Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-03-19

than all the LenoXes and the Law
rences and the Peabodys ever accom-
plished. lie would settle for all ma
tons and for all times the stupendous
question Of amusement which for cen
turtles has been under angry and vitu-
perative discussion and which is no
nearer being settled today by all APP
pearances than it was at the start.
1 would go to such an institution,
such a spectacular l should go once
d week the rest Of my life and take
my family with ne, and the majority
of the families of the earth would go
to such an institution. l expect the
time will come when l can without
bringing upon myself criticism, with
out being an inconsistent Christian
when [, a minister of the good old
Presbyterian church, will be able to
go to some new institution like this,
the spectacular and see "Hamlet' and
''King Lear and 'The Merchant Of
Venice" and "The Huchback" and
Joshua Whitcomb." Meanwhile many
of us will have this dramatic element
unmet and unregaled.
For my love of pictures 1 can go to
the art gallery, for my love of music
can go to the concert, for my love of
literature | 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
injunction and prohibition. Until, sirs,
you can establish a spectacular or a
similar institution with as much purity
and with as much entertainment as
this one of which I Speak-until you
can establish some such institution
you may thunder away against evil
amusements until the last minute of
the last hour of the last day of the
worlds existence and without any
avail.
We want this institution independ-
ent of the church and independent of
the theater. The church tries to COM
promise this matter, and in many
churches there are dramatic exhibit
tons. Sometimes they call them
charades, sometimes they call them
magic lantern Xhibitions-entertain-
ments for which you pay so cents, the
so cents to go for the support of some
charitable institution. An extemporiz-
ed stage is put up in the church or in
see David and the giant and Joseph
sold into Egypt and little Samuel
awoke, the chief difference between
the exhibition in the church and the
exhibition in the theater 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 sophis-
try and without self deception support
and patroniZe, an institution so uncOm-
promisingly good that we can attend it
without any shock to our religious
sensibilitieS, though the Sabbath be-
fore we sat at the holy sacrament.
Beware of Contamination.
The amusementS of life are beauti-
fui, and they are valuable, but they
cannot pay you for the loss of your
soul. l could not tell your character;
I could not tell your prospects for this
world or the next by the particular
church you attend, but if you will tell
me where you were last night and
where you were the night before and
where you have been the nights of
the last month l think | could guess
where you will spend eternity.
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 q
cradle; at the end of it will stand a
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 ID. centuries before that, had
written. 1--WE are made spectacle I'M
to the world and to angels and to
men," A spectacle in a coliseum
fighting with wild beasts in an am
phitheater, the galleries full, looking
down. Here we destroy lion. Here
we grapple 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 look
ing down to see if we are faithful and
worthy of our Christian ancestry, hop
ing for our victory, wanting to throw
US a garland, glorif1ed children and
parents with cheer on cheer urging us
on. Gallery of the martyrs looking
down-the Polycarps, and the Ridleys,
and the McKails, and the Theban le-
gion, and the Scotch Covenanters, and
they Of the Brussels market place, and
Of Piedmont-crying down from the
galleries, "God gave us the victory,
and he will give it you" Gallery of
angels looking down-cherubic, Sc
raphic, archangelic - clapping their