Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-26
Father Sluifh's Speech

Father SMITHS Speech
Mrs. Fiske and the Manhattan COM
pany appeared at the Manhattan
theater, New York, recently, in a special
performance of Leah Kleschna" for
the benefit of the Regina Angelorum,
the home for the working girls of New
York, under the direction of the Sisters
of Mercy. After the performance the
Rev. John Talbot Smith, chaplain of
the Sisters of Mercy, was called upon
for an address, He said:
Ladies' and Gentlemen: We are as
sembled in the most charming theater
of the city, charming as the home of
true drama, and still more as the one
spot In New York, the one public place,
free from the grasp of the Trust,
probably the only public place in which
YOU will not find its fiat and heavy
foot firmly planted. The earnings of
this occasion are therefore the natural
fruit of honest labor, and go to the
charitable work of the Sisters of Mercy
without the stain that attaches to ILL
gotten money.
For the third time has Mrs Fiske
with her company come to the aid OF
the home for the working girls. The
gift Of her services is enhanced tenfold
by the character of the giver In Mrs.
Fiske we have not merely an actress,
but an artist with the divine fire burn
ing within; she must soar tomorrow
far above what she has achieved today.
In Mr.. Fiske we have manager whose
character, taste and ambition promise
a successor to the late lamented Au-
gustin DAILY; and these two have given
us a company of which the like has
not been in the city since Daly's time.
1t is the fashion of the commercial trad
ers in the drama to give us what they
muir L love you,' and nothing more;
or who can shout revenge and blood!'
and nothing more; or who can just say
roguishly 'G'wan,' and nothing more.
The Manhattan company has group
of artists who can act, and the specimen
of their art provided in the interpre-
tation of Leah Kleschna' gives us hope
for the future of the stage.
"You witnessed the growth of human
virtue in Leah! you saw the true power
concealed under the thief in Kleschna
himself; you felt that all was not lost
In the nature of the second burglar
when you saw the power of his true
love for Leah; you felt intense pity for
the lost soul, young Berton, for whom
the time is as much to blame as his
own sins; and you rejoiced at the faith
In human nature displayed by Deputy
Sylvaine, md at its justification ir
Leah. Now only artists could make
you feel these depths of nature. Mere
mimics could never do 1t, and the art
lists must have finer stuff in them thar
the search for salary and reputation
alone. They must have the soaring
spirit and the opportunity for it's de.
velopment. Commercialism will never
give them the opportunity. never rec.
ognize the artist On the contrary, II
will destroy both, and turn artists into
tawdry mimics.
Now I see the natural development
of the drama into a higher phase later
on, when we Christians have exercised
the evil and insolent spirit of agnosti.
cism which has possession of the stage
today. Why should not Mrs. Fiske use
her art in the creation of such a char
acter as the blessed Agatha, or Cecilia
or Fabiola, or Callista? What a Theo-
dosius would Mr.. Mason, with his
splendid voice and regal dignity, give
us! How finely and tenderly would
Mr.. Arliss portray the character OF
Philip Neril What a rugged Hide
brand would Mr.. Cartwright make, how
true and sincere Pancratius Mr.. Mack
would bring before us! And what a
consolation to all these actors to present
the nobest characters OF Christian his
tory, and to be connected In the minds
OF thousands for fifty years with the
loveliest and saintliest OF souls that
honored our earth with their presence!
II think Mr.. and Mrs. Fiske are on
the way to give us these glories. For
their enterprise. their independence and
their high achievement l thank them;
and for the bringing of that achieve
ment to the service OF a noble work
In behalf OF the poor workers / thank
them thousand times, in the name OF