The free press. (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1898-19??, 1905-07-14

| USiOH. L ne SOuleSS COMFY leidhu Nit'He
creates a morbid desire for Sunday
amusement that as vampire feeds TAI
on the vitals of our holy religion.
know there is danger OF being mis-
; understood when l speak in detail. Inc
man with grabbed religion will thlnR
me too lax, while the man without
conviction will think me too strict.
With zeal worthy of better cause
the church in the past has picked out
a few amusements upon which 1t mas
placed the ban and left others with
no censure. 1t has decreed that dane
ing and card playing and the theatres
were of themselves sinful and degilish
and were worse than are Jacob and
Ruth" or "Blind Mans Buff" or the
more widely practiced game of miser-
illness or covetousness or "tibbing.' 1t
is hopeful sign that the present
tendency of the church seems to be 10
give more attention to the affirmative
side of life rather than to act as Phari-
saical judges on the negative. Thou
shalt not" q like a prop to keep a
dying tree from falling, but it takes
more than a prop to make live tree
grow. While the prop may have a
place 1t is not nearly so important as
some think
| am NOT thea+repoar nor ballroom
freoupnter neither do 7 know even the
names of thn different "nlavine cards"
7 fool that T have much hotter Use for
| nv fine and money From NV OBJ
servation have no hesitancy, however,
in agreeing with those who replied to
NV question that the theotre and dance
and progressive euchre and cards are
menaces to the development of the
Christian life While of themselves
thew NAV not he more harmful than the
other forms of amusement named, their
Influence seems to be against them.
To the question: "Do YOU personally
know pe0ple who frequent the theatres
and bolIroom and euchro parties who
at the same time are also leaders in
| nrayer meeting and the Sunday-school
as soul winners with good. healthful
intluencep, only two answered in the
| affirmative WIN? Does /. not indi-
cato that there is something out of
harmony with these particular amuse-
| ments and the healthful influence of
| the Christian life? Is If right to 90
counter TO the testimony of people
scatterel over such n wide territory
and from so MANY different denomina-
| lions so long "a we nrize OIL. religious
influence?
If we saw thc theatre AS n whole is of
good influence and n necessity for the
mon who are carrying tbe rreat bur-
dens in the commercial and industrial
world. then If falls short of its purpose,
for the theatre is supported not by the
Carcenies and Rockefellers. but mostly
by those who cannot afford II and at
the same time do what they ought TO
in philanthrony. Most of the support
comes from the Younger class who as
vet have no great burdens TO bear. AS
TO whv those who FREQUENT them are
NOT reol forces in Christian work. read
the following. President Eliot. of Har-
ward saws: "The Influence of amuse-
ments NAV he drawn from the quality
of the popular theatre. The taste is for
the trivial spectaclas. burlesoues. vul.
gar vaudeville. extrava ganzas. and the
stage often presents to unmoved audi
ences scenes and situations of an I'M
wholesome sort"
One OIL the leading urnInHtlP cTlllcS
of the English press. Mr.. Clement
Scott saws it is "nearly impossible for
woman TO remain pure who adopts
the stage as a profession and that the
stage has a tendency to disorder the
finer sensibilities and to substitute hol.
lowncss for sincerity" and adds: 81
speak from my intimate experience
with the stage running over period of
over thirty years" Is II right to de
mand amusement at the enormous
price suggested by these men in the
ruin of the virtue of womanhood who's
profession is TO amuse us and thus
like Rome's vestals let their virtue nay
the awful price for our mere entertain
ment? If it is NEARLY impossible" to
ADOPT the stage and remain pure. then
it is not Christian TO demand that form
of amusement on whose affairs woman
hood is sacrificed. If the sacrifice was
that of orr own sons and daughter.
would we be willing to make it simply
to amuse people?
The stage cannot be kent up without
using somebody's daughters on the &
tar Now the question becomes do.
Bile one-not only can | have Christian
motives bv freouentipp the theatre.
put 10 ~ ilSnt " .Sh ,na' solnepo"!
hiSAh ~