The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-18
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: HER POINT OF VIEW s:
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

OF my coat" replied the bearer of the
large square piece of pasteboard. Then
he turned it carefully over so that its
inscription could be read. 1t conveyed
the startling intelligence: I'm the man
who didn't see The Turtle" His
friend stared inquiringly. Yes" re-
, marked the other briskly. Il didn't
go to see that play and / want the
| community to know it," "You won't
wear that thing?" exclaimed the other
man i'm an incredulous tone. won't
I? Well, just watch me, I'm going
| to see a girl tonight whose father is a
| great church member, and ] mean to
! let him see that card. Itn fix me all
! right with him."
Yesterday the placard young man
was not as hilarious as on the pre-
vious occasion, and he stopped to ex-
! plain his depressed condition. 1T didn't
work." he remarked solemnly. why"
! "Oh, the old fellow went to see The
Turtle himself. Prayer meeting to-
| night too" he added.
The management of playhouses like
| to please their patrons. If their pa
! irons like to see plays whose vulgarity
!
| present to wish she was anywhere else,
the management cannot be held re-
sponsible. It's business is to have the
theater filled. If the people won't go to
! see Shakespearean plays and highly
moral entertainments, why they must
| be provided with the other kind. 1t is
! not the special prerogative of the press
| TO roast" the presentations that are
70 a,,1 tI,. ,1..st
! poseu to be posted with regard to the
merits of different plays. But the pa
! irons usually know what they are GO
ing to see. They are seldom shocked
to any great degree. In fact it vas
stated that most of the people who
/ sat through THE Turtle" the other
night seemed to possess a marked
| amount Of equanimity and sang froid.
1ney knew it was going to be bad and
didn't pretend to be Mortified as were
the matrons of high degree, who went
to see Omar Khayyam" interpreted
by dancing girl in extremely gauZy
drapcres the other evening at the Wal
dorf- Astoria. One by one they with
drew, To the number of fifty or more.
but the rest adopted an expression of
fortitude and remained.
The people who went to see THE
Turtle" were like the old auntie who
could never be- persuaded to ride on a
railway train. Finally the family
found it necessary TO remove to a great
distance and per force the old lady
was obliged to go along in a parlor
coach. An accident occurred, the en-
tire train was derailed and many were
injured. The head of this particular
household gathered the scattered mem
! bers of the family together, finding all
safe but the before mentioned auntie.
After some search she was discovered
at the bottom of a twenty-foot en-
Dankment, placidly awaiting a rescue
party. After etfusive greetings, she
was asked If she had been greatly
frightened why. MOI" she answered
Wonderingly. Don't they always stop
this way" having evidently been pre-
pared for anything.
This was the attitude of the major
ity of patrons of The Turtle" They
We're not specially shocked since they
went there to see and hear just what
they did see and hear.
1t is such a plClsanter condition of
mind to not worry, particularly about
bridges which we probably shaI
never be required to cross. | am 50
glad that 1t doesn't fan to my lot
10 decide for every body what religion
should be embraced. Dear. dear, what
a responsibility it must be TO be a
preacher of any sort if one must fee.
obliged by conscience to insist that
everybody outside his own sect is lost.
! so much prefer to consider that most
OF the nice people l know will be in
heaven some day. I'm SURE it would
grieve me exceedingly to think that
| shall never meet them when | may
have few moments to spare to enjoy
their society. That boon is denied 20
me on earth. 1t has always been
great satisfaction to contemplate the
probability that if ever one is so FORUM
ate as to go to heaven ono viii have
time in that abode of the best to real
ly get well acquainted with some of
the delightful people who have made
the world bright and for whom there
has only been an opportunity here for
a smile and bow. OF course. accord
ing to my present enlightrnment.a a good
Methodist seems to stand the hest
chance for abundant entrance into the
ions who aren't leaving much undone
tn fit them for a WIDER sphere I'm a
better country. If ] can get ever get
time l want to ask them about por-
tion of the way upward, which they
seem to know rather better than al
most anybody ! can call to mind Just
now. Then there are several
Catholics who don't seem to be con-
Quoting themselves very differently
from other people whom 7 call good
because they are good. / asked a lit
tie Catholic woman the other day if
she thought | was lost because l was
a Protestant, She looked at me grave
ly for moment aid then shook her
head: MOL think you'n be in heav-
en-" she remarked, and then added
softly: But, Of course you would feel
surer, you know. if you were in our
church" | know she prays a deal more
than pray and probably does a nobler.
more beautiful ministry in her quiet
life.
Then there are the Presbyterians.
There are more good ones in the First
church than in the Second, but it's
because the edihce is larger and there
is room for greater number. Never
a single, solitary one of them has ever
told me that [ am fore ordained to
go to a bad place after death and the
Baptists, too, don't seem to feel that
a Methodist has no chance at all. The
Penn avenue and the Elm Park folks
actually return thanks together On
Thanksgiving day and neither denom-
ination has apparently any great ap-