The herald., 1897-03-14

G.
There have been few fights more Bit
ter in history than that maintained TOR
hundreds of years between the church,
represented too often by spirit OF in
tolerance and bigotry, on the one side,
and the stage, disfigured too frequently
by immortality and vicious suggestion,
on the other side. With the dawn OF a
new era of civilizing influences to whicn
scientific discoveries and inventions have
30 largely contributed, there has grown
up a broader spirit of humanity, and a
more tolerant exhibition of the spirit of
opposition that was once so fierce ana
cruel The fulminatfons of the church
no longer possess the power of shifting
terror and dread into the souls of men,
and in consequence it has adopted a
more conciliatory attitude in attempting
to deal with the problems of the day.
On the other hand. the stage has been
elevated and purified by the production
of a long series of dramas that have
shown the different aspects of life and
character in ways that taught lessons OF
ROOQ lUiucICc liz PoRAAo +'t'
agining that they were in school. Where
ever the stage has deteriorated it has
been because of the patronage of men
and women who had become degenerate,
too.
The actor of today has frequently de-
parted from the custom of old times, ana
it is now rather a common practice for
the men and women Of the profession
who have the, oratorical or the literary
talent, to address the public in the mag
azines or from the platform or the pul-
pit in defense of their art and in the ad-
vocacy of its principles and purposes.
Such people as Frederick Wards,
James A Herne. Richard Mansfield,
Willard, Wilson Barrett, Joe Jefferson,
Coquelin, Modjeska, Fanny Davenport
and Mrs Kendall and a number of
others have contributed largely and ef-
fectively to the literature of the stage
in the manner above indicated.
Among the foremost of the men who
have the ability and the courage to ex-
press their views upon the relation of
the stage to the moral and religious life
of the people stands James A. Herne,
who has had a long and varied expert
ence as dramatic author, actor and pub
lie speaker. He has carried into the
composition of his plays the spirit that
characterizes his cherished sentimen:
that the church and the theater should
go hand in hand for the betterment of
mankind His latest production, entitled
"Shore Acres" is generally praised by
f<,. Il aa1 af Re
story and of the acting. while the piece
is constructed on lines that give point to
the authors views upon dramatic art.
AS Mr.. Herne will be seen at the Los
Angeles theater tomorrow and follow
ing nights in Shore Acres" the the
ater-going public, andvery likely large
section of the public that does not ordi-
narily patronize the theater, will have
an opportunity of enjoying a play that
has been so extensively written about
and which has been, at the same time,
so warmly praised
AS possessing timely interest the fol-
lowing quotations are given from a re-
cent address delivered by Mr.. Herne in
the pulpit of the First Congregational
church at Kansas City during the reg
ular Sunday evening service. Mr..
Herne said:
"The theater of today is what the civ
ihZation and society of today have made
1t. In other words it is what the people
of today call forth in the theater, just
as the church in general and the art
and literature of today meet the needs
or the tastes Of the people of today. The
true preacher, the true actor, the true
artist, the true poet in every age has
lived above and tried to lead and ele-
vate the people up to his standard. He
has never descended to their level. The
man who stands for absolute truth
whether it be in the pulpit, on the stage,
In a picture or in a book, does so be-
cause he loves the truth and has faith in
his work, and does not consider congre-
cations. audiences or purchasers at all.
The province of the theater as an in
Gtituton is to do good, but greed upon
the one side and vicious taste upon the
other have somewhat corrupted the pur-
pose of the theater, just as greed, avar-
ice, craft, cunning and war have per-
verted the design of the Creator, until
now we have the human law taking the
place of Gods law.
There would be no vicious art If there
were no vicious patrons of art, no vicious
literature If there were no vicious read
ers, no vicious dramas If there were no
vicious audiences. We must not con-
6emn an art nor an institution because
corrupt civilization has affected it,
THE theater is a factor of society just
Is much as is the church, and in spite
Of all the stigma that IS attached to it
and. all. thetvice. and pernicious power it
1s charged with, it is still an educator
and its influence is for good and not for
evil.
1T is not the province of the theater
10 preach effectively, but to teach sub
Jectively, and there is no reason why the
church and the theater should not work
together / claim they have stood too
long apart, that for the good of the race
they should join hands at once and aid
each other to free mankind.
Il am glad to say that preachers all
over this country, in fact all over the
civilized world. are realizing and ac-
krowledging this great truth. Dogma
is dying; greed is disappearing; liberty
is advancing; we are progressing; we
are moving on, upward and onward in
the theater, in the church, in alliart, in
spite of pessimists and bigots, in spite
of all the apparent vice, crime and
misery; in spite of the extremes of
wealth and poverty, and we will reach
universal liberty at last. But those of
us who see 1t and have faith in it must
work hard to encourage and stimulate
others to see and feel it and work for It,
No one Individual can emancipate the
race. He cannot even emancipate his
nmu "a Hing. fha race rnusf he taught