The Irish standard., 1911-12-23
Bishop Scannell Says Moral Deter.
ioration Takes it's Rise Among
Well-to-do Class.
Calls Those intellectual Imbeciles'
Who Justify Indecency on
Ground of Art.
Believes Cities Should be Provided
With Boards of Censorship to
Purify the Theatres.

Right Reverend Richard Scannell,
d. D., Bishop of Omaha, Nebraska,
took occasion in a recent sermon to
call attention to the alarming danger
moral. decadence of the stage. He
charges this growing evil primarily to
the idle rich who for lack of proper
activity are dependent on the thrills"
afforded by an indecent stage for pas
time. Bishop Scannell takes a timely
and well-aimed blow at those INTEL
lectual perverts who justify every
thing that is immoral under the guise
of art.
In my Judgment" said the Bishop,
"the greatest injury to the moral or
der is done by the idle rich. Moral
deterioration always takes its rise
among the welltodo class, and grad
ually finds it's way down among the
plain people. Working people have
honest impulses, and, If not led astray
by bad example, will naturally choose
dvhat is honest and decent in prefer
ence to what is otherwise. Now I am
Informed on reliable authority. con-
firmed by the daily press. that in the
theaters of this city are exhibited
scenes that are not f1t to be witnessed
.by any,sdecent man or woman.
factors and ctresses-people whose
only purpose is to make living-are
compelled to disport themselves un-
becomingly before an audience of in
tellectual imbeciles, who profess to re-
gard an indecent play as highly i'm
proving and call it art If you object
to the play and say it should be stop
ped by the police you are regarded as
uncultured and entirely destitute of
the artistic temperament. And who
compose the audience? The idle we'll
to-do; mostly women and all very re-
spectacle. Indeed, they call them
selves the best people. And why do
they go there? For the very same rea-
son that they, or people like them,
crowd into New York or Chicago
courts-to hear the evidence In divorce
cases. Are they bad people? Not at
all. They only want excitement and
to be thrilled as they called 1t.
This class Of persons do more in
Jury to the moral order established by
God than those criminals whose deeds
shock the public conscience, for they
set the fashions, have many initators
and their example tends to lower the
standard Of public morality. And all
history teaches that a people with a
low standard of morality Is a deca-
dent people.
'"They are also unjust towards the
honest working classes, because by
demanding only morbid and un-
healthy amusements they force man.
ayers to discard decent and instruc-
tive plays, which would be beneficial
to all who need legitimate recreation.
Theater managers now say, in self
defense, that they give the public
what it wants and that they would be
very willing to give better if there
was demand for 1t.
II am very glad to find that at last
some thoughtful men of this city are
now calling for a board of censorship
whose duty it will be to purify our
theaters. It should have been done
long ago. Give them all the help you
can; and the best way to help them
is to stay away from any play or pic
t1re show which is unfit to be seen by
virtuous men and women"