The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-23

]
knee; from the pallor Of tae boys check,
the amputation no; long before. He had
! a package ot broken food under his arm
\ TODD he had begged. l suppose. az the
/ doors. As he passed on over the slippery
! pavement. cautiously and carefully.
steadiei him until his crutch slipped and
I be fell. helped him up as well as could,
\ gathered up the fragments OF the package
\ as well as l could, put them under one
l 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 suferinss OF the poor could not
/ touch one like that little drama Ot accident
and suffering.
oh. we want in all our different depart
ments Of usefulness more OF thu dramatic
element aad less OF the didacu,, The
tendency Ia this day IL 10 drone religion,
\ 70 whine religion. 10 cant religion, 20 moan
religion, 10 croak religion, TO sepulcharize
/ religion, when we ought 20 present IL In
animated and spectacular manner.
What we want. ministers and iaymen, is
/ 10 get our sermons and our exhortattons
and our prayers out OF the Old rut. The old
hackneyed religious phrases that come
snoring down through the centuries will
/ never arrest tho masses. What We want
to-day, you in your sphere, and IN my
| sphere Is 10 freshen up. People do not
/ want ia their sermons the sham flowers
bought at the millinery shop. but the
! laponicas 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 20 drive out the drowsy and the
| prosaic and the tedious and tShhumdrum
aud Introduce the brightness aud the
] yivacity and the holy sarcasm and the sane
tilted wit and the epigrammatic power and
| the blood red earnestness and the are OF re-
| ligious zeal. aud do not know OF any way
OF doing IL as we'll as through the dramatic.
But now LET Us turn TO the drama as an
amusement aud entertainment
Rev. DR.. Bellows, OF New York. many
/ years ago In a very brilliant but much crtl.
/ ctsed sermon took the position that the
! thcater might be renovated and made aux
/ Hilary 10 the church. Many Christian peo-
! pie are o; 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
remember is my sentiment now. But TO.
| day take step In advance OF my former
theory. Christianity is going 20 take full
possession ot this world aud control its
/ maNims, its laws. tts literature. It's science
! and its amusemeuts. Shut out from tho
realm OF Christianity anything and you
! give Il up TO sin and death.
IL Christianity is mighty enough 20
manage everything but the atuusements OF
/ the world, then IL IL very detective Chris
| tianity. IL IL capable OF keeping account
| OF the tears OF the world and incompetent
20 make record OF its smilssP Is IL good 10
| follow the funeral, bat dumb at the worlds
! play2 Can IL control all the other elements
OF our nature but the dramatic elementp
My idea OF Christianity Is that 1t can and
will conquer everything.
Now, what we want is TO hasten that
| time. How will IL be donep BY the church
going over TO tho theater2 Ii will noe GO.
By the theater coming 20 the church, IL
| will not come. What We want Is n reformed
| amusement association in every city and
town OF the United States. Once an-
nounced and explained and illustrated
the Christian and philanthroplc capitalist
! will come forward to establish IL, and there
| will be public spirited men everywhere who
will DO this work for the dramatic eloment
OF our natures. We need "A new institu-
ton TO meet and recognize and develop
and defend the dramatic element OF our
nature. II needs TO be distinct from ev.
erything that Is or has been.
would have this reformed amusement
association having IN charge this new In
s'!tutiOn OF the spectacular take possession n
OF some hall or academy. IL might take a
smaller building at the start but II 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 gratlnca-
tion without compromise and without
danger does the mightiest thing OF this
century, and the tides OF such an institu-
tion would rise as the Atlantic rises at
Liverpool docks.
There are tens OF thousands OF Christian
homes whore the sons and daughters are
held back from dramatic entertainment for
! reasons which some OF you would say a re
good reasons aud others would say are
poor reasons. but still held back. But on
the establishment OF such Hu institution
a II a aNNl..
and would say on the establishment OF tbis
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 characters.
! ties OF this new institution, this spectacu-
lar, IL IL is TO be grand social and moral
success. In the first place, It's en.ortain.
! ments must be compressed within an hour
! aud three-quurtefa. What kills sermons
! prayers aud lectures and entertainments
OF all sorts Is prOlixty. A. n reasonable
| hour every night every curtain Of public
entertainment ought 10 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 drama which before render
! log has been read, eKpurgated abbreviated
and passed upon by board OF trustees
association. Ifthere be In n drama sea-
! tence suggesting evil. Il will be stricken
! out. III there be In n Shakespearean playa
word with two meanings good meaning
and bad meaning another word will be
| su bstltuted, an honest word looking only
way. The caterers 20 public taste will have
TO learn tina; Shakespearean nastiDess IL no
| better than Congrevcan nastlness. You
| say, "Who will dare 90 change by expurga.
! ton or abbreyiHtion Shaksspearsnn
| playf" dare. Tue board oi trustees of
this reformed amusement association will
dare. IL is no depreciation % drama,
the abbreviation % II. / would like 10 hear
| thirty or forty pages ~ MiltOn's Paradise
! Lost" reud az one time. but / should be
very sorry te hear the whole book read at
! one sitting. Abbreylatlon Is not deptesa.
tlOu.
on the platform % this new institution
this spectacular. under the care % the very
best men aud women in tue community,
thore shall be nothing witnessed that
wOa.d be unfit Tor a parlOr. Any attitude,
any look, any word that would offend you
seated at your own lre.ids. in sour family
circle, will be prohibited from that plat.
form. by what law Oi common sense or ~
morality does that which H. not ~ % be
seen or heard by ye people become ~ e.
BE- seen or heard BY 1900 people, On the
platform Oi that spectacular al the scenes
81 the drama will b. AZ chaste a. was ever
n lecture by Edward Everett Or a sermon
by Y. W. Robertson. On that platform
there shall be no carOuser. no inebriate, no
cyDrian, no Zoe % good morals, masculine
or ismiuins.
Now let %. have = new Institution with
"xpurgatei drama AMI with the surround