The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-31
Ministers and Others Discuss the
Propriety of This.
RELIGIOUS SUPERVISION
Professor Matthews Thinks 1t Might
Do Some Good - DR.. Thomas Says
1t Would Not Pay, and
Others Disapprove.

saulus, president of Armour Institute
of Technology and pastor of Central
church, Chicago. To an interviewer
few days ago DR.. Gunsaulus said:
There is no question in my mind as
to the early alliance of great Christian
and Hebrew history, poetry and legend
with the stage. The possibilities of the
religious drama are only partially used
in the passion play of earlier times and
in the passion play of the present tine.
The miracle plays upon which Shakes
peare laid the foundations of his dram
as are more prophetic of the uses which
shall be made of sacred history on the
stage than they are reminiscent of
past forever gone. The genius of tra g.
edy will find it's literary resources so
richly endowed for dramatic purposes
when the dramatist reads his Biole as
a book of literature that no questions
will be asked about the proprie-y OF
using scriptural variations on the stage.
More than this, as seriousness comes
into our literary life we will find dram
attic art yielding to the demand of the
public, and it will furnish such products
of genius as will match the art of the
painter or the sculptor. If 1t is nght
and good that Michael Angelo should
recreate Moses by the chisel, that Ra-
phael should recreate the transtigura-
ton by the brush, that Browning should
recreate Elijah by musical sound why
may not the various and rich instru-
mentalities used in dramatic art re-
produce, for the same purpose OF IN
struction and culture, the lives ana
achievements, the disasters and tri-
umphs of the men and women OF the
Bible? A great preacher is likely
to have a great deal of dramatic art in
him, and he is certainly none the worse
for being able to tell the story of Judas
so that the audience may feel the trag-
edy of that life and shrink with hor-
ror from the possibility of a similar
fatality of character. Jesus himself
employed the novel for his parallels or
short stories told for a moral purpose.
AS I have suggested, such a picture as
The Last Supper by Leonardo which
at it's best added to the religious intlu-
ence of the church in which it was
painted, as did the frescoes by Angelo
in the Sistine chapel, is only drama,
or single moment in drama, placed
before the eyes.
'"To place a historical scene or a great
poetic legend involving moral teaching
before all the senses appealed to by
the stage is surely greater work.
Some' time ago an almost unknown
man, Charles Heavesege, printed
drama called Saul of Tarsus, and the
late Lord De Tabley wrote his poem
nothing grander than the drama which
might be created out of such stories as
| these and placed upon the stage. When
| the genius rises equal to the task OF
| placing the career of Moses In the hands
| of those able to represent KING Lear
| the amazing resources of literature and
| the grandest historical episode OF early
| times will be dramatized.
| "Of course these dramas ought never
| to be presented under less religious IN
| fuences than are those under which
| the passion play is given at Ober-Am-
| mergau / question the usefulness OF
producing the story of the death or
! Jesus on any stage, but the reason for
| this statement lies only in the fact that
| it is beyond the reach either of intel
| lectual power or moral genius. | can
| not see however, why such drama
as might be made out of the life of Ne
| hemiah should not be presented and its
presentation produce noble results
When Prof. Brander Matthews was
| asked for his opinion on the dramatlza-
| ton of the Bible he said:
"Why not? There is no valid argu-
ment against its being put on the stage.
1t has been done, and done reverently,
in the past, and quite recently, in va
| riouS countries.
you of course know how the passion
| play was acted at Eastertide every
| where in the early church. During the
| succeeding centuries it has continued
to be presented yearly in some lands.
| In Mexico it is still enacted annually,
as we'll as at Ober-Ammergau.
| "Can the scenes in the life of Christ
be reverently portrayed? Certainly. In
| 1880 the passion play was given in san
Francisco. James O'Neil, who was ed
ucated for the priesthood. took the part
| of Christ and acted it admirably. The
religious drama is being rapidly re-
vived. The John the Baptist of Jo'
| names Sudermann, the great German
dramatist, scored a distinct triumph al
Berlin recently The play written by
Rostand just before 'Cyrano' was La
Samartaine,' an adaptation of the BIZ
BILE story.
80 much for history and the present
tendency. From a purely artistic stand
point, however, all historical plays, 8!
we'll as novels and paintings, are freaks
They are attempts to portray the i'm
possible. AS no one knows how thu
people of 200 or 1000 years ago liveC
and looked and talked it is folly to tr!
to reincarnate them. Let it be under
stood, however that / say this from ;
purely theoretical standpoint Practi
cally historical play, novel and paint
ing will always be popular. | am nov
writing a drama of the past Thu
present desire for romance is yer,
strong, and it is impossible to say how
long il will last.
BY all means let some one dramatic
the best of the biblical narratives. Tit
experiment will do no harm and may
result in untold good"
The early literature of all nations be
gan in the simplest forms of the ballad
In this there was rhythm, music, mo
ton The rhythm moved to poetry AM
| history; the music to meditation ant
philosophy, and the dance to the drama
and oratory. The drama is thus re
lated to and part of literature.
Now, is there anything new in tn
thought of dramatizing the Bible? /
is well known that in the year befor
books and reading We're common Ger
tain portions of the Bible were dram
affixed as a method of public instruc
ton, and there would seem nothini
necessarily wrong in doing it now, blu
in the popular conception of the sacret
and the secular. 1t might, to some, seen
incongruous, if not almost irreverent,
The real question is whether biblica
dramas are called for, are needed o
could be made useful. And back of thi