Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-04
lRvING'S UNDERSTUDY
DEN0UNCES THE STAGE,

Rev. Francis Ireland, NJ. IT,. lecture
last night In the lin Methodist church
on MS theme OF the stage and the dra-
matte profession. He said that Edwin
Booth spent most OF his life and all OF
MS money in trying To reform and pur-
NY me stage--but all to no purpose, and
he died broken OF heart and In pocket
The lecturer mentioned incidentally In
this connection that from the time
that j. Wilkes Booth shot Abraham,
Lincoln, cloud settled down on the
life OF the great actor, cloud that
never left him. 1t is impossible to pur-
~ the stage. No playwright stages a
play now with any particular idea of
teaching by II q moral lesson the who'll
and sole idea Is mercenary one--will
Ii prove money maker? The Ameri-
can stage has fallen into the hands OF
the Jews, who are great schemers for
making money. Actors are worked for
every particle of talent there Is IN them.
and thousands Of them are dying every
year, worn out through doing their best
to entertain the public. Either the IN
sane asylum. the aims house or a drum
kard's grave awaits the actor In the
end, In the play of "The Soudan."
which was supposed to teach q great
moral lesson. Or, Ireland said he hal
part which called for 10 minutes
crawl across the stage. In stimulation of
the tortures of a man dying from
thirst, and each time the services OF
physician were necessary to enable him
to continue In the next act. OF the two
actors who preceded the speaker In this
part, one went insane, and the other
fell into a drunkard's grave.
49, The lecturer again laid emphasis on
his previous assertions that no man
can be an actor and be Christian,
and that IL why he left the profession
on being converted When he asked
Sir Henry Irving for his release. az the
troupe was about 10 sail for England.
Mr. Irving told him II was the proud
est moment Of his life to know that one
Of his actors had the courage to take
the stand, and wished that he himself
had had the courage IN earlier life to
take such an action. DR.. Ireland said
he had known Mr.. Irving time
and again to tell young people
to keep away from the stage
lit was no place for them, and To
earn their livelihood In other profess
sions. The lecturer stated that OF the
100000 young women who "felp' every
year, the cause OF their downfall could
In the greater number of instances be
traced to the door of the stage. The
theater Is a demoralizer and destroyer
OF spirituality, and when worked into
so-called church theatricas, wreaks a
veritable havoc. An Instance was mem
toned Of n prominent church where
amateur theatricals were introduced TO
help lquidate the church debt, and
II resulted IN the ruin OF very bright
and promising girl, and the obliteration
OF the spirituality Of the church.
Christians who attend the theater are
dead ones In the religious field, and
the church that tolerates theatricals
within its precincts Is no good for any
evangelical purpose.
DR., Ireland was asked why he did
not make a special point OF the So
called immortality of the stage. and he
said II did no good. He tried this
feature. and he found that it stirred
up deal OF maudlin curiosity among
certain class OF people, and they went
to the theatcr to further their curiosi-
~. However this immortality was
true all the same, only he could do
his work as we'll with that part left
out. and ne believed It advantageous
to DO so.
The lecturer Will be In town until
next week. and will speak In the local
churches next Sunday. He has given
up the practise of medicine and the
pastoral charge, IN order to give all
his time to lecturins against the instI-
tuition Of the thesten