Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-01
SAYS THE DRAMA
IS DEM0RAL|zING
Rev. Francis ireland, Once With
Sir Henry Irving, Decrles In.
flusuos Of the Stage.
! PEEPS BEHIND THE SCENES.
declares Managers Are Mcrccnary and
Almost Brutal Actors Not TO
Be Envied.


Rev. Francis ireland, formerly an ac-
tor, but now a Baptist evangelist Of
Nav York city. preached In the First
Baptist church yesterday morning, on
mis- experiences az an actor. ana tho
influences Of theatrical lie upon those
snrased In Il, and on the spiritual life.
IA the evening he spoke before union
meeting at Murray. The preachers ar
gurnent was straight against the the
alter az demorai.sing in its EFFECTS upon
the morals oft he actor, and upon pro-
fessing Christians who attend the play.
Mr.. Ireland recited his youthful ans
b,t,ons to enter the dramatic profess
eIon. and tho sorrowful scene that oc-.
Cured at the home when his father
told him that when once he passed the
paternaI threshold to enter on such a
eareer. he was dead to his fathers
household as long as he remained OH
the stage The young man started out
with this left handed blessing. entered
the dramatic profession and rose to en-
fnence IN II, becoming leading man
On Sir Henry Irvings company HIS
description Of the privatIons and often
humiliatlng experiences that the actor
has to submit to were not encouraging
to any young people present who might
have had aspirations In the dramatic
line. Mr.. Ireland told Of the trials ana
tribulations OF travelling troupes with
one night stands-1umping from the
stage TO the sleepIng(?) car, where sleep
WAS practically banished. 80 that OIL
arriving at the next town the menu
hers OF the troupe were exhausted and
IN a condition demanding rest rather
than any immediate public appearance.
THE fluctuations Of the road and con-
seouent nervous exhaustion were prime
incentives to drink and Use OF drugs, a
combination that Is sending hundreds
Of actors 10 their graves every year.
And what does the public care? The
publics interest begins and ends with
The rise and fall OF the curtain; ana
when the poor actor IL worn out ana
broke. the public that he has given MS
life to entertain, cares no more about
him than dead dog. There are three
ends In life for the actor. said the
speaker, q drunkards grave, the aims
house or death from drugs--and all this
after doing his best conscientiously to
please theater-going public.
MERcENARY MANAGERS.
MIR. ireland then proceeded to hand
down a roast for the theatrical mama
ger whom he characterized as utterly
inercenary. and whose idea OF play
was. not will It elevate the public NOR
ais or taste? but, how much money VIII
II bring? The cleanliness OF a play
they care nothing about. Plays like
open Hur," these so-called moral,
clean and heightened plays. are sim
ply buffers put out 70 push
over opposition to the drama.
the theatrical manager knowing
that when young people are at-
tracted to the theater by such preuuc,
tons they VIII be drawn In again and
made regular attendants on the snow s'
such plays as ben Hur" may be fol-
lowed right up with plays really indie
cent The speaker cid not believe even
IN the presentation Of the Shakespearen
drama on the stage. He said It was
one thing to read the printed play. and
uuite entirely another to see the same
thing dramatized. He had been IN the
Shakespearcan drama himself ana
would not advocate patronzing at
BEHIND THE SCENES.
Mr.. Ireland painted a gruesome pic
lure OF experience behind the scenes;
D cross, irritable and often abusive
stage manager, vino cared for an actor
pnly for what he could get out OF him.
sordid and graspng business man
pger, profane stage hands, irregular
hours and meals, etc. while the con-
trast drama between what the specta-
Tor sees from In front cf the curtain
and what the actor seen behind the
curtain and under the Stage rafters,
was In the nature OF q revelation to
The First Baptist church audience.
fhe hero Of the play, the recipient OF
hdulation honest from In front OF the
stage was depicted as Of no conse-
nuence at all behind the scenes and
aside from the gittering surrounding
laid out befo the audience. II Is the
heavy villain who IS tho center and at
lractive of the show. And the more
violent and drapatic the portrayal OF
his lines the greater his success. And
here the speaker took occasion TO ex-
plain how mans constantly acting
pertain deineations of character UNI
ronstiously cpgrafted them into his
pwn moral fibre; so that In time rec0l-
ections Of what he has actually ex-
perienced In life. and what he only act
81 on the stage because confused; and
Mr.. Ireland stated that he had found
himself unconsciOusly relating expert
lnces az real which he suddenly would
remember as occurring only on the
stage. Thus the actor finds Ills individ
nality practically eliminated after d
humber Of years. lie becomes a COM
posite of the various characters he has
represented. instead OF preserving q
Vigorous and assertIve individuality.
thls may be noticed TO naraked de-
gree In Richard Mansfield. Mr.. Mans
held Is generously conceded to be one
Or tho greatest actors who ever APP
peared upon the American stage; but
20 member Of the dramatic profession
Would truthfully say that he was de-
slrous OF the great actors friendship.
He has responded 30 often to tho popu-
ar demand for Dr.. Jeclsyl and Mr..
Hyde that he has ingrained the charac-
Ieristics Of DR. Jeckyl into his
wn person to such a degree that has
Warped and twisted what would other
wise have been d most polished and
greeable personality into repulsivs
ltrenslveness. No one who has met
kicnard Mansfield desires any intimats
acquaintance with him.
ENdENpER HosTArLlTY.
MT. Ireland called attention to tho
hct that II was not tiricolnulon for Az