Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-10-07
viii Apology.

In another colnmn Of Tie Progress
today will be found communication
from the Rev. r. Walter Feasherstun,
pastor of the Main Street Methodist
church of this city, in which an ar
raignment of the writer IS made for
the sentiment expressed in an article
of recent date defending the theater.
Now, the above mentioned minister Is
a scholarly and learned Christian gem
tleman. one whom we hold III the
highest esteem and reverence, ana ms
views, as expressed, are no doubt rep
reseutative of the clergy opposing the
DIANA. The attempt, abortive though
1t NAV be, to enforce regulations pro
hibitiue church members from attend
ing the plays given at the AUDITOR
nm. is. without doubt, we'll meant,
and is thought to be for the best.
And in taking the opposite view we
do SO. not because we wish TO be an
tagopietic. but because we believe
that il is unjust for any such Purl-
tanical restriction to be placed on the
people bv the church, that it is not
right TO deprive those who are mem
hers of the church Of that pleasure
which is afforded and the physical,
mental and moral betterment that is
effected by the witnessing OF good.
clean play, and we defy any one to
say that the good people OF Hatties-
burg will allow any other. kind TO be
produced with their patronage and
communication, and it is fairly certain
that these theatrical troupes are not
travelling over the country for the
purpose Of cor1uTting the morals or
the people. Last night, for an IN
stance. the Auditorium was crowded
(many church members being presently,
and no act nor word during the entire
plav could have brought a blush to
the cheeks Of Diana herself, and ITS Il
ten to one shot that frovninR old Nes-
tor would have rOaTed III uniloyed
merriment, while it is safe to say that
from few sermons preached by the
clergy general y within the past
year could there have been drawn a
greater moral and about the play Of
last night there was nothing extraor-
binary.
Aeschylus, Sophoc es and Euripides
NAV have dreamed twenty five hun
dred years ago Of the mora influence
of the drama; ii only requires that
a good, wholesome drama be witne ;sed
today for its moral influence to be
felt.
The greatest intellectual genius the
world has ever produced CT perhaps
ever will produce is William Shake
speare. Jeffrey says of him that " lie
is a thousand times more full Of i'm
agery and fancy and splendor than
those who, in pursuit Of such enchant-
ments, have SHRINK back from the de-
lineation of character and passion, and
declined the discussion Of human
duties and cares. - Yet, il play
with such plot IS Measure for
Measure" or Pericles' were put on
the stage today it would be classed
with Camille ''Sappho" and
.'Frou- Frou" No plays that will
ever come to this city will contain so
much so-called vulgarity as some
plays of Shakespeare. There occur
things which should not occur, it j:
true, but RS in the case OF the I'm
mortal Bard it is but holding The
mirror up 20 nature.
The drama is 10 more condemned
by the fact that there exist immoral
PLAYS than the church is condemned
by the fact that, since the birth OF
Christ up to the present time, some
of the greatest scoundrels and deep
est-dyed VILLAINS that ever existed were
tnl are members of the church ans
professed Christians.
The reverend gentleman, in closing
his article. merciless!y modifes the
words "theater- goers" and factors
by the adjective Goddess, and ye
ON next Tuesday will be given per
Torrance for the benefit Of the churci
and of the great cause of Christiani
ty, which we know positively will b'
nothing more than roaring farce
comedy, such as may be seen on the
stage any night this week play al
pure and innocent as any ever giyel
and they promise us rare treat
Shall we lose cur membership in th'
church and condemn onr souls 10 he'll
fire everlasting for attending this +:
As to those things that Mr.. Ed
itor does not seem 10 know" and tn
implied persiflage, we can but So.
that we have never as yet laid an,
claim to monopoly of the world
store of knowledge. But we vii
say, in justice TO ourselves, that til
sentiment expressed has been Ell
dorsed by at least two-thirds Of tn
membership of the churches protest
ing. and we feel ourselves fully repai
for having asked that the standard c
saintliness be slightly lowered, q
least enough to allow of toiling
stfugg ing. care-riddan men and wo
men occa 'ionally to forget thei
troubles in an evenings innocent er