Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-04-05

will never elevate the drama. Yonder
stand IA church and theatre on opposite
sides OF the street. The church shouts over
| to the theatre, "You are all scoundrels''
The theatre shouts back, "You are all hypo-
| critesl" And they both falsiiy. Dropping
| oil indiscrlmtnate jeremtadS against dra-
matists and realizing that the drama is not
necessarily connected with this institution
| or with that, Iwant to show you how the
dramatic element in our natures may be
harnesscd 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 and suffering I saw one slip
perry morning In the streets OF Philadel-
phia. Just ahead OF mo was lad, wretch
ed IN apparel. his limb amputated Mt the
knee; from the pallor OF the boys cheek,
the amputation not long before. He had
package OF broken food under his arm
| food he had begged, I suppose, mt the
pavement, cautiously and carefully, 1
steadied him until his crutch slipped and
| he fell. helped him up us we'll as could,
gathered up the fragments OF the package
us we'll as l 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 sufferin9s OF the poor could not
touch one like that little drama OF accident
| and suffering.
| Ous wa WHuC III Ill our inherent depart.
| ments OF usefulness more OF the dramatic
clement and legs 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 10 present 1t In
animated and spectacular manner.
What we want, ministers and laymon, is
| to get our sermons and our exh ortattons
| md cur 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 in my
| sphere, Is to freshen up. People do not
| want In their sermons the sham flowers
bought at the millinery shop, but the
japonicRs wet with the morning dew, not
the heavy bones OF extinct megatherium
| OF past ages, but the living reindeer caught
| last August ut 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 epigranmntic power and
the blood red earnestness and the fire OF re-
liglous zeal, and do not know Of any way
| OF doing 1t rs well as through the dramatic
But now let US turn 10 the drama rs an
amusement and entertainment.
| Rev. DIR. Bellows, OF New York, manv
years ago in q very brilliant but much crti-
cised sermon took the position that the
thcnter might be renovated and made aux.
| Hilary to the church. MANY Christian peo-
| pie are OF the same opinion. l do not
| agree with them. have no idea that sue
| cess Is in that direction. What have said
heretofore on this subject, rs fur US l can
remember, Is my sentiment now. But to-
day take n 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
| m nj at
give 1t up to sin and death.
III Christianity Is mighty enough to
manage everything but the amusements OF
| tho world, then 1t is n very defective Chris
| tinnity. Is it capable Of keeping account
OF the tears of tho world and incompetent
to make record OF its smiles? Is it good to
follow the funeral, but dumb ut the worlds
| play? Can it control all the other elements
OF our nature but the dramatic element?
| My idea OF Christianity is that it 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? 1t will not &c.
BY the theater coming to the church? 1t
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 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 new institu-
tion 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 tuke possession
| OF some hall or academy. 1t might take
| smaller building at 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 gratinca-
| tion without compromise and without
danger does the mightiest thing OF this
| century, and the tides OF such nn institu-
| tion would rise as the Atlantic rises ut
| 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 aud others would say are
| poor reasons, but still held back. But on
| the establishment Of such an institution
| they would feel the arrest OF their anxleties
| 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 I make suggestion
OF an institution which wiser men will
develop, want to give some charncteris-
tics OF this new institution. this spectacu-
| lar, II 1t Is to be grand social and moral
success. In the first place, its entertain.
ments must be compressed within an hour
and three-quartets. What kills sermons,
prayers and lectures aud entertainments
OF all sorts is prolixity. At reasonable
hour every night every curtain OF public
entertainment ought to drop, every church
service ought to cease, the instruments o,
orchestrns 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 u board Of trustees
connected with this reformed amusement
association. Ifthere be in drama sen.
tence suggesting evil. 1t will be stricken
out. II there be In II Shakespearean play a
word with two meanings--a good meaning
and bad neutrality-suspicious. word will be
| substituted, IN honest word looking only
wny. The caterers to public taste will have
to learn that Shakespearean nastiness IL nc
better than Congrevean nnstiness. You
say, "Who will dare to change by expurgn.
tion or abbrevation Shakespearear
play?" l dare. The board of trustees OF
this reformed amusement association will
dare. 1t is no depreciation OF drama,
the abbrevlation ofit. would like to hear
1