The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-05-19

pufe Ia life, It is because you have not had
very widS acQuaihtsnce:
. Wholesale denunciarioh Of all dfamatists
will never elevate the drama: Yondef
stand church and q theatre on opposite
sides OF the street. The church shouts over
to the theatre, "You are all scoundrelsl'
The theatre shouts back, "You are all hypo-
critesl" And they both falsify. Dropping
all indiscriminate ieremiads against dra-
matists and realizing that the drama IL not
necessarily connected with this institution
or with that, / want to show you how the
dramatic element In our natures may be
harnessed to the chariot OF civilization and
Christianity,
Fifty essays about the sorrows Of the
poor could not affect me as q little drama
OF accident aid suffering saw one slip.
perry morning in the streets Of Philadea.
phia. Just ahead Of me was a lad, wretch.
ed In apparel; his limb amputated at the
knee: from the palior Of the boys cheeks
the amputation not long before. He had
a package OF broken food under his arm
food be had begged, I suppose, at the
doors. As he passed on over the slippery
pavement. cautiously and carefully. !
he fell. I helped him up as we'll as could.
gathered up the fragments Of the package
as we'll as could, put them under ono
arm and the crutch under the other arm,
but when / saw the blood run down his
pale cheek burst into tears. Fifty essays
about the sufYerings OF the poor could not
touch one like that little drama OF accident
ans sun wing.
oh. we want In all our different depart.
ments Of usefulness more OF the dramatic
element and less OF the didactic. The
tendency in this day Is to drone religion,
to whine religion, to cant religion, to moan
religion, to croak religion, to sepulcharize
religion, when we ought to present 1t In
animated and spectacular manner.
What we want, ministers and laymen. is
to get our sermons anA our exhortations
and our prayers out OF the old rut. the oid
baekneyed religious phrases that come
snoring down through the centuries will
never arrest the masses. What We want
to-day, you In your sphere, and In my
sphere, Is to freshen up. People 40 NOS
want In their sermons the sham flowers
bought at the millinery shop, but the
japonicas wet with the morning dew, not
the heavy bones of extinct megatherium
of past ages. but the living reindeer caught
last August at the edge OF Schroon Lake.
We want to drive out the drowsy and the
prosaic and the tedious and the humdrum
and introduce the brightness and the
vivacity and the holy sarcasm and the sane.
titled wit and the epigrammatic power and
the blood red earnestness and the IRE OF re.
ligious zeal, and do not know Of any way
oil doing 1t as well as through the dramatic.
But now let US turn to the drama as an
amusement and entertainment.
Rev. DIR. Bellows, OF New York, many
years ago In a very brilliant but much critl.
cised sermon took the position that the
theater might be renovated and made aux.
Hilary to the church. Many Christian PEG.
pie are Of the same opinion. DO not
agree with them. have no idea that sue
cess is In that direction. What have said
heretofore on this subject, as far as can
rem ember, is my sentiment now. But to-
day take step In advance Of my former
theory. Christianity is going to take full
possession OF this world and control it,
maxims, its laws, its literature. Its science
and its amusements. Shut out from the
realm Of Christianity anything and you
give 1t up to sin and death.
II Christianity Is mighty enough to
manage everything but the amusements OF
the world, then 1t Is a very defective Chris.
tianity. Is 1t capable Of keeping account
of the tears Of the world and Incompetent
| to make record of Its smiles? Is 1t good to
follow the funeral, but dumb at the worid's
play? Can It control all the other elements
OF our nature but the dramatic element
My idea OF Christianity is that 1t can and
will conquer everything.
Now, what we want Is to hasten that
time. How will 1t be done7 BY the church
going over to the theater7 1t will not 60.
By the theater coming to the church, It
will not come. What we want Is reformed
| amusement association in every city and
town OF the United States. Once an.
nounced and explained and illustrated,
the Christian and phflanthroplc capitalist
| will come forward to establish It, and there
| will be public spirited men everywhere who
| will do this work for the dramatic element
4 fnat
ton to meet and recognize and develop
| and defend the dramatic element OF our
nature. 1t needs to be distinct from ev.
| erything that is or has been.
| would have this reformed amusement
association having In charge this new In.
stitution OF the spectacular take possession
| OF some hall or academy. 1t might take q
smaller building ut the start, but 1t would
| soon need the largest hall, and even that
| would not hold the people, for he who
| opens before the dramatic element In
human nature an opportunity OF gratiflca-
! ton without compromise and without
danger does the mightiest thing OF this
| century, and the tides Of such an institu-
ton would rise as the Atlantic rises at
Liverpool docks.
There are tens Of thousands OF Christian
homes where the sons and daughters are
held back from dramatic entertainment for
reasons which some OF you would say are
good reasons and others would say are
| poor reasons, but still held back. But or
the establishment OF such IN Institution
they would feel the arrest OF their anxieties
and would say on the establishment Of this
new institution, which have called the
spectacular, ''Thank. God, this Is what we
have all been waiting for.''
| Now, as believe that make suggestion
Of an institution which wiser men will
develop want to give some charQcteri5
ties OF this new institution. this spectacu.
| lar, II It Is to be O grand social and mora
success. In the first place, Its entertain
ments must be compressed within IN houl
and three-quarters. What kills sermons
prayers and lectures aud entertainments
Of all Sorts Is prollxlty. At a reasonable
hour every night every curtain Of publ.
entertainment ought to drop, every churcl
service ought to cease, the Instruments o
orchestras ought to be unstrung.
On the platform of this new institution
there will be drama which before render
ing has been read, expurgated, abbreviated
and passed upon by a board of trustee
connected with this reformed amusemen
association. Ifthere be in q drama sen
| tence suggesting evil. 1t will be stricken
out. II there be In Shakespearean play
word with two Meanings good meanin,
| and a bad neutrality-suspicious. word will b.
substituted, an honest word looking onl
way. The caterers to public taste will hav
| to learn that Shakespearean nastiness IL n,
better than Congrevean nastiness. You
say, WHO will dare to change by expurga
| ton or abbreviation Shakespeareal
play?" dare. The board Of trustees o
this reformed amusement association viii
dare. It IL no depreciation of q drama
the abbreviation oft. would like to hea
/ thirty or forty pages of Millions "Paradis