Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-03-23
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE EMINENT DlvINE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.

troll and Reform Public Amusement
The Church Should Go to the Theater'
Copyright isoo.l
WASHINGTON, D. Cat time when the
whole country Is In controversy as never
before concerning the theater and some
plays are being arrested by the police and
others are being patronized by Christian
people this sermon of Dr.. Talmage1s oil
much interest. The text Is Corinthians
vii, 81, "They that uso this world as not
abusing it,"
NV reason for preaching this discourse Is
that have been kindly invited by Two OF
the leading newspapers OF this country TO
inspect and report on two OF the popular
plays Of the day-to 80 some weeks ago 10
Chicago and see the drama "Quo Vadis"
and criticise 1t with respect to its moral ell
feet and to go to New York and see the
drama "Bcn-Hur" and write my opinion OF
1t for public use. Instead OK doing that
propose in a sermon to discuss what We
shall do with the dramatic element which
God has implanted In many OF our natures
not 10 ten or 100 or 1000. but In the vast
majority Of the human race. Some people
sneak Of tho drama as though 1t were
something built up outside OF ourselves by
the Congreves and the Goldsmiths and
tho Shakespeares and the Sheridans OF
literature and that then we attune our
tastes to correspond with human 1nven-
lions. Not ut all. The drama is an echo
from the feeling which God has implanted
in our immortal souls. 1t Is seen lirst IN the
domestic circle among the children three
or four years OF age playing with their
dolls and their cradles and their carts, seen
ten years after in tue playhouses OF wood,
ten years after in the parlor cbarades, after
that in the elaborate representations In the
academies of music. Thespis and Eschy-
lus and Sophocles and Eurlpides merely
dramatized VIVA. was In the Greek heart;
Terence and Plautus and Seneca merely
dramatized what was In the Roman heaTi
CoDgreve and Farquhar merely dramatlzed
what was in the English heart; Racine,
Corneille and Alfieri only dramatized what
was 10 the French and Italian heart;
Shakespeare only dramatized what was IN
the great worlds heart The dthyrambic
and classic drama, the sentimental drama,
The romantic drama, were merely echoes
If the human soul.
I do not speak OF the drama on the poetic
shelf or Ut the drama In the playhouse, but
[ speak OF the dramatic element In your
soul and mine. We make men responsible
for 1t. They are not responsible. They
are responsible for the perversion OF it, but
not for the original implantation. God did
That work, and suppose He knew what He
was about when He made us. We arc
nearly all moved by the spectacular, When
Oh Thanksgiving Day we decorate our
churches with the cotton 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 emotions are stirred. Every
parent likea TO go to tho school exhibition,
with its rectations and its dialogues and
It's droll costumes. Tie torchligbt pro
cessjon OF the political campaign is merely
the dramatization of principles involved.
No intelligent man can look IN any secular
or religious direction without finding this
dramatic element revealing. unrolling,
dem trailing ityelf. What shall we do
with IL?
Shall we suppress ii? You can as easily
suppress its Creator. You may direct 1t.
you may educate it, you may purify 1t,
YOU may harness 1t to multi-potent useful
ness, and that 1t is your duty to do, just as
we cultivate taste for the beautiful and
sublime,
Now, have to tell you not only that God
las implanted this dramatic element In
our natures, but have 10 tell you In the
! Scriptures He cultivates it, Heappeals to 1t,
| He develops IT. l do not care where you
| open the Bible, your eye will fall upon
| drama. Here IL is In the book OF judges.
| the fir tree, the vine, the olive tree, the
| oramble-they ali make speeches. Then at
| the close of the sceue there is corona
| ton, and the bramble is proclaimed king
| That is political drama. Here II IS III
| the book OF Job. Enter Elipbaz, Bildad,
Zophar, Elihu and Job. The opening act
| of The drama, all darkness; the closing
| act of the drama, all sunshine, Magnifl-
| cent drama is the book OF Job.
\ Here 1t is In Solomon's Song--the region
| an oriental region: Vineyards, pomegra-
| mates. mountain of myrrh, flock Of sheep,
| garden of spices a wooing, bride, bride
| groom dialogue after dialOgue--intense
| gorgeous, all suggestive drama Is the book
| of Soiomon's Song. Here 1t Is In the book
| Of Luke: Costly mansion IN the night. All
| the windows bright with illumination. The
| floor a-Quake with the dance. Returned
| son in costly garments Witch do not very
| well 1T him perhaps, for they were not
| made for him, but hemust swiftly leave of
| his old garb and prepare for this extern
| porlzed levee. Pouting son at the back
| door, too mad to go in, because they are
making such fuss. Tears Of sympathy
! running down the old mans cheek ut the
| story of his sons wandering and suffering
! and tears OF Joy at his return. When you
| heard Murdoch recto "rho Prodigal Son
| 10 one OF his readings, you did not know
| whether to sob or shout. Revivals of re-
| lgion have started just under the reading
| OF that soul revolutionizing drama OF 1.-The
proiigal Son."
Here 1t is In the book OF Revelation
crystalline sea, pearly gate, opaline river
| amcthystine capstone, sbowerng coronets
| one vial poured out matchmaking the wa
/ ~ 0nltnninO
| white horses, nations IN doxology, hallelu-
| labs to the right OF them, haIeluiahs tC
| the left Of them. AS the Bible opens will
| the drama Of the first paradise, so Il closes
! with the drama OF the second paradise.
Mind you, when say drama l do moi
| mean myth or fable, for my theology Is oil
| the oldes. type-500 years old, thousands o.
years old, as old as the Bible. When Ispeal
| CT the drama at the beginning
and close CT the Bible, l do mo-
| mean an allegory, but mean the trutf
| 80 stated that in grouping and in startling
effect 1t is a God given, world resounding
| planted this dramatic element In our M
lures, and II He has cultivated and devel
| oped 1t In the Scriptures, demand tina
| you recognize it,
Because the drama has again and agar
beon degraded and employed for destruc
tive purposes is nothing against the drama
| any more than music ought to be accurseo
because it has been taken again and again
into the saturna,ian wassails OF 1000 years
| Will you refuset to onthrone music on the
church organ becau sc, tho art has beer
trampled again and again under the fee
| of the lascivious dance?
II is nothing against painting and seulp
turo that in Corinth and Herculaneun
they were demonstrative OF vulgarity ant
| trrn,tndo Tho dreadful museum a