespeare was the
| deVils Bible Now. If DR.. Weston should be
| right may it not be that the theater is the
| devil s church, the stage the devils pulpit,
| the actors the devils ministers and the aud
| fence the devils congregation? At any rate
| II is true that the devil gets hold of a good
| many souls through the influence of the
| theater. Yes the fruit of the theater is
badEeven the plays, which in, themselves
| are harmless. are often played by men and
! women whose characters are black and
damaging.
DELLA FOx'S CASE.
| A short time ago an advocate of the
| theater, in support of his view referred to
| a play he had just seen which he character
lied as sweet, harmless and helpful. hap
| pened to learn from reliable authority that
| the principal character in that same sweet
play was so intoxicated, and even bordering
on delirium tremens, that a physician had
| to take him in hand and doctor and sober
him up so he could play his part, and the
/ ladies' IF he 1rip
that their breath smelt so strongly of
| whisky that they felt under obligation of
| apologizing-and it is no secret that just
| the other day in this city a famous opera
| singer was too drunk to appear the
| stage. This occurred about the time a GER
| tain open letter to the pastor of this church
| author claimed that actors and actresses
| were pure, innocent and upright people.
| This living example of that drunken woman,
! who belonged to the class eulogized, was
| answer enough to that letter. This is the
| legitimate fruit of the theater-'An evil tree
actors like Garrick, Jefferson Macready,
| Booth, Mary Anderson, may sustain on the
| stage a moral character above reproach,
| but who can deny that the tendency of all
| theatrical engagements is strongly and sad
| ly. and, alas, generally successfully the
| other way? And men and women
! constituted with human passions it cannot
| be otherwise. AS DR.. Herricl1 Johnson
| says, How can they mingle together
| they do, men and women and make public
| exhibitions of themselves as they do. in
| such circumstances, with such surround
/ ings, with such speech as must often be on
| their lips to play the plays that are written,
| in such position as they must sometimes
/ take, affecting such sentiments and pas
| sions-how can they do this without moral
| contamination"
MARY ANDERsoN's CASE
| "And that there is moral contamination Is
/ proven by the testimony of actors and
| tresses themselves. Mr. Milburn. in his
| mon, referred to a number of theatrical
| celebrities as proof that the theater must be
| pure. Among them he cites Mary Ander-
| son. He doubtless does not know that, sew
| eral years ago, in Louisville Mary Ander-
| son said to some friends that off the stage
she never associated with any actors or
| actresses This conversation at the time
| appeared in the Louisville Times, and Gre
| ated sensation. Macready, the great Eng
| liSh tragedian, was also referred TO. 1t may
| not be generally known that Mawatt, the
| noted actress, told relatives in Richmond
| that Macready said to her once that he
| would permit his daughter to go to the
| theater only once while he was on the stage.
| AS he retired from the stage he said, None
of my children, with my consent, under any
! pretext, shall ever enter the theater, nor
| shall they have any visiting connection
| cited but Booth would not allow his chill
| dren to go to the theater. If the theater
is such harmless thing, how comes it
| that these famous actors and choicest spir-
| its among them did not regard it as a fit
| place for their children? They knew it was
| corrupt, and they would save their children
| from its communicating effect.
| IAN eminent physician in this city told
| me the other day that he was recently
| called to prescribe for noted actress who
| had taken i'll while here. In the course of
| a conversation with here he said DO you
like the stage: on, no. she replied; I do
off it. - - Ss's' "'''N ~ e"> y
| 'tAnother noted opera singer, whose name
l withhold, said: The whole business is
corrupt but my voice brings me in hand
some income, and l travel under the pro-
| lection OF trusted escort A few days
ago a converted actor and who, since his
| conversion, has left the stage, said to me
| that he had been Graded in the theater and
| knew all about it, and he wanted to say it
was anything but righteous institution
| He said where one play was harmless and
| one player virtuous there were ten corrupt
and corrupting. He affirmed that no Chris
| tan could conscientiously pursue the bust
! ness.
If the theater is the innocent institution
/ we are asked to believe it to be, why do
| actors and actresses, when converted, feel
| compelled to abandon it? Does not this fact
III itself prove that 1t is corrupt at heart
and an unsuitable place for a Christian?
THEATERS COST TOO MUCH.
LAS amusement it is too expensive
| The receipts of the New York theaters
would pay the expenses of the churches
| schools and police combined and leave a
| balance in the treasury, but this is the least
| ODJectl0naDle feature about 1t. 1t is, as Dr.
| Hauck Johnson says, An institution that is
| gliding vice, an institution that is making
| young men and women familiar with adul-
| terers, liaisons, and at home with almost
| absolute nudity-an institution that since
| the advent of the Black Crook has gone
| on and on until now bulletin boards on our
| public streets f1aunt the shameless expo
| sure in the very face of every pasSer- by
| and the thing is taken as a matter of
| course, and not voice is heard in remon-
| STRANGE. An institution that is frequently
| exhibiting seventh commandment plays for
| the delectation and Indictment of our young
| very language of it's defenders, is guilty of
! a murderous assault upon all that the fam
| lily circle holds most holy and sacred But
| one day in the week, or one week in the
/ month, or one month IN the year, no matter
| as to eXactness, all this is changed The
| house is put in order, and under the same
| management, with almost the same actors
| in the same place, a play is brought forward
| Invested of every trace of impurity and
J without hint or suggestion to which a
I respectable man woman could take ex-
| ception. What of it? Does not every in
| stinct of our literature and every voice of
| reason say 1T Is wrong to darken the door
| of an institution three-fourths or nine
| tenths or whose influence is pernicious and
| poisonous?
What if the manager of one of these low
| concert saloons should build splendid
| music hall and gild it with every possible
| attraction and behind it put gilded brothel
| and what If the exquisite melody would
! flow and every thrill and posture of music
| and song were to he had i'm that hal a1arx,