Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-23

- passage Of the ordinance pend
Ink before the council OF that city. In
debating the matter, Mr.. Anderson, dra-
matte editor of the Des Moines Capital,
writes thus;
50 much hysteria AMI so ilttle common
sense Is manifested in the wholesale ar
raignment of the stage by most OF the
retormers that to advocate calmer ana
futile. Besides. the question has been so
Thoroughly discussed ia these columns IN
arc concerned there is little to add. But
4 have too much pride in the city's progress
70 stand by without protest At an attempt
days OF the Puritans.
The original theater ordinance introduced
10 the city council this week is absurd
enough to place Des Moines in the lime
light OF ridicule OF the entire country. The
Lnotive when inspired the drafting OF the
not question that. But IN the over-zealous
attempt to curb indecent and pernicious
exhibitions, a literal Interpretation ana en-
forcement of the ordnance, II passed,
would prohibit the presentation Of any
play which treated OF crime or suicide.
This would mean the Punishment from the
local stage Of the greater part OF the seri-
Gus dramas. which OF dramatic necessity
Tor a moral lesson involve IN some form or
other the tragic misdeeds Of humanity. We
should have to go to Omaha to see Ham
let" which Is filled with murder and sui
eide; TO Kansas City. or some other city
equally miquitious In dramatic liberty, to
see The Thief" for theft is a crime, and
Chicago and New York might be expected
to revive Uncle Toms Cabin" for the
amusement OF provincial visitors who would
be denied its exhilarating details at home.
OF course, it is quite improbable that the !
ordinance viii be passed In its original
instance of how blindly and violently the
rsformers seek to deal in matters pertain
ing to the stage.
there are occasional reflections from the
moral standard In every art, in every great
institution of human endeavor. The theater
. has a great Influence on our modern life. |
and appealing more widely to the masses
than any of the other arts, .the drama
should be nurtured with the most intel
lectual care. 1t is needless to say that all
those who have the welfare of the public
at heart will endorse any movement to
eliminate vice from the stage and further
the progress of dramatic art. But the work
TO be e~ffectual must be done by those VINO
have thoroughly investigated the conditions,
VINO are qualified to point out the specific
evils that demand attention and to- suggest
upon the legitimate drama
In the interest of simple Justice it is to
be deplored that the reformers who most
loudly condemn the stage know the least
about IL. Is II fair to condemn any inst-
of the conditions and having specific knowl-
edge upon which to base complaints
| admit that there is indecency and vul-
qUently exploited In unmasked shape in the
lower order OF theatricals, but indecency
and vulgarity masked as art are sometimes
found in the more select playhouses. But
ths curing OF these evils never Will be ao-
cOmpliBhed by frantic excavations emDra-
cling the ,heaters and all that there Is in
them. The question must be faced calmly;
tho reformers must know whereof they
speak, and must be able to distinguish be-
tween that which Is bad and that which is
good.
is indecent or immoral in plays, When 1t
comes to a question of nudity, there might
BE- a greater display of 1t in the boxes at
seen plays heralded as the most Indecent
% exhibitions, which are, nothing more
than repulsively vulgar. Agar there are
plays which, in their presentation and lam
guage, would he passed without question by
me- Self,SPp0 mNrs GGenn,so1pTaII t mat tha t nfnr
decencies' which cause the purists to shrek
with horror.
In my opinion the only way to have a
moral stage is to cultivate a healthy taste
for amusement and exercise 1t.
In his closing PARAGRAPH Mr.. Anderson
has summed up the whole of the remedy.
Very lately some comment has been made
In these columns anent the topic, the con-
clusion then being that the public must
divide responsibility with the managers
for the conditions complained Of. TIL cul-
tivation OF u healthy moral sentiment must
! not be placed entirely on one or the other
Of the parties to the controversy, either.
Each must contribute in some way, each
doing his share to bring about the result
SO generally desired. The managers can
assist in this by refusing to produce a
play Of any kind whose chief attraction
viii depend on its suggestiveness, its i'm
morality or It's close approach to the inn
modest or indecent. Such things are not
essential to real success. Mr.. Anderson
does not strengthen his case when he re-
fers to Hamlet as containing the ele-
ments Of ylolences frequently one hears
some unth!nking person denouncing the
Bible because within it's sacred pages are
to be found stories of violence and inn
morality. These are but the somber depths
OF sin against which the context is d.
rected. The message of the Bible is for
good, for the uplift of mankind and for
the spread Of morality and the encourage
ment Of right living. The effect of a
properly dlgested and correctly presented
play is the same. No objection may be
lodged against the theater on this score.
Nor is it puritanical to ask that this be
not lost sight OF.
One Of the difficulties the earnest work
eYs IN the world Of the theater encounter
is that the vulgar mind readily seeks out
e. vulgarity and will exchange its coin for
the opportunity to witness a display OF inn
modesty that has only its vulgarity to com
mend II to notice. To the healthy mind no
danger resides in such a condition. 1t Is
only when evil bedecks itself in garments
OF wit and spsrkles under the fair cloak
Of Intellectual Tespectability that 1t assumes
the attitude OF genuine danger. Men and
women have lost but little in moral stature
because some things that were considered
immodest a few years ago are no longer
looked upon as such. Custom has changed.
Many things are permitted nowadays that
a generation ago would not have been toler-
ated. For example, In the seventies Lydia
Thompson's British Blondes were con-
sidered the very acme of daring, and the
debate that followed them in their tour
across the country was loud and fierce.
Today the statuesaue Lydia and her fair
companions would be looked upon as rather
mild, when compared to some of the dis
plays made in connection with musical
comedies and burlesque shows. Whether
the world is better or worse for this
change is not in point; the change has
come over the habits OF thought. and peo-