The Penn's Grove record., 1900-03-23
tCopyrisht isoai

much interest. The text is I Corinthians
yii., 81, ''They that use this world as not
abusing it."
My reason for preaching this discourse Is
that have been kindly invited by two OF
the leading newspapers OF this country to
inspect and report o. two OF the popular
plays OF the day-to 20 some weeks ago to
Chicago and see the drama ''Quo Vadis"
and c~riticise it with respect to its moral et-
feet and to go to New York ind see the
drama" Ben-Hur" and write my opinion OF
1t Tor public use. Instehd OF doing that I
propose in a sermon to discuss what we
shall do with the dramftic element which
God has implanted in nhany OF our natures
n 10 ten or 100 or lpO0, but In the vast
majority of the human race. Some people
speak OF the drama ais though it were
something built up out7lde OF ourselves by
the Congreves and the G~oldsmiths and
the Shakespeares andu the Sheridans OF
literature and that tlten we attune our
tastes to correspond With human inven-
tions. Not at all. Thek drama is an echo
from the feeling which God has implanted
in our immortal souls. 1t Is seen first In the
domestic circle among THE children three
or four years Of age playing with their
dolls and their cradles |! nd their carts, seen
ten years after in the Hlayhouses OF wood,
ten years after In the pajrlor charades, after
that In the elaborate inn representations In the
academies of music. 4hespis and Eschy-
lus n Sophocles an4 Euripfdes merely
dramatized what was q the Greek heart;
Terence and Plautus and Seneca merely
dramatized what was In the Roman heart;
Congreve and FarquhaH merely dramatized
what was in the English heart; Racine,
Corneille and Alderi only dramatized what
was In the French land Italian heart:
Shakespeare only d~ranhatized what wa In
the great worlds heart. The dithyrambic
and classic drama. the teontimental drama.
the romantic drama, were merely echoes
OF the human soul.
lido not speak OF The drama on the poetic
shelf or Of the drama Ia the playhouse, but
| speak OF the dramatic element In your
soul and mine. We make men responsible
for 1t. They are &ot responsible. They
are responsible for thelperyersion of 1t, but
not for the original ~implantation. God did
that work, n I suppoee He bnew what He
was about when He lmade us. We are
nearly all moved by ting spectacular. When
on Thanksgiving DaH we decorate our
churches with the cottbn and the rice and
the apples and the wheat and the rye and
the oats, our gratitude to God is stirred;
when on Easter morning we see written in
letters of flowers the Inscription, HE Is
Risen," our emotione are stirred. Every
parent likes to go to De- school exhibition,
with its recitations an{s its dialogues and
Its droil costumes. Ehe torchlight pro-
cesslon OF the politicalIeampaign is merely
the dramatization OF principles involved.
No intelligent man CAM look In any secular
or religious direction Without finding this
dramatic element revealing, unrolling,
demonstrating itself. What shall we do
with 1t?
Shall We suppress itA o can as easily
suppress its Creator. You may direct It,
you may educate 1t, yOn may purify 1t,
you may harness It to u lti-potent useful
ness. and that II Ia v0uf duty 10 do. inst M
we cultivate taste fora the beautiful and
sublime.
Now, I have to tell you not only that God
has implanted this dramatic element In
our natures, but I have to tell you in the
Scriptures He cultivates it, Heappeals to 1t,
He develops it. I do not care where you
open the Bible, your eye will fall upon a
drama. Here it is in the book of Judges,
the fir tree, the vine, the olive tree, the
bramble-they all mako speeches. Then at
the close Of the scene Hhere is a corona
ton, and the bramble IS proclaimed king.
That Is q political drama. Here it is In
the book Of Job. Entbr Eliphaz, Bildad,
Zophar,. Elihu and Job The opening act
OF the drama, all darkness; the closing
act Of the drama, all sunshine. Magnid-
cent drama Is the book Of Job.
