Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-30
FELLOW WORKERS

/
ready called your attention to the
= fact that there is not in reality r
great gulf between church and stage,
although some people have insisted
and do insist upon treating ministers
as if they wore halos and actors as il
| they were gifted with horns and hoofs.
The church at its best is an educator,
and should be savior OF society. The
stage at its best is an educator, and
should also be a savior of society.
Some ministers live up to the mission
Of the church as nearly as mortal men
may. Others treat the church as
dread and butter" Others-but we
will not carry the criticism further.
Some actors live up 10 the mission Of
the stage as nearly as mortal men ana
bread and butter" others-but we
will not carry the criticism further.
Several good actors have forsaken
the stage and have become good min
listers. Several good ministers have
forsaken the pulpit and have become
good actors. Some ministers havs
been nothing but actors all their lives.
Some actors have been unconsciously
ministers all their lives-men whose
lives were benedictions. Name them?"
Why, they may be named readily
Charlie Couldock, Joe Jefferson, Frank
Wilson and many, many more. Per-
haps 1t never occurred to you, when
Couldock's tremulous stage voice
euavered "You are no longer a child
of mine." that this man, in real life,
had a heart as big as a house for all
kinds of troubled people and a willing
ear for their troubles and a helping
hand for them, too.
When you saw Joe Jefferson as the
great and glorious vagabond, Rip, per-
haps you did not think of him as
sweet -charaetered, amiable picture and
pattern of grandfatherly domesticity.
There is boy in Los Angeles now who
was danced and dandled on Joe JEFF
forsons good old knee. Boy doesn't
remember it, but his father does.
denounce the stage when he is within
hearing. And Frank Wilson! When
you have seen him as the ragged ras-
cal in "Erminie"-time-ho "Er-
mimic" which should never have been
forgotten-have you been aware and
appreciative of the facts that he lee
tured on temperance and conducted
Bible class? No, you never thought
OF il. What! An actor!-and "such q
cut-up." Perhaps you have forgotten
that even in the plebeian circus, the
sawdusty circus. the most solemn citi-
zen makes the best clown. No effort
for him to keep his face straight-and
Professional funny men will tell you
that that is half the battle. Stay SOL
emn, and the world laughs at you
Laugh, and you laugh alone. That is
the rule for the funny men, all except
ing Marshall Wilder. and he is an ex-
oeption to every rule and a law unto
himself.
This has prepared your mind for the
announcement that a successful mod
ern play is devoted to reforming
church abuses. That is turning the
tables with vengeance. Stage
breaches at church. "The Servant in
tie House" is the name of the play.
Il has been produced in Baltimore and
is intended to show that "the church
as at present constituted IS hollow
mockery from foundation to dome and
that if Christ were to be born today
Instead of two thousand years ago the
first people-or rather the only class
he would revile would be the clergy.
The church is measured by its own
yardstick and found wanting"
But this argument is too sweeping,
too drastic. The stage should not re-
ray the church in kind. On the con-
trary, it should attempt to return good
for evil. Let it remember that the
quality Of mercy is not strained, and
give it to the church without using a
cclander. Optimism teaches us to ap-
preciate and cultivate the best in
church and the best in stage. They
both work together for good When
they fulfill the law in love, and don |
slander each other.