The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-13
Mr.. HARE IS SPECIFIC
REFERS TO ALLEGED WEAKNESS OF
DELLA FOX, OPERATIC STAR.
Another Sensational Attack on the
stage-Pays His Respects to
Rev. MIR. Milburn.

theater in the bitterest terms. Mr.. Hare's
church comfortably filled and after the
service several members of the cOngrega-
ton sought the pastor and expressed their
approval of his remarks.
Three weeks ago Mr. Hare expressed his
dsapproval of the theater in language that
! brought out a response from Mr.. Otis Skin
ner, who, with his wife, was playing an
| engagement at the time at the Grand Opera
House. Mr.. Skinner in a well-written card
to the Journal arraigned the pastor in
| rather severe terms. On Sunday, Nov. %,
Rev. J. A. MiIburn, at the Second Presby-
terrain Church, preached on the topic Crit
cism." On this OCCASION Mr.. and Mrs.
Skinner were present. During the course of
his talk, Mr.. Milburn referred to the re-
| marks of the pastor of the Colege-avenue
church on the theater, and in a kindly way
criticised the views expressed by Mr. Hare.
The sermon last night was response to the
remarks of Mr.. Milburn and a fiery denun-
citation of the stage and It's people. In his
| discourse Mr.. Hare made sensational
charges against individual members of the
| theatrical profession. He personally at
tackled Miss Della Fox, who appeared here
| two weeks ago with Lillian Russell and Jeff
De Angels in THE Wedding Day" In this
well-known fact that "a fair opera singer
was too drunk to appear on the stage"
After the sermon Mr.. Hare admitted that
| he referred to Miss Fox.
People who are thoroughly familiar with
the facts concerning the failure of Miss Fox
to appear on the last night of her engage
ment here assert that the pastor has made
a. cruel and an unjust attack on a defense
| less woman. While her absence was the
| subject of much comment and speculation
at the time, it was known that on this oc-
| casion Miss Fox was in a most dignified
| state of sobriety. 1t was charged, after Mr..
| Hare's preceding sermon, that he was reck-
| less with his assertions in that sensational
discourse. Mr.. Hare spoke of Mary Ander-
| son, to whom Mr.. Milburn had referred.
| The Second Presbyterian pastor mentioned
| the name of Mary Anderson among others
| who would never have been drawn to the
| stage unless in its inmost heart it had been
| pure and beautiful" Commenting on this
assertion, Mr.. Hare said 1t was probable
| Mr.. Milburn was unaware that Mary
| Anderson had once said in the city of Louis
vile that off the stage she never associated
with actors and actresses. People acquaint-
| ed with the theatrical profession and with
| the character of Mary Anderson declare she
| Mr.. Hare's text was Ezekial xxxiii, 6: IF
| the Waterman see the sword come and blow
not the trumpet, and the people be not
warned, if the sword come and take away
persons from among them he is taken
away in his iniquity. but his blood will
require at the watchman's hand So, son
of man, have set thee Waterman unto
the house of Israel. Therefore, then, thou
hal fhc1,1 Iara of r..
REPLIES TO MR.. MILBURN.
"This evening 1 want to devote a few
moments to a review of Mr.. Milburn's SER
mon, in. which he attacks this pulpit in his
defense of the theater The pastor of this
church does not usually pay any attention
to public criticisms of his preaching what
| he believes to be the truth. He seeks not to
please men, but his Master, who has sent
him a Waterman to the house of Israel
If he sees evil threatening them he must
in loyalty to the Master warn them lest
their blood is required at his hand. Having
faithfully warned his people of their dam
ger, as he is commanded. his custom is to
pursue dignified silence to all promiscuous
criticism. For 1T $ always the case If you
smite an iniquity 1t will hiss and spring and
sting if it can The devil isn't dead yet, and IL
he is hit hard enough he will rage right live
ly, and the fact that he is stirred up proves
that the truth has hit him. Preaching that
doesn't stir him up occasionally isn't worth
much. IL you have ever thrown a stone
that the ole that is hit bowls the loudest.
and judging from the amount of bowling
recently heard from a certain class more
than one person has been Inland hurt, too.
But IL he who throws the stone is wise
he will go about his business and pay
no attention to the bowling other than be
'Then too much of the criticisms has been
as senseless as 1t has been groundless. Had
the critics heard the sermon as it was
extracts which appeared through the cour-
tesy of the public press they would have
known that many of their criticisms were
groundless. The fact has been entirely over
looked that the sermon on
The Christian and the, Theater,'
alter If worldly people choose to
attend the theater / haven't word to say
That is their privilege. But when it comes
of the world to guide worldly people heav-
onward, Christians who are the salt of the
earth and as such are to seek to save the
price They are redeemed by the precious
blood and belong to Jesus. They are under
come out from among them and be We sep
arate, saith the Lord. and touch not the un-
clean thing, and ! will receive you Gil
HIS CRITICS NOT CHRISTIANS.
''Some of the critics who have strongly
recommended the theater to the Christian,
and even said that this pastor could do no
better thing for himself and his church
than attend 1t, are not according to their
own confessions, Christians themselves.
How can they then, understand what a
Christian is and what his amusements
should be and what they should not be =?
They are no more capable of deciding that
than blind man is of distinguishing color
or a dead man of knowing right from
| wrong. They are dead in tresspasses and
sins and blinded by the God of this world
and their advice is anything but a safe
| guide for Christian They are the blind
leaders OF the blind, and to follow them
would be sure destruction.
They may quote Scripture as some of
them have, to establish their position. The
devil did likewise when he sought to over
come our Lord in the Wilderness and he
has taught his servants to do the same
thing to-day when they would deceive the
very elect, so that. so far from being an
pitied them, and would pray for them that
their blind eyes may yet be opened; that
they may eventually know what Chris
tian Is and what he may do and NAV not
do in the wicked world. There is now, how
ever, exceptional condition of things which
leads the pastor Of the church to depart
from his usual rule of silence This condi-
TO keep silent. The circumstances which
call forth these remarks are these: A pas
tor of one OF our city churches without
any occasion whatever-unIess he was
asked to do so. which he does not say-has
condemned in severest terms this pastor for
warning MS people against what he be-
iieVes will inJure them. Is not this an UNI
heard of act for minister of righteousness