Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-09-17


actresses and chorus girls. such as was
seen in the wealthy capital of Samaria
on the night when di;rcputable dane
ing girl. Salomc by name. danced
among the liccntious guests of her step
father. Ilcrod. and by sinuous move
ments of limb and suggestive look of
sin SO captivatcd the drunken king that
he promised her anything that she
might ask of him, even to the half OF
his kingdom.
Dance Cost Life of n Saint.
John the Baptist lost his life on ac-
count of that dance. But many man.
not. like John. in prison. but in Orches-
ira chair has lost his head. both moral
~ and spiritually. as the result of an
immoral show OH the theatcr boards.
There may be good theatcrs. l know
that some people whom l respect at
tend the theater But l know there
are also vile thcatcrs. l also know
some of these vile theaters are attend
ed regularly by some SO called good
people. And | also know that these
vile shows are tile haunts of spiritual
and physical death.
When wrote this sermon tl.S-'c lay
upon my study desk IL powerful edi-
torial upon stage denominations" 1t
lately appeared in one of the greatest
secular newspapers of the present day.
This editorial was not written by
minister. but 10y layman who per-
haps never enters II church. 1t said:
1t does not seem possible that the
public will much longer tolerate the
denominations that are constantly be-
Ing inflicted upon il from behind the
footlights of the thcatcrs of the pres
ent day Surely the vulgarities and
indeccncies of actors and actresses of
the present day who substitute filth
and vile insinuat.ons for wit and hui
NOR are not so licensed that they can
be allowed to 20 Oh forever without re-
bukc. The nasty and offensive jokes,
the immoral action and the language
of the slunis and tie vile resort are all
too frequently forced upon the ear and
seen in the streets AMI public places
Of the town without being Haunted in
our faces when we pay good money for
a seat in the thcater. If the stage has
become SO impoverished that it must
resort TO dirtiness and suggestive vice
to maintain itself il were better to
abolish II entirely rs an institution"
Then this editorial goes more into de-
tail to denounce the trend of the mod
ern thcater which blasts the lives of
Its audiences by what they see as well
as hear. Docs any man in the face of
such a powerful philippe declare that
thousands and tens of thousands of
men and women every year are not
morally contaminated by the filthy
streams Of conversation which play
wrights and actors and actresses roll
over them i'm the theaters in the long
winter nights: The streams of boiling
lava and the showers of burning ashes
which fell OH Pompeii and Hercu-
laneum OH that terrible night i'm 10
A. d., overwhelming the pleasure seek
ing people. were not so much to be
dreaded as this torrent of moral filth
which is descending almost every
night on the audiences in the theater5
of our great cities and Is bringing them
to spiritual destruction.
What the watchman Sees.
But as Waterman | must not al
low my eyes u follow only one class
of people. While the theatcr audi
ences are moving through the streets
to witness these distorted and often
impossible plays. through the oDen
doors OF the saloons I can see the
stages on which are being enacted
scores and hundreds and thousands Of
tragedies In real life. Each one of
these tragedies is as pathetic as that
OF Hamlet. an Othello. II Merchant
thOs within II than could ever be found
in the misery and woe Of Dickens
Tale of Two Cities or Seton
Thompson's autobiography of Griz-
ely Bear" In these tragedies of real
life enacted upon the stage of the
young men and women led as lambs to
the slaughter. But we sometimes find
them as wild tigers fighting for their
lives when their fore feet have been
caught in the street traps. or rs stays
at bay, for a little while holding off
the hounds. yet. like mad dogs ut the
sight of water. they become absolutely
helpless at the sight ana smell of rum.
Oh. the tragedies of the saloons. AS
q Waterman OH Gods watchtower who
can ever refrain from sympathizing
with them and shedding tears of deep
est sorrow for them: "Oh. no." eX
claims some cynical man. Il have no
sympathy for the drunkari. II II man
wants to stop drinking he can stop.
The only reason why the drunkards do
not stop is because they do not want
to stop" All. my cynical friend. you
are wrong. I have no sympathy for
that egotistic and self inflated young
man who To he smart loafs about Il sal
loon and deliberately cultivates taste
for drink. But there are thousands Of
men who do not want To drink. They
do not know how to stop drinking.
They have never yet heard of the
grace OF God which will save them IL
they would only let him save them. Aye.
l go further than that. ! believe there
are thousands of drunkards tonight