Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-08
SUNDAYS DENUNC|AT|ON Of
SOC|ETY'S ADJUSTMENTS LEADS
154TOABANDON 1.-THE PLEASURES

you will go out of here harping and
bowling.
Message That Burns.
| have never preached this sermon
or lecture as you may call it, but that
always feel myself like man placed
there by society to take revenge for
the things that society itself has made
possible and necessary. I have a
message that burns its way into my
soul, and into my heart. Ny words may
be strong and If they are you must re-
member they are blood red with con-
viction. With the cry of lost souls
ringing in my ears, I cannot remain
still. 1 must cry out If can save
one from going to hell, consider my
self we'll paid for all the vituperation
and malediction that you can hurl
against me, because rubbed it into
your pet sins.
sires, might be condemned by every.
body that wants to do it,. but judged
in court Of human conscience. and |
will receive a universal verdict in my
favor
We always associate in our minds:
certain amusements-the theater, the
cards and the dance. While some will
justify one, others will condemn 1t.
Some who play cards will seek to JUS
tify that and condemn the theater, and
those who go to the theater may con
denim the cards. In my opinion the
theater is of such doubtful character
that it has been relocated to the class
of forbidden amusements
Theater Began in Church.
You know that the theater had it's
beginning in the church, and was in
tended to be the handmade of,religion.
1t produced so much fuss and trouble
that they were compelled to drop il.
Unless the theater is redeemed it VIII
fall by its own sinking rottenness.
Spasmodic efforts are being made to
reform it, but it has always gratiated
downward by immutable law 1t is
not only the preachers that condemn
the theater, but the press.
Iroquois Fire.
You remember when the Troouois
theater burned i'll Chicago every little
cheap skate theater in the country
and all the city officials had spasms of
virtue
Ordinances were drawn requiring
the theater to have doors swinging
outward and more exits were required.
Probably since the fire in Cleveland
last year they will begin to do lot Of
things that they ought to have done
long ago in the schools.
When the Iroquois theater burned
the theaters all over the country were
restricted and in Chicago they were
closed for month The actors said
that if they were not opened there
would be excessive drunkenness and
that a good many would commit sui
eide, for there was no way Of enter
tanning the people.
Did Not Miss Them. IL,
At the expiration of a month the
Chicago Record Herald said that evil
IDENTIFY no such dreadful things had
occurred. as had been prophesied. The
public had capacity for amusing IL
self i'll other WAYS 1t is only a mat.
ter Of amusement and that is trffiing.
The time is long past when any num-
Der of serious-minded citizens look
to the theater for entertainment or in
struction. Crude melodramas, mawk-
ism plays and literary claptrap, form
the staple production Of the average
theater. The extravaganza is an elah-
Grafton of the burlesque OF our grand
fathers days. 1t is estimated that
closing the theatres that month in Chi
cago saved the people S2,0o0,000.
Few of Merit. :.
The Record Herald went on to say
that you could count on thel fingers
of two hands all the plays that have
been seen in Chicago in a year that
are worth the attention Of anybody
who looks for information.
Great God, if that is true Of the
theaters Of Chicago with all that they
have there of the best stuff on the
stage what would you expect in OF
tumwao and all over the country
what does it amount to?
Spectacular drama! If it were noy
| for the leg shows the theater would go
bankrupt. All are not bad Who said
they were? But man runs no small
risk trying to see anything elevatins
in the theatre. ,s
For Morals.
You say that it teaches morals. All
right send Your children around to the
| Nickelodlan or some of those places il
| lne luedter teaches Sucn wonderful
morals: send the children to five and
ten cent. cheap places instead of 20
| Sunday school. 1t is wonderful
thing but they never learn their own
| lesson
| Booth and Garrick. two of the great
est tragedians, would not allow their
own children to go to the theater
Macready, one of the famous English
tragedians. would not allow his wife
or children to see play unless he had
first read or seen it, and passed upon
it. as to whether Or not 1t was fit tc
see. Those were men who had some
character to them, and left honor an7
high stamp after them.
Hayden said that only the genius Of
Shakespeare saved the stage frou
the contempt Of all. and yet you car
not take the readings OF William
Shakespeare before mixed audience
unless you read an eXpurgated edition
Power of Theater.
You say that the theater has power
Certainly: nobody denies that The
theateYs OF Chicago are worth be
tween 100000, 900 and $4,000 900, bu