The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-04-21
TALMAGE SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE ABlF DI.
VINE

VINE.
| subject: Drama Discussed-Tt Cannot 81
Suppressed-Christian should Con
| troll and Reform Public Amusem ent~
| The Church Should Go to the Theater
copyright lsoo1
WASHINGTON, D. Cat q time when tn,
whole country Is In controversy as never
before concerning the theater and some
plays IRE being arrested by the police and
others are being patronized by Christian
people this sermon of DR.. Ta!mage Is oil
much interest. The text Is Corinthians
viii, 81, They that use this world as not
abnsiDg It,"
My reason for preaching this discourse is
that have been kindly invited by two OF
this leading newspapers Of this country to
iuspecE and report on two OF the popular
Chicago aud SEQ tho drama "Quo Vadi5''
and criticise it with respect to Its m oral ef-
feet and to go to New York and see the
drama "Ben-Hur" and write my opinion Of
1t for public use. Instead OF doing that
propose In sermon to discuss what I'VE
shah do WITH the dramatic element which
God has implanted in many Of our NATURES
not In ten or 100 or 1000. but In the vast
majority ei the human rpce. Some people
speak Of the drama as though 1t were
something built up outside OF ourselves by
the Congreves and the Goldsmiths and
the Shakespeares and the Sheridans ,of
literature and that then we nttune dur
tastes to correspond with human inven.
tions. Not at all. The drama is an echo
from the feeling which God has implanted
In our immortal souls. 1t Is seen first In she
domestic circle among the children three
or four years OF age playing with their
dolls and their cradles aud theircart seen
ten years after in the playh9usos of wood,
ten years ltfter In the parfor charades, after
that In the elaborate impersonations In tie
academies OF music: fhespfs' and Escffyf
lus and Sophocles and Euripdes mersiY
,aramatizAf what kfRs ilt.the Greek heatt.
Terence and Plautus and Seneca merdy.
dramatizad. what. was in the Rom an heart;
Congreve and Farquhar merely draaatizkd
what was in the!l English nHaft; Racilses
Corneille and Alheri only dramatized whit
was In the French and Italian heate;;
Shakespeare only dramatlzed what was II.
the great worlds heart. The dithyramtBc.
and classic drama, the sentimental drapi,
rths remantle -lra%a were ,merety eehoss
.sfdh human soul. y IL
s sGS srsh IN IT, sssne p,
sHYs sna G M tns ales p ,o
for 1t. They are not RESPONSE te. ,EAfxl
are responsibls for the peryeraiak of 4, BIZ
notioft hs, original impiantatfon. God f3&
that work, and suppose He knew what Re
was about when He made us. We liz;
nearly all moved by the spectacular. Whd1
,chnsshe e: With sha lot saHdst&s rtcs tSHd
The apples and the wheat and the rye and
tlle aoats, our gratitude to God Is Stirred; 1
a lssa e kassas l1s &asa lssss1Hsa ls
AZ ~ ~ q ~ n -
parent likes to go to the school exhibitM, :.
with itsL Eecitations and its dialogues. a 4
Its &4f1zeostumes.> The torchlight .pE1S
cession orthe political campaign Is merely
the decentralization of prfnctpfes nv ole
No intelligent man can look In any secuf&
or religious direction without finding .f
drxm aus, elemem feyeaAng. d5roIffne
IN 4 'esff; veg
Shalt we'suppress it? You can as easi]
suppress its Creator. You may directs&
you you mess it t. "a pus sote ptt nsst
nssafn ct 1t is ID Saxto do, jus
We cultivate taste fof the beautiful AK
sublime. -
Nav, l have to tell you not only that .d1 =
has Ahlplanted this drapatic element.
6ss NJ aSy Sp IN g
open the Bible. your eyerwill fall upon
orge9 Here it is p tllAook Of judge y
the n tree, the Wins, the olive tree,
fNtf9 hey all On snes ;hes. Then ]
ton, and the bramble IS prou!..:,ad kin1 4
Tint Is political drama. Here it is ~
the book OF Job. Epter Eliphaz, Bild2El
EophaE Thu -sna Dob. The opening II
M ~ 4&Amh. yall darkness the clos1i{ =
net 81 the drama, all sunshine. Mag1lEt
cept dranafs the book OF Job. .f'
&4seR IN aaeasn *s1ng- reg2tf
az oriental region. Wig hrds. pome/
eGGe t1GcfseGrf8, flock Of ST
garden ofspfces, a wooing, Il bride. n II
groom. dialogue after diaiogue-ia|
I4rS& all fGI4 five drama Is tlN
p1SOlY14gA g Dohs H ere it is in the
,LLQk& .1EpstIy mansion ia the night.
he M6aoEs bright with iIlumination.lM
(61f a4ux4e with the dance. Returnc,
ssRaif s6sfaE. Ges|as S Ehic.sdd not YER
80 II but lie must swiftly leave of
q fSat9t did prepare fer.this extern
orized Ievee! Pouting son at the bacl
2 i: &C. Ct ! s 70 ia