The Penn's Grove record., 1900-03-23

OF accident and suffering I saw one Slip
perry morning In the streets OF Philadel-
phia: Just ahead OF me was a lad, wretch
ed I'm apparel, his limb amputated at the
knee; from the pallor OF the boys cheek,
the amputation not long before. He had
a package OF broken food under his arm
food he had begged, I suppose, ut the
doors. As he passed on over the slippery
pavement, cautiously and carefully, I
steadied him Until his erutch slipped and
he fell: | helped him lip as we'll as I could,
gathered Up the fragments OF the package
as welt us I could, put them tinder one
arm and the crutch under the other arm i,
but when I saw the blood run down his
pale cheek burst into tears. Fifty essays
about the gu fferings OF the poor could not
touch one like that little drama OF accident
and suffering.
Oh, we want in all our different depart
ments OF usefulness more OF the dramatic
element and less OF the didactl,. 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 and our exhortations
and our prayers out OF the old rut. The old
hackneyed religious phrases that come
snoring down through the centuries will
never arrest the masses. What we want
to-day, you In your sphere, and I ia my
sphere, Is to freshen up. People do not
want In their ermons the sham flowers
bought at tie millinery shop, but tho
japonicas wet with the morning dew, not
the heavy bones OF extinct me-atherium
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
vlvacity and the holy sarcasm and the sane
tilted wit and the epigrammatfc power and
the blood red %earnestness and the fire of re-
ligious zeal, and l do not know OF any way
OF doing 1t ms well as through the dramatic.
But now let us turn to the drama as an
amusement and entertainment.
Rev. DR.. Bellows, OF New York, many
years ago In a very brilliant but much criti-
cised sermon took the position that the
thoater might be renovated and made aux
Hilary to the church. Many Christian peo-
pie are OF the same opinion. I do not
agree with them. I ave no idea that sue
cess is in that direction. What l have said
heretofore on this subject, as far as I can
remember, is my sentiment now. But to-
day | take a step In advance OF my former
theory. Christianity Is going to take full
possession OF this world and control Its
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 worlds
play? q 1t 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 done? By the church
going over to the theater? It will not 60.
By the theater coming to the church? It
will not come. What We want Is a reformed
amusement association In every city and
OF the United States. Once an
nounced and explained and illustrated,
the Christian and philanthropic capitalist
will come forward to establish 1t, and there
will be public spirited men everywhere who
will do this work for the dramatic element
OF our natures. We need q new institu-
tion to meet and recognize and develop
and defend the dramatic element of our
nature. It needs to be distinct from ev-
erything that Is or has been.
! would have this reformed amusement
" ~ - ~ tAA0 V "A
stitutfon OF the spectacular take possession
Of some hall or academy. It might take a
smaller building at the start, but 1t would
soon need the largest hall, and sven that
would not hold the people, for he who
opens before the dramatic element In
human nature an opportunity OF gratilca-
ton without compromise and without
danger does the mfghtiest thing Of this
century, and the tides OF such an 1nstitu-
ton would rise as the Atlantic rises at
Liverpool docks.
There are tens Of thousands OF Christian
homes where the SOM and daughters are
held back from dramatic entertainment for
reasons which some of you would say q re
good reasons and others would say are
poor reasons. but still held back. But on
tho establishment OF such an institution
they would feel the arrest Of their anxieties
and would say on the establishment Of this
new institution, which I have called the
spectacular, "Thank. God, this is what we
have all been waiting for"
Now, as 1 believe that / make suggestion
OF an institution which wiser men will
develop, / want to give some characteris-
tics of this new institution. this spectacu-
lar, il 1t is to be q grand social and moral
success. In the first place, its entertain.
ments must be compressed within an hour
and three-quarters. What kills sermons,
prayers and lectures and entertainments
OF all SORTS is prolixlty. At a reasonable
hour every night every curtain Of public
entertainment ought to drop. every church
service ought to cease, the instruments OF
orchestras ought to be unstrung.
On the platform OF this new institution
there will be a drama which before render
ing has been read, expurgated, abbreviated
and passed upon by a board of trustees
connected with this reformed amusement
association. II there be in a drama a SEN
tence suggesting evil, it will be stricken
out. II there be in a Shakespearean play a
word with two Meanings good meaning
and a bad neutrality-suspicious. word will be
substituted, an honest word looking only
way. The caterers to public taste will have
to learn that S-hakespearean nastlness fs no
better than C~ongrevean nastiness. You
say, .Who will dare to change by expurga-
ton or abbreviatjon q S-hakespearean
play?" ! dare. The board OF trustees Of
this reformed amusement association will
dare. 1t is no depreciation Of a drama,
the abbreviation oft. Iwould like to hear
thirty or forty pages OF Millions Paradise
Lost" read at q time. but / should be
very sorry t. hear the whole book read at
one sitting. Authorization is not deprecia.
tfon.
On the platform OF this new institution
this spectacular, under the care OF the very
best men and women In the community,
there shall be nothing wit messed that
would be unfit for a parlor. Any at titude,
any look, any word that would offend you
seated at your wi freside, IN your family
circle, will be prohibited from that plat.
form. BY what law OF common sense or oil
morality does thHt which is not At to be
seen Or heard by five people become fit te
be seen or heard by 1900 people? On the
platform OF hat spectacular all the scenes
of the drama will b. as chaste as was ever
a lecture by Edward Everett or a sermon
by F. w. Robertson. On that platform
there shall be no %carouser, no inebriate, nc
cyprian, no foe OF good morals, masculine
or feminine.
expurgated drama and with the surround
ings / nave spoken OF, IN institution which
we can without s0phistry and without self
deception support and p~atronize. an insti-
tuition so uncompromisingly good that we
can attend 1t without any shock to our re-
ligious sensibilities, though the Sabbath
before we sat at the holy sacrament.
The ~amusements OF life are beautiful, and
they are valuable, but they cannot pay you
Tor the loss Of your soul. I could not tell
your character; I could not tell your pros
poets for this. world or the 9 by the par
ticular church you attend, but II you will
tell me where you were last night and
where you were the night before and where
you have been the nights OF the last month
l think l could guess where you win spend
eternity.
As to the drama Of your life and mine II
will Don end. There will be no encore to
bring US back. At the beginning OF that
drama OF life stood q cradle; at the end Of
1t will stand a grave. The first act, wei.
come. The last act, farewell. The inter
mediate acts. banquet, and battle. process