Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-09-15


not. like John. In prison, but in orches-
ira chair. has lost his head, both moral
ly and spiritually, as the result of an
immoral show on the theater boards
There may be good theaters. I know
that some people whom l respect at.
tend the theater. But l know there
are nlso vile theaters. also know
some of these vile theaters are attend.
cd regularly by some so called good
people. And I also know that these
vile shows are the haunts Of spiritual
and physical death.
When I wrote this sermon there lay
upon my study desk a 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 n
minister, but by a layman who per
haps never enters a church. II said
ut does not seem possible that the
public will much longer tolerate the
denominations that are constantly be-
ing inflicted upon It from behind the
footlights OF the theaters Of the pres
ent day. Surely the vMgarities and
indecenciee Of actors and actresses of
the present day who substitute filth
and vile insinuations for wit and hui
NOR are not so licensed that they can
be allowed to go on forever without re-
bullc The nasty ana offensive jokes,
the immoral action and the language
of tho slums and the lie resort are all
too frequently forced upon the ear and
seen in the streets and public places
OF the town without being faunted in
our faces when we pay good money for
a seat in the theater. If the stage has
become so impoverished that it must
resort to dirtlness and suggestive vice
to maintain itself it were better to
abolish 1t entirely rs an institution"
Then this editorial goes more into de-
tail TO denouDce the trend of the mod
ern thester which blasts the lives Of
its audiences by what they see as we'll
rs 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 in the theaters in the long
winter nights? The streyns of boiling
lava and the showers of tSirning ashes
which fell on Pompel 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 fifth
which Is descending almost every
night on the audiences in the theaters
OF our great cities and il bringing them
to spiritual destruction.
What the Watchman Sees.
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 arc being enacted
scores and hundreds and thousands OF
tragedies in real life. Each one OF
these tragedies is az pathetic AS that
of n Hamlet, an Othello, a Merchant
OF Venice. Each one has more OF pa.
tbos within 1t than could ever be found
In the misery and woe Of Dickens
Tale of Two Cities" or Seton
Thompson's Autobiography of Gr!z-
Ely Bear" In these tragedies of real
life enacted upon the stage Of the
saloon we DO not always find the
young men and women led as lambs to
the slaughter But we sometimes find
them ns wild tigers fighting for their
lives when their fore feet have been
caught in the street traps, or as stag
at bay. for n little while holding off
the hounds, vet, like mad dogs at the
sight of water they become absolutely
helpless at the sight and smell of rum
Oh. the tragedies of the saloons. As
can ever refrain from sympathizing
with them aifi shedding tears Of deep
est sorrow for them? "Oh. no" eX.
claims some cynical man. Il have no
sympathy for The drunkard. ii a man
wants to stop drinking he can stop.
The only reason why the drunkards do
not stop ia because they do not want
to stop" Al, my cynical friend. you
are wrong. | lave no sympathy for
that egotistc and self inflated young
man W no to be smart loafa about n sa-
loon and deliberately Cultiyatcs a taste
for drink. But there are thousands Of
men who do not want to drink. They
Il a Al ~ nj 2 "
They have never yet heard OF the
grace Of God which will save them if
they would only let him save them. Aye,
l 60 further than that. | believe there
are thousands of drunkards tonight
who would be willing to take an ak
and with 1t cut off 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 a Waterman on Gods tower l
see thousands OF the finest Drained men
and women going TO destruction
through the rapids which head toward
the awful Niagara OF dellrium tremens.
| hear them shouting and cursing and
see them tumbling and fighting and re
sistinE and yet yielding and going
down and down and down. Through
Of the saloons see these victims head
ing toward eternal death,
"But. watchman," some one asks
ARE these all the sights and sounds Of