The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-11-23
" Riehmond appears e -ba divided

All Richmond appears 10 be divided
into two parts, OF which one part be-
leves that the church scene N the
dramat cation of audrey is sacri!igf-
Gus and the other part s soatly maintains
that ii was notil nss OF the sort. The dca
that the church may not be represented
on the stage appears 10 be a feeble fet-
ieh. which is detied and rendered rdic-
uDus by the history and tradition Of
dramatic ART frcm tile carries times
Until o-day. when the Passion Play at
tracts people from al. over the world and
produces only the most beneticent ef-
feet
The English drama, like the Greek.
has a pllfelyBreligiious origin. The same
is true of the drama of every civilized
people of modern times. 1t is worthy OF.
part ctlar remark that the theatle, de-
nounced by churchmen and by laYmen
OF enlincnt5v evangelical pr olsssion as
base cor!upting and sinful, not In its
abuse and degradation, but in8its We y es-
sence, should have been planted and
nourishad by churehmen.# having priests
for its first authors and actors, ana taay-
ing been for centuries the cliicf school of
religion and morals TO an unlettercd
people.
Theatrical representations have probably
continued without interruption from tie
time Of AeschylHs. Even in the dark
ages, which Wealpok back upon too .eS-
cllsiyely as a period Of aloorn.E turnult
and blpodsheddng. people bought and
!. sold, were married and given in mar
riage and Toasted and amused themselves
as We do now; and nc may be sure that
among their apusemenis. dramatic rep
!. Presentations of some sort We're not lack
ing The earliest dramatic performances
In the modern language OF Europe Of
which we have and record@#or tradi-$
tions We're representations of the most
stgIk ng events recorded in the Heb ew
Scriptures aud in the Christian gospe5s@
OF some of the stories told in the
pseudo evangeliuin, or spurious GOSPEL,
4 or#efsiegends Of the saints. On the Con-
Uaent these We're cal ed mysteries: in
England both mysteries and miracles,
Tays.
The ancient hebrews had at least one
play. II was founded upon the eXo3Es
OF their people from Egypt. Fragments
= of this pay liz Greek arnbics have been
preserved 70 modern times in the works
OF var sons atlthors. The PRINCIPAL char
actefs are Moses. zipporah. ana God II
the Bash. The author. one Ezekiel is s
called bTzScaiiger the ttagic poet OF he
Jews. Ills work Is referred by one critic
to date before the Christian era. Others
supposed that he Was one of the seventy
1idl3siehois.3 1at5 warrior, my! aGthCrity4
in this instance. supPoses that he wrote
his play after the destruction of Je u
salem. hoping by Us means to warm the
patriotism and revive the homes Of his
detected countrSnlen. /
THE EASTERN EMPIRE
The Eastern Empire long Gng 10 al, I
its g!ories to which its name. its Ian. I
guage. and its position gave ita IRE
sumptjve title: and the Tragedies M /
sophocles and Eur pides Were perfor,ne,,
after some fashion at Constantinople M I
til the fourth century. AT this pe,5icd /
Gregory Naz'anzcn. archbishop, patri- Z
arch. and one OF the fathers of TIE i
church. banishcd the pagan drama from y
the Greek stage and subst tuted plays
founded on subjects taken from the L
Hebrew or the Christian Scriptures
st. G cgory wrote many pays of this |
kind himself; and Warion says th{t one /
Of them called Chri tos Paschon. or |
cllris,'s Passion. is still ext mt. In It's |
play. which. according to the perlo ,ue
was written in imit alton Of Euripid 5.
the Virgin Mary was introduced upon
the stage. making then, as lar a $ we
know. her first appearance. ST. Gregory |
died about A D. $50. His dramatic pro-