Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-02

mind her that John l.. Sullivan and
other similar models of morality and
culture have gone out of the ring and
onto the stage, and some of them
marry actresses.
'sShe did not quote a single promi-
nent editor in support of the stage, but
simply assumes, and wants others to
assume, that because they give the
news concerning the stage they there
fore favor the stage.
Stage is Deterioratins.
SIN order that Miss Shirley may
have the opportunity to verify my
quotations. l will call her attention to
an editorial that appeared in the Ore
gonian'' March %, 1891, in which APP
pears the following:
Compared with the stage of 25
years ago, the outlook of the legiti-
mate American drama, whether in
tragedy or comedy, is not encouraging.
There is talent enough, but the taste
Of the country has become SO cor
rupted that men and women of talent
for the stage seek fame through farce
and burlesque, because 1t is the short
est road to pecuniary reward. AS
consequence, the number OF actors
who are artists is decreasing, and the
number of actors who are opponents
of histrionic horseplay, and broad-grin
buffoonery and roaring farce is in
creasing. Burlesque and farce
teach nothing, touch no dept of hui
man nature, but foster it's shallow silly
side. For the sake Of American
manners, thought, speech and taste, it
is pity, therefore, that the legitimate
artistic drama of human nature and
society is dying before the growing
passion of frantic, money-making
age for mere amusement, horseplay
| and leg drama
"Mr Scott may or may not have
changed his views since he published
the foregoing IS years agof but 1
know that he has spoken with equal
severity in the editorial columns of
| his great daily within the last six
years.
According to the above the theater
is not the pure and morally uplifting
! institution that Miss Shirley would
have us believe it to be.
MI. SCOTS statements concerning
the decadence of the theater are
fully supported by a statement made
by the actor, Stoddard, on Member s.,
| 1902, from which l take the following:
"One reason that the actor of to-
day cannot cope with those of old in
the. particular fields selected by the
/ latter Is that, ever since the days Of
the Black Crook in Niblos garden,
the stage has drifted constantly to-
ward the frivolous-the farce comedy
and the comic opera"
This is but small part of mass
of evidence which I have collected,
but think it will be enough to con-
vince Miss Shirley that Mr.. Sunday is
not alone in. his opinion Of the theater
Miss Shirley denies that the church
in general is opposed to the theater,
asserts that Jews and Catholics and a
4 number of the Protestant sects are lib
eral patrons of the theaters, and fur
Their says:
4 "'There is today in America a
strong organization known as the
/ actors church alliance, designed and
). organized by few broad-minded
ing the church and stage. in still
ClooCl lOuCua
4 81 have heard Of this organization,
but didn't know it was strong
4 Il would like to ask Miss Shirley in
what way is it strong? Is 1t strong
in numbers? Please tell us how many
are in it. Is it strong in the piety and
spirituality of those 'broadminded
clergymen' that helped to start the
1 thing Give us the names. Is it strong
in the matter of saving men and WON
en- from the guilt and power of sin,
and sending them forth in the world
to live for God and to labor for right
cousness? Tell us all about it. Miss
Shirley, please do, we want to know
i ''You would think from Miss Shir-
ley's attack on Mr.. Sunday, as she
starts out with severe arraignment
for alleged reckless disregard of
facts and coarse and offensive Ian
guage.' that her own utterances, in
these respects would be faultless. But
she shows the most utter disregard
for facts when she asserts that the
theater is constantly progressing
toward higher Standard and she
certainly is not very conciliatory when
she characterizes the opponents of the
theater as 'narrow-minded bigots.'
Henry Brown"