The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-23
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE 5Y TSs NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Drama Discussed-rt Cannot lie
suppressed-Christian should Con-
troll and Reform Public Amusenent-
The Church should GO to the lheater.


Copyright ls39l
WAsuISGToN. d. C.-N a time when the
whole country IL In controversy n never
before concerning the theater and some
plays are being arrested by the police and
Others are being patroniEed by Christian
people this sermon OF DR.. Ta.mace l. Of
much interest. The text Is Corinthians
VII, 81, They that use this world as no,
abusing L. ~
Ny reason for preaching this discourse Is
that / have been kindly iuvited by two OF
the leading newspapers OF this country 20
Inspect and report on two Of the popular
plays OF the day-tO go some weeks ago 10
Chicago and see the drama QUO Nadis'
and criticise 10 with respect 10 It's moral eg-
feet aud 10 20 10 New York ana see the
drama "Ben-Hur" and write my opinion OF
IL for public use. Instead OF doing that l
propose In sermon 10 discuss what We
shalt do with the dramatic element which
God has implanted in many OF our natures
not ia ten or 100 or 1000. but In the vast
majority OF the human race. Some people
speak OF the drama as though It were
something built up outside OF ourselves by
the Congreves aud the GOldsmiths and
the Shakespeares and the SheridAus OF
literature and that then we attune our
tastes 20 correspond with human inven-
tions. Not a: all. The drama IA an echo
from the feeling which God has implanted
-
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 utter in the parlor charades, after
that Ia the elaborate impersonations In the
academies OF music Thespis and Eschy-
lus aud Sophocles and Eurpides merely
dramatizel what was in the Greek heart,
Terence and Plautus and Seneca merely
dramatiZed what was in the Roman heart,
COngreye and Farquhar merely dramatiZed
what was ia the English heart; Racine,
Cornellle and Albert only dramatZed what
was In the French and Italian heart; /;
Shakespeare only dramatized what was In
the great worlds heart. The dithyrambic
aud classic drama, the sentimental drama.
the romantic drama. were merely echoes
OF the human soul.
do 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 IL. They are not responsible. They
are responsible for the perversion OF il, but
not for the original implantatton. God did
that work, and | suppose He knew what He
was about when He made us. We ara
nearly all moved by the spectacular When
on 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 likes 10 go TO the schoo, exhibition
with its recitations and its dialogues and
its drOu costumes. The torchlght pro-
cesson 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
demonstrating Itself. What shall We do
with ~
Shall we-suppress lt' You can as enslly
suppress It's Creator. You may direct II
you may educate II, you may purify it,
you may harness 1t 10 multi-potent useful
ness, aud that IL is your duty 10 do, Just as
we cultivate taste for the beautiful anu
sublime.
Now. have to tell you not only that God
has implanted this dramatic element In
our natures, but have to tell you ia the
Scriptures He cultivates II, Heappeals 20 IT,
He develops II. l do not care where you
open the Bible, your eve will fall upon "a
drama. Here IL Is In the book OF Judges
the FIR tree, the vine, the olive tree, the
bramble-they all make spec .hes. Then at
the close Of the scene there IL "A corona.
ton, and the bramble Is proclaimed king
That T. a political drama. Here 1, Is iu
the book OF Job. Enter Eliphas, Blldad.
Zophar, Elihu and Job. The opening act
act OF the drama, all sunshine. Magnih-
cent drama is the book OF Job.
Here IL Is Ia Solomon's Song--the region
au oriental region: Vineyards, pomegra-
mates, mountain OF myrrh, flock OF sheep,
garden OF spices, a wooing, "a bride. n BRIDE
groom, dialogue after dinlogue-inteuse
gorgeous, all suggestive drama Is the book
Of So;omOn's Song. Here ii Is ia the book
oi Luke: Costly mansion ia the night. Ala
the windows bright with illumination. The
floor a-quake with the dauce. Returned
son in costly garments which do not very
well NJ him perhaps, for they were not
made for him but he must swiftly leave on
his Old garb and prepare for this extern
porized levee. Pouting son at the back
door, too mad TO go In, because they are
making such "A fuss. Tears ~ sympathy
running down the old mans cheek at the
story OF his sons wandering and suffering
and tears OF 10y at his return. When you
heard Murdock reclte "Tbe prodgal Son"
in one Of his readings, you did not know
whether 20 sob or shout. Reviyals OF re-
ligon have started just under :he reading
OF that soul revolutioniziDg drama OF The
Prodigal Son"
Here It is in the book Of Revelation
crystalline sea, pearly gate, opaline river,
amethystine capstone, showering cOrOnets,
one vial poured out incardnnting tho wa
ters, cayalrymen OF heaven galloping on
white horses, nations In dOxoloRy, halelu-
iahs TO the right OF them. hallclulahs 20
the lett OF them. A. the Bible opens with
the drama OF the first paradise, 40 It closes
with the drama OF the second paradise.
Mind you. when / say drama I do not
mean myth or fable. for my theology IL o.
the oldest type--JO0 years old, thousands %
years old, az Old as the Bible. When speak
OF tue drama at the beginning
and close ct the Bible, do not
mean an alleRory, but / mean the truth
A ftuf In rtt 4 In
effect II Il God given, world resounding,
heaven echoing drama. Now, n God i'm
planted this dramatic element IN our mn
turss, and Il tie has cultivated and devel-
oped IL In the Scriptures, demand that
you recognize ~.
Because the drama has again md again
been degraded and employed for destruc-
tive purposes Is nothing against the drama
any more than music Ougut % Be accursed
because IL has been taken again and again
into the saturnalian gassaiis o' 1000 years.
Will you refuse 10 enthrDus music Cn the
church organ because the art hns been
tramplei again and again under TIE feet
Of the lasciyious dancer
II l. nothing against painting and sculp.
tare that ia COrinth md Hrrculaneum
they were demonstratlve % vuigarity aud
turpliude. The dreadful muse1m at
Ponpel shall throw no Iiscreii, on Pow.
ers's Greek slave or Church's Heart
OF the Andes" or R1bsnss De
scent Prom the Gross" or Apselo's Last
Judgment" The very tact that again and
again the drama has been dragged through
the sewers Oiiniquty IL the reason why vs
should snatch Il up and start u ont on
a grand and bO,y and n magnificent
mission. Let ne say AZ this pOint 10 my
sermon that the drama viii never b. lifted
% IT, rightiul sphere ~ those people who
have not sense enough 20 Distinguish be-
tween tue drama ani the playhouse. The
3rama IL 10 more the theatre than hymn.