Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-03-23
perv morning in the streets OF philadel.


package OF broken food under his arm
food he had begged, suppose, at the
doors. As he passed on over tho slippery
pavement, cautiously and carefully,
steadled him until hts crutch slipped and
he fell. helped him up as we'll as could,
gathered up the fragments OF the package
as we'll as / could, put them under one
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 sufferIngs 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 didactic. The
tendency In this day Is to drone religion,
TO whine religion, to cant religion, to moan
religion. to croak religion, to sepulcharizc
religion, when We ought to present 1t In
animated and spectacular manner
What we want, ministers and laymen, Is
10 get our sermons and our exh ortations
and our prayers out Of the old rut. The Old
hackneyed religious phrases that come
snoring down through the centuries VIII
never arrest the masses. What we want
to-day. YOU In your sphere, and l In my
sphere. is to freshen up. People do not
want In their sermons the sham flowers
bongbt at the millinery shop, but the
iaponicas wet with the morning dew, not
the heavy bones OF extinct me2atnerlum
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
prosaio and the tedious and the humdrum
and Introduce the brightness anu the
vivacity and the holy sarcasm and the sane
| tilted wit and the eplgrammatlc power ana
| the blood red earnestness and the fro OF re-
"a
| of doing 1t as we'll 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 crlti'
| cised sermon took the position that the
| theater might be renovated aud made aux
! Iliary 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 saiu
heretofore On this subject, as far as l can
| remember, Is my sentiment now. Rut TO-
| day take a step In advance OF my former
theory. Christianity is going to take full
| possession OF this world and control It's
| maxims, It's 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 very defective Cnris-
| 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 world'a
NAV? Can II control all the other elements
| of our nature but the dramatic element?
| NY idea of Christianity is that 1t can and
| will conquer everything.
| Now. what we want Is to hasten that
| time, How will 1t be donei BY the church
! going over to the thea.er2 1t Will not go.
| By the tbeater coming to the church? 1t
| will not come. What we want Is reformed
amusement association In every city ana
town of the United States. Once an
nounced and explained and illustrated,
| the Christian and phianthropic capitalist
| will come forward to establish 1t, and there
will be public spirited men everywhere wac
| will do this work for the dramatic element
| of our natures. We need new institu'
| ton to meet and recognize and develop
and defend tho dramatic element oil 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 a
| smaller building at tie 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 gratlilca1
| ton without compromise and without
| danger does Tire mightiest thing OF TINS
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 TOT
reasons which some OF you would say are
| good reasons and others would say are
poor reasons, but still held back. But ON
| the establishment Of such an institution
| thew would feel the arrest OF their anxleties
and would say on the establishment OF t1is
| new institution, which I have called the
| spectacular, "Thank, God. this 1s what we
have all been waiting for"
| Now. as believe that make suggestion
| OF an institution which wiser men Will
| develop. I want to give some characters
tics of this new institution. this spectacu-
| lar. II 1t Is to be n 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 AMI entertainments
| of all SORTS is prolixity. At reasonable
hour every night every curtain OF puone
entertainment ought to drop, every churcl
service ought to cease, the Instruments Of
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 board OF trustees
| connected with this reformed amusement
! association. II There be in q drama SEN
| tence suggesting evil. 1t will be stricken
| out. II there be In Shakespcarean play q
word with two meanings-a good meanlnf
| and bad meaning--another word Will DC
| substituted, an honest word looking only
| way, The caterers to public taste Will nave
| to learn that Shakespcarean nastiness IL nc
| better than Oougrevean nastiness. You
| say, "Who will dare to change by expurga
! ton or abbreviation ShakespeareaI
| nlayp" dare. The board OF trustees o.
| this reformed amusement association Will
| dare. 1t Is no depreciation OF drama
| the abbreviation Off would llketo heal
thirty or forty pages OF Milton's Paradise
| Lost" read at one time. but l should b'
| very sorry to hear the whole book read al
| one sitting. Abbreviation Is not deprecia
| ton.
| On the platform O. this now institution
| this spectacular, under the care OF tue very
best men and women In tho community
there shall be nothing witnessed thai
would be unfit for parlor. Any attitude
any look, any word that would offend yo'
seated at your own flreside, in your family
| circle, will be prohibited from that plat
| form. BY what law Of common sense or o
| morality does that which Is not ut to b.
seen or beard by I've people become fit t
be seen or heard by 1900 people? On tn
| platform OF that spectacular all the scene
| OF the drama will bs as chaste as was eve
a lecture by Edward Everett or sermon
by +. W. Robertson. On that platform
| there shall be no carouser, no inebriate, n
cyprian, no foe OF good morals, masculin
or feminine.