New-York tribune., 1898-12-25
Mr.. SLICER on THE STAGE" !"
WHAT HE SAID ABOUT ITS MORAL MIN
ISTRY.
WOMEN OF VIGOROUSLY IMPROPER LIVES
SHOULD NOT PLAY SUCH PARTS AS JOAN
OF ARc-THE CLERGYMAN PAYS
HIS RESPECTS To THE THEAT-
RICAL SYNDICATE.

widespread attention As many Of the comments
on II were based interpretations from 1t. the ad-
dress is given in full herewith taken down
stenographicay when delivered. It was as follows;
Mr. President Ladies and Gentlemen: II may he
allowed to refer TO distinguished cerSyman
to oil hii f1 but whose @ ministry in this city made The
pulpit from which he ministered like rock smit-
pie. would remind YOU that he did with reproba-
tion what am to do-as far As the doing of 1t Is
ton which attended his act. OF the forty years
that have elapsed since the time when the rsns.
ious press thought II part of ministers duty
to speak approvngly If the stage and dramatic art
tone Of the relie;ons rress such as would make
that man condemned who should speak disapprov-
nsy dna TO OF e dr, a4d ha M R
tone and temper Of dramatic representation but II
mind. which brings to the work Of the dramats,
and to the actor an appreciation and consclons us
time which forty years aso we're granted with
s31 Wha 'nd IS ehca fss"T You 1s in that
II Is the science Of conduct Put morality is not
nature The rules Of moral conduci and the tenn
per OF moral behavior are not something impaired
Tables OF the Law that were given on Sinai. &C.
according TO the fact. and no more resnant act;
no more dominant establishment Of the dignity or
in that story Of the giving Of the law. where the
exponent of the Tables Of the Law was so FAR mas
that he threw them down. according to the story.
beneath the mount and broke wnat COO haG WITT
THE MORAL SENSE
Mere morality" is the flower Of human relation
ship Morality IL not taught It Is evolved. moral
ity belongs 10 human nature We are doomed 10 he
moral We cannot help ourselves. and II at time
should say, will go back now 70 immoral
conditions and II shall make difference 10 me
whether I am moral or immoral. there would In
stanty appear that, far from being immoral or
moral. the who would return 70 the be-
Of rnla m
immoral and would do an injustice 70
the brute 10 call him brutal We doomed 10 be
moral In the slow process OF evolution the word
ascending series which ends with that is. the
moral ne written the last tern,
in that ascending series and the evolution OF the
moral sense gave exact motive power human
nature. by virtue Of which relation was estab
ganism-a community of cells in which each cell
the whole And the moral life is only this rela-
ton between moral beings. man may ne relig-
loqs a a6ne on. Kconsoh russo may pe emdnenty
rives II takes another man 70 establish moral re-
h h Ihe soas m0s o S @ Snd he he han 10 be he
moral with the black man. He might worship God
proof OF his morality: bit he could NOT turn his
back unkindy upon his associate without having
w9al 'hTn is Is the problem set the human
problem set him Is to ind "a ministry on every
hand that shall make the blooming Of his morality
between one moral agent and another across whieh
the things we call human In thought and ideal shall
pass nSe in he op Of ond hs Ts9 sSehn i called
upon FOR a moral ministry" The stage. which Is
semblase OF moral agents concerned with moral
purposes dor they cannot be concerned with any
fronting each other in this sort Of contact is
moral stuatonl: the stage. then. is engaged in
II ought 70 be This is the theme: how far It is
fha~a iC S.feN itt- ha cfg in
the play, In the actor, In the manager. most o all
bo6 Il the ba proe been HdmrSed e M M tho
wish Of the public which II addresses II is
sae9 6anny s. hs IN 30 pb to a Whs n
II offers what II has 70 offer. There is debut
whether the stage elsewhere breaks down
from various reasons: from false standards. from
from that unpardona bic sin Of the moral lie. an
abiding selfshness
sELFISHNESs UNPARDONABLE
The stage. however. IN addressing itself this
form Of abiding selfshness could do better
than ~ pu' In some clever facile an1atc form
George Merediths comedy Of The Egoist": then
We men should see, part OF us what Ne are and
the rest of US how narrowly have escaped
This would be the proper function of the play
wright, and the proper function OF the stage. 70
present this comedy o. The Egoist" Offset
and corrective the unpardona ble sin Of selfish
in human nature. And l call it objectionable
for this reason-that selfshness is the very con-
traventon and dispute Of that relationship out of
aity possible If SELF were the end OF moral ac-
ton Morality inheres. consists, abides in the fact
that there Is commerce between soul and soul
for the betterng OF both by the contribution Of
each.
Let us inquire then. how Far the moral ministry
OF the stage may be accomplished fact What
is the moral mora ministry Of the stage stage in MS discus
offer. is grounded IN an abiding instinct in human
'nste e dsn s no e d.ps N ra
10 instinct in human nature, or any other, that
forecast, an actual corTeiative in The sum Of things
The statement Of Emerson that we should so tar
order OF nature can answer Is the exact statement
appetency or tendency that is normal is offset by
supply and answer in the sum Of things; and IS
lem OF human life is not to weed out instincts but
to Instruct them ito to esch s, them TO 20 y, straight 70
hasar tempers TO the plane OF the ideal tendencies
and The OF The younger r OF me % fTea
ton OF what have said concerning one the actors ar,
always tend toward the IDEAL" This appears in
science IN the statement OF Asa Cray. childhood
Is Instructed by Instances; manhood is Instructed
It is the common experience Of our common life
that the Instincts that are temporary are All root
less the elimination Of life is the leading Of the
instincts UP through all their manifold ramhcations
For every basar instinct has an intellectual coun-
tcrpart. and a spiritual reality that offsets IT and
stage corresponds ron, bottom TO TOP 70 ar abid
ing instinct which the Puritan could not put away
for when he had surprised the stage IN It's Vice
and suppressed II and put 10 silence he still lett
Charles II laying aside his that he might
his head little securely against the soft
shoulder OF some dramatic queen Of his dav The
stage was silenced. but the instinct remained
THE NEW IDEA OF BEING GOOD
The old idea OF being good this: You must
take the book OF NE and take out ts contents.
and leave its covers and then you supply an
entirely new contents that will ht exactly the old
binding That the old theory OF being good
Gaughter) II Is not necessary for 10 point
you the fact that sometimes the contents were
argcr than the binding and there mlshi
all the way round The new idea OF being good
not new, indeed, but newly discoyered-is TO take