The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-02-02
FIFTH INTERESTING LETTER.
cunttnund frnm PAM

the old Greek Dramas Not more i1nmoral!i Fer
metallic cheek and front of granite commend Us
to Mr. Matthew's. Why. unless the actors and act
resses upon the Stage IN puris naturahilis
could amy play be more immoral than those of
Aeschylus, SOphocles and Euripedes2 ! am writing
OF the ungxpurgated Greek play. to which l assume
Mr.. Mstthews refers. moi of those which trim
med and made ready for the university student.
that he may acquit himself with honor before his
father and mother and his admiring friends The
few Greek plays which have come down to US are
cruel, vile and atrociously indecent that doubt
if even a French stomach could stand for them in
Seneca's play, @'Medear the throats of the naked
! children were cut by their own mother in full view
of the audience. Ennius, the dramatist introduced
III one of his plays banquet of human flesh eaten
in full view of the audience. From the Greeks hui
man sacrifices the stage of naked victims passed
TO the Romans, and the refined critic. Horace
thought he making a concession to the human
feelings of of the audience when ne suggested
that the death of the victim should take place be-
hind the proscenium. And yet Mr.. Matthews as
sures US that the modern French play may be more
shocking, but not more immoral than the old Greek
dramas. The English theist, Charles Kingsley, in
the twenty chapter of his ''Hypatia'-a book
which ought to have replace in a Christian home
incJnsciously portrays the demorazing influence
OF dramatic sensualism on the Alexandrian mob a
scnsualsm which awoke the sleeping devil in the
hearts of that brutalized multitude" When the
heather Pelagia, as Venus Aphrodite, 'naked and
not ashamed rose from the artificial lake before
the appauding crowd in the theatre and. with drip
ping hair, smiled her appreciation Of their an
plause. her converted brother Philamon leapinr
from his seat, throws his arms around her and,
above the din of the curses and cries OF the peone
his appealing voice was heard: "Pelagial Pelagia
Ny sister have mercy me, on yourself | will
hide you. Let us flee together out of this awful
hell. this world of devils Come my sister. come
l am your brother" The French drama is an
preaching this abyss of hopeless degradation. and
the modern Philamon who would interpose on he
half of decency and the salvation of his sisters in
Christ is in danger of the helps fire of the mob's
fierce vengeance and the merciless criticism of q
ravenous pack of lustfu human wolves
Alexander Dumas warns fathers against taking
their daughters to the theatres of Paris SopbocleS
gave the same advice to Greek parents. This same
Dumas deplored for the sake of the French drama
the moving in the national assembly of law in
favor of divorce easy terms, adding, "It will
bring about total change in the drama. for as
adultery is the chief stage-stock in trade it will
now lose its Importance in life and will see less
service in the theatre" Every one of the modern
French dramatists from Ducts to lola dwelIs ON
illicit unions and ring the changes on awess loves
The Theatre Franchise staged for one hundred
nights Dumas "Dame aux Camelias." known in tlis
country as Camille" play characterized by the
"Revue DIES Deux Mondes" as a vulgar melodrama
and so indecent that when Bernhardt was billed for
it in Montreal Archbishop Bruchesi appealed to
his people to stay away. In Dumas aEtrangers''