Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-09-16

of the slums and the vile resort are all
too frequently forced upon the ear and
seen In the streets and public places
of the town without being Haunted in
our faces when we pay good money for
a seat in the thcater. II the stage has
become SO Impoverished that it must
resort TO dirtiness and suggestive vice
to maintain itself ii were better to
abolish il entirely as an institution"
Then this editorial goes more into de-
tail to denounce the trend of the mod
ern theater which blasts the lives OF
its audiences 10y what they see as well
as hear. Docs any man IN the face of
such 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 on Pompeii and Hercu-
laneum on that terrible night in 70
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 theaters
OF our great cities and Is bringing them
TO spiritual destruction.
What the Waterman Sees.
But as Waterman l must not al
low my eyes to follow only one class
OF people. While the theater audi
ences are moving through the streets
to witness these distorted and often
impossible plays. through the open
doors OF the saloons ! can see the
stages on which are being enacted
scores and hundreds and thousands OF
tragedies I'm real life Each one of
these tragedies is as pathetic as that
of q Hamlet. an Othello. u Merchant
OF Venice. Each one has more OF pa
thos within 1t than could ever be found
in the misery and woe OF Dickens
Tale of Two Cities" or Seton
Thompson's Autobiography of Griz-
Fly Bear" In these tragedies of real
life enacted upon the stnge OF the
saloon we do not always find the
young men and women led as lambs TO
them as wild tigers fighting for their
lives when their fore feet have been
caught iR the street traps, or as stays
at bay, for little while holding Off
the hounds. yet, like mad dogs at the
sight OF water. they become absolutely
helpless at the sight ard smell of rum.
oh, the tragedies OF the Saloons As
n watchman on 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. II have no
sympathy for the drunkarl. II n 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. have no sympathy for
that egotistc ard SELF Inflated young
man who to be smart Ioafs about sa-
loon and deliberately cultivates n taste
for drink. But there are thousands OF
men who do not want TO drink. They
do not know how to stop drink ing
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 % drunkards tonight
who would be wiilisE 10 take an AK
and with it cut of their right hands IL
they could only be freed from the curse
OF drink. They are fighting drink ev-
cry day of their lives. but In their own
strength they cannot stop. And so to-
night aS Il Waterman on Gods tower
see thcusands of the finest Drained men
and women going to destruction
through the rapids wnich head toward
the awful Niagara of delirium lrsmens.
l hear them shouting and cursing ana
see them tumbling and fighting and re-
sisting and yet yielding and going
down and down and down. Through
the lights coming from the open doors
OF the snSo9ps see these victims head
Ing toward eternal death
but, watchma6.' some one asks.
ARE sheso all the sights ns9 sounds OF
death that you see and hear?" Alas
alas, no! For, while one crowd IN pass.
ing through the Railways and ascend
Ing the stair OF the immoral theaters.
and another crowd is staggering slowly
on with fushed cheeks, hurrying to-
ward the bar bshiRd which liquor is
sold, which In the end will prove as
fatal as the poisonous hemlock asafIed
by Greek philosopher. ! see still aas
other multitude or death seekers
These pass me not In rags or with slow
and ieaden steps. They are dressed
Tor the bathrooms and the low dance
nails They move in regular step. not
with the tramp, tramp. tramp OF many
soldiers, but with the sliding and
graceful step OF the waltz, the two
step, che polka and dances which we
should MOI and will not mention.
Are AH Dances Bndf
Are all dances bad?' asks some
young girl. lis every one a dance OF
death? Are all our young people en-
emies OF Christ and bad who ever
visit dance halls!" This is a question
which is often honestly and anxiously
put to me By my young people. Well.
my young friend. you have asked me
a blunt question, and ! will answer
you In just the same way. First l will
say. and emphatically say, that 1 do
not believe all young people who 90
to our dance halls are Intentionally
bad. / believe. yes, know, some OF
them go there without one impure
thought They so for the pleasure OF
meeting other Young people and OF
passing an evening In each others
company. In the next place will EN-.
phatically state that / believe one OF
the most pernicious, one OF the most
a~fpl causes OF spiritual death In our
cities today is the dance hall And In
support Of my second statement will
say that In ali the United States you
cannot find one minister or layman
noted for spiritual or eyangelistic pow
er who is not an enemy OF the dance
hall. through and through. out and out |
They all. without an exception, belIeYe |
that the dance hall is the depleter Of |
spiritual life; consequently they are.
and always will be, out and out, |
through and through. enemies OF this |
destroyer this inssdiOus foe Of amir