The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-01-07
Che Drama.

STANDARD and Times, Philadelphia
Huge pictorial posters all over the
city proclaim the fact that we are to
have a fresh visit from "ParsifaP
this time in an English dress. Last
year we found it necessary to warn
Catholics against the danger of attend
: ing this singular production. The real
character of it was ably pointed out in
| the Messenger by distinguished
German priest. il was shown to be
most blasphemous trayesty on the
| Christian religion, and its open inn
morality was the feature that made the
introduction Of fantastic legend into
| the most sacred and awful of themes
the incapable impiety that it is. We
hope no decent Catholic will be found
patronizing this monstrOus hybrid. In
German it was harmful enough; in
English it must be thousand times
more so. Last year we gave the YER
dict of an accomplished Catholic critic
on this composite production. We have
now, from the same observant source,
| fresh resume of the work, as II
strikes; and we think it deserving of
all the prominence that Catholic pa
per can give it. Our esteemed cores
pondent writes:
" 'Parsifal is more than an opera: 1t
is a music drama which embodies the
profoundest beliefs of the Christian re-
ligion' so states the advertiser of the
coming opera. This, of course, is false.
The Holy Grail is a mere legend, which
poets of purer mind than Wagner have
made immortal 1t has nothing what.
ever to do with the mysteries Of relig-
ion, showing Wagner's ignorance of its
truths. What are the deep-seated and
cherished Beliefs of the. Christian peo-
pies shown forth in tParsifal?' Nothing
but a legend favoring superstition
rather than religion.
And that the performances must
contain certain elements of reverence
and spirituality is true in one sense;
but the reverence and spirituality are
swallowed up in its base immortality.
Wagner's version of the beautiful
legend of the Holy Grail is low and re-
pulsive. He only shows us that the de-
vout and holy CD king and all his good
knights, who We're the custOdians of the
Holy Grail. were mere shams of man
hood and that common decency could
only be found in an idiot Surely a
high idea Of man-eXtremely elevating
to contemplate.
THE plot. if such it could be called,
is bad and immoral, and the religious
presentations are false. The adver
tiser says that Parsifal makes of the
theatre a temple would say tenn
pie of iniquity. / would draw a veil
over the vice portrayed or inferred in
'Parsifal,' and warn those who have
any regard for decency to Sta away. 1
repeat the words of an eminent
preacher. who said, in condemning the
theatres of New York-no doubt he had
reference to the same Parsifar pre-
scented there last winter-that to wit
ness such portrayal of vice. even
though virtue triumphed in the end, is
equal to going through some of the vile
sewers of the city in order to reach
clear water.
The New FORK sun notes a good
point in stage criticism by IAN eccle-
siastical thea -goer:'' 1T is a Won
der TO me-" said the latter. why man
ayers are so careless about details when
any Catholic ceremony or bit of ritual
is put on the stage. At the knicker
booker while Romeo and Juliet was
being played, Friar Lawrence insisted
on giving his apsolutiOns and blessings
with his left hand This week, in the
Much ADO it is positively grotesque
to those who know better to watch the
way in which The acolytes and choris-
tiers come in md genuflect and cross
themselves. These are two of the sim
plest cerem onial actions a Catholic
does, yet these people bungle them in
a way that shows utter lack of Compel
emf direction"