Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-03-23
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
DRAMATIC Art THE SUBJECT
LAST SUNDAY.
.he Text IL 4. Corinthians VII. 81
They That Jse This World as Not
Abusing Is"-Porify but DO Not
suppress &c.

Ne text Is 4. corinthians VII. a L.
They that use this world as no,
abusing it,"
My reason for preaching this dis
course is that have been kindly in
Yited by two CT the leading newspa-
pers of this country to inspect and re-
port on two of the popular plays Of
the day-to go some weeks ago TO CHI
eago and see the drama Quo Nadis
and crlticise Ii with respect TO its mo-
raj effect and 10 go TO New York and
see the drama "Ben-Hur" and write
my opinion OF il for public use. iu
stead of doing this propose in .er-
mon to discuss what we shall DO with
the dramatic element which God has
implanted in many Of ou- natures. not
in 10 or leo or 1850. but in the vas.
majority CT the human race. Some peo-
pie speak OF the drama as though 4
were something built up outside OF
ourselves by the COngreves and the
Goldsmiths ard the Snakespeares and
the Sheridans of literature. and that
then we attune our tastes to CORE
spond with human inventions. Not at
all. he drama Is an echo from the
feeling which God implanted IN
our immortal souls. Ii is seen first in
three or four years of age playing with
their dolls and their cradles and their
carts, some ten years after in the play
houses CT wood ten years after n
parlor charades. after that in the
elaborate representations in the acade-
mics of music. Thespis and Aeschy
ll~s and SophOclos and Euripides mere
IS dramatized what was in the Greek
heart. Terence and Plautus and Sen
eca merely dramatized what was N
the Roman heart. Congreye and Far
quhar merely dramatized what was
in the English heart Racine. Cor
nellie and Alfieri only dramatized what
vas in the French and 'Italian heart.
Shakespeare only dramatized what
was in the great worlds heart. The
dithyrambie and classic drama, the
sentimental drama. the romantic
drama, were merely echoes Of the ha
man soul.
poetic shelf. nor of the drama in the
playhouse. but / speak of the dramatic
element in your soul and mine We
make men responsible for il. but not
for the original implantation. God
aid that work. and ! suppose he knew
what he was about when he made US.
We are nearly all moved by the spec
taeular. When on Thanksgiving day
we decorate our churches With the cot
ton and the rice and the apples and
the wheat and the rye and the oats.
cur gratitude to God is stirred. When
on Easter morning We see written in
letters OF flowers the inscription, He
is Risen" our emotions are stirred.
Every parent likes to go to the school
exhibition with It's recitaticns and its
Dialogues and It's droil costumes. The
torchlight procession OF the political
campaign Is merely the dramatization
Of principles involved. No intelligent
man can look in any secular or religi-
Gus direction without finding this
dramatic element revealing. unrollng.
demonstrating Itself What shall we
Go with It?
Shall We suppress it You can as
easily suppress its Creator. You may
direct It, you may educate it, you may
purify 1t, you may harness 1t TO multi
potent usefulness, and that il is your
duty to do. Just as we cultivate the
taste for the beautiful and the sublime
by bird haunted glen AMI FOSTERING
stream and cataracts let down In up
roar over the messed rocks, and the
day lifting its banner Of victory in the
EAST, and then setting everything on
FIRE as it retreats through the gates
Of the west.and the Austeriitz and Wa
terloo of an August thunderstorm bla-
ling their batteries into a sultry after
noon. and the round. glittering tear Of
a world wet on the cheek Of the night
as in this way We cultivate our taste
for the beautiful and sublime, so In
every lawful way we are to cultivate
the dramatic element In our nature,
by every staccato passage in literature.
by antithesis and synthesls. by every
tragic passage in human life.
Now. have to tell you not only tina.
God has implanted this dramatic ele-
ment In our natures. but | have TO
tell yos in the Scriptures he cultiyates
IL. he appeals TO II, he develops it.
10 not care where you open the Bible.
your eye will fall upon n drama. Here
i is IN the book OF Judges. the FIR tree
the vine. the olive tree. the bramble-
they all make speeches. Then at the
close OF the scene there l.: coronation
end the bramble is proclaimed king.
That is political drama Here 1t is
IN the book of Job: Enter Eliphaz.
3ildad, Zophar. Elihu and Job. The
opening act OF the drama, all darx-
ness; the closing act Of the drama. all
sunshine. Magnificent drama Is the
book OF Job.
Fifty ess 5 about the sorroTs OF the
poor cOula not affect me as a little
drama of accident and suffering saw
one slippery morning In the streets of
philadelphia Just ahead OF me was
lad, wretch in apparel. his limb am
putated at ihe knee: from the pallor
OF the boys cheek. the amputation not
long before. fie had a package of bro
ken food und : his arm-food he had
Begged, SUPP sc. at the doors AS he
passed on owe the slippery pavement
cautiously and carefully, steadied
aim until his crutch slipped and ne
fell ( helped him I'D "a we'll as |