Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1900-04-05

will never elevate the drama. Wonder
stand a church and p theatre on opposite
sides o. the street. The church shouts over
to the theatre, You arr all s~coundrcl-t"
The theatresb0Uts baca, You ara alIbrpo-
critics." And they both tasty. Dropping
all indiserinjnate jere.niads against dra-
matists au1 realizing that the drama IS not
necessarily connected with this Institution
or with that, | want 10 snow you how the
dramatic element III or natures nav be
harnessed 10 the chariot of civilization and
Christianity.
Fifty essays about the sorrows of the
poor could not affect ne a a little drama
OF accident aud suferin. | saw one Slip
perry morning II tue streets OF Philaiei-
ph!a. just ahead Of me was a lad, wretch
ed in apparel. his limb amputatei at the
knee; from the pai.or OF the boys cheek.
the amputation not long before. He had
a package OF broken food under his arm
food he had begged, [ suppose, at the
doors. AS he passed on over the slippery
pavement, cautiously and carefully, I
steadiei him until his crutch slipped and
he fell. helped him w as we'll "a / could,
gathered up the Fragments OF the package
as we'll q, | cosl1, put them under one
arm and the crutch under the other arm,
hut when l saw the blood run down his
pale cheek | burst into tears. Fifty ESSAYS
about the suferings Ct the poor could not
touch one like that little drama Of accident
and suffering.
OF, We want IL all our different depart
merits Of usefulness mere Of the dramatic
element and less 81 TO didactic. The
tendency il this day i to droCe religion,
TO whine religion. 10 cant religion, 70 moan
religion, TO cr0ak religion, to sepulclariZe
religion, when we ought to present it in
animated and spectacular manner.
what We want, ministers and iaymen, IS
TO get our sermons and our oxhortations
ard cur prayers out Of the old rut. The Old
hackneyel religious phrases that COM
snoring down thrOEPl the centuries witt
never arrest the masses. What we want
to-day, YOU in your sphere, and | in my
sphere, is to freshen up. People do not
want in their rmo the shan flowers
bought at tho millinery shop. but the
japonicas wet with the morning dew, not
the heavy bones Of extinct me-atherIuul
Of past ages, but the living reindeer caught
last August at the edge Of SchroOn Lake.
We want to drive out the drOWsy@ ana the
prOsaic and the tedious and the humdrum
and Introduce the brightness and the
vivacitv and the holy sarcasm and the sane
titled wit aud the ~epigrammatic power and
the blood red earncstne5s audthe fire Of re-
ligiou5 zeal, and | do not Know Of any way
OF doing it rs we'll as through the dramatic.
But now let Us turn TO the drama as ar
amusement and entertainment.
Rev. DR.. Bellows. Of New York. many
years ago in q very brilliant but much critt-
Ii1INA ~ - ~ AHC III Nttth tto
thcater might be renovated and made aux
Hilary to the church. Many Christian peo-
pie are of 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 Us [ 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 amusemcntS. Shut out from the
realm OF Christianity anything and YOU
give 1t up to sin and death.
If Christianity is mighty enough to
manage everything but the amusements Of
the world, then it is Il very defective Chris
tianity. IS it capable OF Keeping account
Of the tears Of the world and incompetent
to make record Of its smiles? Is it good to
follow the funevaI, bat dumb at the worlds
play? Can it control all the other elements
OF our natu reisat the dramatic element?
My idea Of Christianity is that it can ard
will conquer everything.
Now, what we want is to hasten that
time. Row will it 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 Il 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 it, and there
will be public spirited men everywhere who
will do this work for the dramatic element
Of our natures. We need a new institu-
ton 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
stitutfon OF the spectacular take possession
Of some hall or academy. 1T might take a
smaller building at the start, but it 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 gratilca-
ton without compromise and without
danger does the mightiest thing OF this
century. and the tides Of such an i~nstitu-
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 &c.
reasons which some Of you would say a.e
good reasons and others would say are
poor reasons, but still held back. But or
the establishment Of such an institution
they would feel the arrest OF their anxieties
and would say on the establishment OF t,ii3
new institution. which | have called the
spectacular, Thank, God. this Is what we
have all been waiting for"
Now, as | believe thnt [ make suggestion
OF an institution which wiser men will
develop, l want to give some characteris-
ties Of this new institution. this spectacu-
lar, II it is to be 4 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 prolixity. At q reasonable
hour every night every curtain OF public
entertainment ought to drop. every church
service ought to cease, the instruments OF
orrhestras ought to be unstrung.
On the platform OF this new institution
there will be a drama which before render
ing has been read, e~xpurgated- abbreviated
and passed upon by Il board Of trustees
connected with this reformed amusement
association. II there be in Il drama a sen.
tcnce suggesting evil. it will be stricken
out. II there be in n Shakespearean play a
word with two meaninSs-a good meaning
and a bad neutrality-suspicious. word will BE-
substituted, an honest word looking ONLY
way. The caterers to public taste will have
70 learn that Shakes pearean nastlness Is ne
better than ConCrevear nastiness. You
say, Who will dare TO change by expurga
ton or ahcreviatiOn a ShakestcareAr
i plQy2h 2ara Two bo.rN ~ r,ra. ~