Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-03-30
naAMA DISCUSSED.
aEv. Or. TALMAeE SAYS IT CANNOT
BE SUPPRESSED.

wAs1ISeToS, March 1S.--At time
when the whole country Is in contro-
yersy as never before concerning the
theater and some plays are being ar
rested by the police and others are be-
Ing pstronized by Christian people this
sermon of DR.. Talmage is Of much In
terest. The text is l Corinthians VII,
~. "They that use this world as net
abusing H."
Nc reason for preaching this dis
course is that have been kindly in
yi,ed BY two of 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 Chicago
and zee tie drama Quo Vadis' ana
criticise it With respect to its moral er-
feet and to &c 70 New York and see the
drama "Ben- Bur" aud write my opin-
ion Of It for public use. Instead oil do
ing that I propose in q sermon to e's-
ouss what we shall do with the dra-
matte element which God has lmrlant-
ed n many OF our natures-not in 10 or
100 or 1000. but in the vast majority
Of tho human race Some people speak
ef the drama as though 1t were some
thiny built w outside. of ourselves by
the Congreves aud the Goldspirhs eno
the Shaaespeeres and the Sher!daus or
literature nad that then we attune oNT
tns.es to correspond with human In
yaations. Not AT all. The drama Is An
echo from the feeling which God mas
imrlsptcd Ia our immortal souls III is
r4tp irst IN the domestic circle among
tha Children :, or years of age playing
with their dolls and their cradles anu
their carts, seen ten years after in the
njayhouses OF wood, ten years after IN
the parlor charades. after that IN the
eieborate impersonntio tions In the ncadc-
mics Of music. Thcspis and A1schylus
and Sophoclcs and Euripides merely
dramatized what was In the Greek
heart; Terence aud Plautus and Sen-
eca merely dramatiZed what was IN
the Roman heart; Congreve and Far
ouhar merely dramatized what was in
the English heart; Racine, Corneille
and Alfier only dramatized what was
in the French and Italian heart; Shakes
peare only dramatzed what was In
the great worlds heart The dithyrnm-
bic and classic drama, the sentimental
drama, the romantic drama, were mere
ly echoes OF the human soul.
/ do not speak of the drama on the
80 . 1n Il lpnt n
playhouse, but | speak of the dramat
ic element in your soul and mine. We
make men responsible for 1t. They arc
not responsible. They are responsible
FOR the perversion of it, but not for the
original implantation. God did that
work, and / suppose he knew what he
was about when he made us. We arc
nearly all moved by the spectacular
When on Thanksgiving day we deco
rate our churches with the cotton ano
the rice and the apples and the whea
and the rye and the oats, our gratitude
to God Is stirred; when on Easter
morning we see written In letters o
flowers the inscription, HE Is Risen,
our emotions are stirred Every paren
with its recitations and its dialogues
and its droll costumes. The torchllgh
procession of the political campaign Il
merely the dramatl2ation of principle
involved. No intelligent man can lool
In any secular or religious direction
without finding this dramatic elemen
revealing, unrolling, demonstrating 1t
self. What shall we do with it?
Love OF the Beautiful.
Shall we suppress lt2 You can n
enslly suppress it's Creator You ma
direct It, you may educate it, you ma
purify 1t. you may harness it to mutt
Totsnt usefulness, aud that II Is you
dlry to DO, just as we cultivate til
tssse for the beautiful aud the sui
lime.
Now, have 10 tell you not only tina
Cos has implanted this dramatic elt
mens 10 cur natures but have to to
yos 10 the Scriptures he cu.tivates |
no appeals 10 Il. he develops is. L
npt care where you open tho Bibl
your ~. will :nll upon = drama HeI
II .s N the nook of Judges; the nr tre
Aa1 NisCs .b' bhNS 'iuSs sAS
they AL MAKE ,rsecheS Then ~ "
ctoss 9s tbs icsac sreTs 10 3 coronatiai
and 2hS brampie 10 proclaimed Sip
1chst ~ n political drama. Here II
iu ;hs Sook II Job. fcnte: Alipaan, Y
dad, ZoDhs., Alihu and 100. rho ope
lag act OF tho irEma, all darkness; {,
e.osink act .; the drama, all sunshiu
Afkcnifrn-. tiroInn "a ,ha ao1a ~ I oh
A4,c II IS 10 Solomor's song--tl
region. IN oriental region; Vineyard
pomesl1 mates, mountain OF nyrr
Sock oi shse9, garden Of spices, o wc
lag bride, a bridegroom. dislog
Attsr d!slogus--ntersc, gorgeous.
suggestive drama ia the book OF So
In9as Song. Here II 10 10 the book
I.s1e: Costly mansion In the night,
ihs winoows bright with illuminate
TIE aoor s-eEake with the dance. |
turpco son In costly garments which
not very well At h!m perhaps, for I'll
were not made for him, but he III
swiftiy leave or his old garb and p
pare Tor this cxtenporlzed leyee. Po
ing sea al the back door, too mad TO
n. oscaase they are making such
fioa. Tears Of sympathy running do
the old mans cheek at the story OF
sons wandering ard suffering y
tears OF Joy al his return. When J
heard Nurdock recire "The Prod
t3u- In one OF Ills readings. you did
know whether 10 sob or shout.
vivh!s OF sellzlon have started just
aae ths .aa1inR ~ Tint goui ~ %,