St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-04-21

down PennsyNania avenue or Broad
way with them.
On that platform there shall be no
carouser. no inebriate, no cyprian, NO
foe of good morals, masculine or femi-
nine. 1t is often said we have no right
to criticise the private morals Of public
entertainers. Well, do ~ you please
with other institutions, ON the plat.
form Of this institution We shall have
only good men and good women in the
ordinary social sense of goodness. Just
as soon as the platform of the spec
tacular is fully and fairly established
many genius who hitherto has sup
pressed the dramatic element in his
nature because Re could not find the
| realm in which to exercise 1t will step
over on the platform, and giants Of the
| drama, their name known the world
over, who have been toiling for the ele-
walton Of the drama, will step over or
| that platform-such women as Char
lotte Cushman of the past, such men a.
Joseph Jefferson of the present.
The platform of that new institu.
ton, of that expurgated drama, occu.
pied only by these purest of men and
women, will draw to itself millions Of
people who have never been to see the
drama more than once or twice in their.
lives. or never saw it at all. That in
stitution will combine the best music,
the best architecture, the best genius
six nights the week on the side Of In
telligence and good morals.
Do you tell me this plan is chimerical?
I answer, it only requires one man
somewhere between here and San Fran
cisco or between Bangor and Calves
ton to see it and appreciate it-one
man of large individual means and
great heart, and with 500 900 he could
do more good than all the Lenoxes and
the Lawrences and the Peabodys ever
accomplished. He would settle for all
nations and for all times the stupen-
dous question of amusement which for
centuries has been under angry and
| vituperative discussion and which is
no nearer being settled to-day, by all
appearances, than it was at the start.
Such an institution would have to be
supported at the start by a donation
of capital, but very soon, in year or
two, it would become self-supporting,
and the board Of trustees Of the re-
formed amusement association would
find that the idea paid not only in morals
and the elevation of the people, but in
dividends and hard cash.
would go to such an institution,
such spectacular. l should go once a
week the rest of my life and take my
family with me, and the majority of
the families of the earth would go to
such an institution. / expect the time
will come when l can, without bringing
upon myself criticism, without being
an inconsistent Christian, when /, n
minister of the good old Presbyterian
church. will be able to go to some new
and see Hamlet" and liking Lear"
and the Merchant Of Venice" and the
..Hunchback" and Joshua Whitcomb."
Meanwhile many of us will have this
dramatic element unmet and unre-
called.
For my love of pictures can 60 to
the art gallery, for my love of music
can go to the concert, for my love of
literature i can go to the lyceum lee
ture, but for this dramatic element in
my nature. as strong as any other pas
sion of the soul, there is nothing but in
junction and prohibition. Until, sirs.
you can establish q spectacular or n
similar institution, with as much
purity and with as much entertain
ment as this one of which speak-un-
til you.can establish some such institu-
ton you may thunder away against
evil amusemcnts until the last minute
OF the last hour of the last day of the
worlds existence and without avail.
We want this institution Independent
of the church and independent of the
theater. The church tries 10 compro-
mise this matter, and in many churches
there are dramatic exhibitions. Some
times they call them charades, some
times they call them magic lantern ex-
hibitions-entertainm for which
you pay so cents, the so cents to go for
the support of some charitable institu-
tion. An eNtemporized stage is put M
in the church or in the lecture room.
and there you 60 and see David and the
giant and Joseph sold into Egypt and
little Samuel awoke. the chief differ
ence between the exhibition in the
church and the exhibition IN the thea
ter being that the exhibition In the
theater is more skillful.
Now let us have a new institution.
with expurgated drama, and with the
surroundings l have spoken of-an in
stitution which we can without sorhis
try and without self-deception support
and patronize-an institution SO UNI
compromisingly good that we can at
tend it without any shock to our re-
ligious sensibilities, though the Sab
bath before we sat at the holy sacra-
ment.
AS to the drama of your life and
mine, it will soon end. There will be
no encore to bring us back. At the be-
ginning of that drama of life stood
cradle, at the end of it will stand
grave. The first act, welcome. The last
act, farewell. The intermediate acts,
banquet and battle, professions, bridal
and funeral. songs and tears, laughter
and groans.
1t was not original with Shake
speare when he said: "All the worlds
a stage and all the men and women
merely players" He got it from. st.
Paul, who, Is centuries before that had
written: I'VE are made a spectacle
unto the world and to angels and to
men," A spectacle in q coliseum fight
ing with wild beasts in an amphithea-
ter, the galleries full. looking down.
Here we destroy lion. Here we Crap
pie with a gladiator. When we fall.
devils shout. When we rise, angels |
sing. A spectacle before gallery above |
gallery, gallery above gallery. Gallery
of our departed kindred looking down |
to see if we are faithful and worthy OF
our Christian ancestry hOn;nD for our