Here tits In Solomon's Song-the region,
al oriental region: Vineyards, pomegra-
mates, mountain Of myrrh, flock of sheep,
garden OF spices, a woOing, a bride. a BRIDE
groom, dialogue after dialogue-intense,
gorgeous, all suggestive drama Is the book
OF Soiomon's Song. Here it is In the book
OF Luke: Costly mansion in the night. ALI
the windows bright with illumination. The
aoor a-quake with the dance. Returned
son In costly garments which do not very
well at him perhaps, for they were not
made for him. but he must swiftly leave of
his old garb and prepare for this extern
nAri1nd louno Dnrfinu con - <ln hall
door, too mad to go in, because they are
making such a fuss. Tears OF sympathy
running down the old mans cheek Mt the
story Of his sons wandering and suffering
and tears of Joy at his re-. urn. When yon
heard Murdoch recite s'The Prodigal Som
in one of his readings. you did not know
whether to sob or shout. Revivals OF re-
ligion have started just under the reading
oil that soul revolutionizlng drama Of "The
Prodigal Son."
Here 1t is In the book of Revelation
crystalline sea, pearly gate, opaline river,
amethystine capstone, showering coronets,
one vial poured outincardinating the wa
tiers, cavalrymen OF heaven galloping on
white horses, nations in doxology, hallelu-
the left OF them. As the Bible opens with
the drama of the first paradise, SO 1t closes
with the drama OF the second paradise.
Mind you, when l say drama I do not
mean myth or fable, for my theology is OF
the oldest type-500 years old, thousands OF
years old, as old as the Bible. When l speak
of the drama ut the beginning
mean an allegory, but I mean the truth
SO stated that in grouping and in startling
effect 1t Is a God given, world resounding.
heaven echoing drama. Now, if God i'm
planted his dramatic element in our ma
lures, and II He has cultivated and devel-
--@l q a. At,4 On~it~c .-- -.
| you recognize it.
Because the drama has again and again
been degraded and employed for destruc-
tive purposes is nothing against the drama
any more than music ought to be accursed
because it has been taken again and again
into the s~aturnalian wassails Of 1000 years.
Will you refuse to enthrOne music on the
church organ becau 90 the art has been
trampled again and again under the feet
of the lascivious dance?
1t is nothing against painting and sculp-
ture that In Corinth and H~erculaneum
they were demonstra taye OF vulgarity and
turpitude. The dfeadfni museum at
ers's "Greek Slave'9or Church's Heart
of the Andes DR. Rubens's .sDe-
scent From the Gross" or Angeles Last
Judgment" The veryfact that again and
againth drama has qsFn dragged through
the ewers OF iniquity39the reason why I'VE
| SuOuIQ S0alcu II up I'LL start 1t out ION
a grand and a hoy and a magnificent
mission. Let me sa! at this point In &y
sermon thai the drama will never be lif&ed
to its rightful sphere by those people who
have not sense enough to disttcsR6ish be-
tween the drama an4&tlhe playhouse. The
drama Is no more the theatrethan a HYMN
book is q church. nm not speaking In
regard to the theatre at all. The drama Is
a literary expression)of that feeling which
God implanted In the human soul. Neither
will the drama ever be lifted to its proper
sphere by Wholesale dcnunciation OF all
dramatists. II you have not known men
and women connected with the drama who
are pure III heart md pure In speech and
pure In life, it is be- use you have not had
very wide acquaintahce.
Wholesale denunctalion Of all dramatists
will never elevate Y4he drama. Yonder
stand a church and Htheatre on opposite
sides OF the street. HE church shouts over
to the theatre, 'YoJ&are all ecoundrelsi,'
The theatre shouts bt$k, "You are al! hypo-
c~rltes!' And they 18th falstfy. Dropping
all indiscrimtnate j6Hmtnds against drA-
matists and reaiizind int the drama IS not
necessarily connects With this Institution
or with that, I want SHOW You o the
dramatic element i &ur natures NAV BIZ
harneesed to the chs y civilization md
Christianity.
Fifty eosays9 . sorrows OF the
poor could no9 ~ = LITTLE drama