The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-04-04

the title of his play, the Pope of
Rome. One would hardly think such
a title and such a play acceptable to
London and New York away back in
1850, when Young Ireland and Car
dinal Wiseman spoiled the digestion
of good Professionals, and the Know
nothings in America threatened the
digestion of American Catholics.
Nevertheless the play enjoyed at least
made some money in New York, while
good Protestants literally applauded
the courageous old Cardinal Montalti
who became Pope Sixtus V just in
time to save the hero from the tomb
and the heroine from wretched mar
riage. From those curious days the
place of the Catholic cleric in the Eng
lish drama has been fixed, honorable,
acceptable to the average audience,
and much desired by capable actors.
The Irish Priest.
In his Irish plays Dion Boucicault
introduced the priest, but not with
success, because he made him slightly
contemplate, too familiar, and too
domineering; whereas the whole world
knows the Irish priest to be the most
dignified of clerics, rigid in clerical
etiquette, and on that account hardly
acceptable to the modern American
priest. Boucicault's cleric disappeared
with the vogue of the Irish play. The
CONNECTIONS called Irish drama at the
present moment have no relation
whatever to Irish life or character,
and are usually written by dramat-
lists who know nothing of Irish life,
and played by actors who know less.
In these dramas the cleric does not
figure, chiefly because the dramatist
fears to offend, and also because the
role might dominate that of the star.
Occasionally the cleric appears in such
plays as The Parish Priest, The Con-
fession and The Top O. the NORM
The late Daniel Sully appeared for
years in the first of these plays, and
while making no artistic success pleas
ed innumerable audiences by his por-
trayal of rough diamond cleric, a
homely boisterous personality, but
sympathetic, in love with his work,
and fairly representative of class
which has passed away. Sully made
the non Catholics familiar with the
priesthood, in places where the priest
was known vaguely but suspiciously,
very often in towns tainted or pois-
oned with the bigotry dispensed SO
freely by The Menace and Tom Wat
son. He made clear and ineligible
the human sympathy and the Christian
virtues of the parish priest, and in
duced the ignorant and the bigoted to
credit the priest with decent, human
and Christian motives in his dealings
with mankind This play has had
many imitators.
Antidote to Bigotry.
That entitled The Confession has
enjoyed considerable popularity,
through the good luck which befell it's
author in New York. The drama deals
with the secret of the confessional, a
theme which has attracted novelists
and playwrights from time immemo-
rial Mr.. Halleck Reid, it's author
and manager, entered New York City
with the plan of interesting the Cath
olics of the metropolis in his play.
He succeeded in getting the endorse
ment of the Cardinal, who authorized
his Vicar-General, Monsignor Lavelle,
to see the play and to commend it, ii
worthy. It was found worthy, and on
the strength of the commendation Mr..
Reid sent three companies on the road
and Monsignor Lavelle was genteely
roasted by the Puritans, who in their
blind rage against the drama can see
no good in even the dramas which
preach Christ to the people. The third
play would have had better success
for Mr. Henry Savage had he adopted
Mr.. Reds methods. The priest in
The Top O. the Mornin' was most
delightful character. The little man
ayers whose names are never heard in
New York, whose field of action is in
the small towns, occasionally indulge
in clerical dramas; and through theil
simple efforts the country people are
getting fairly acquainted with the
character and work of the Catholic
priest in this country. 1t is easy tc
see what an antidote these plays are
to the poison of The Menace and its
kind, which circulate largely among
the country people. In fact they are
doing work which the Catholic press
cannot do, which the secular press
never notices, and which the Catholic
denouncers of the drama are both un
able and unwilling to do. Perhaps il
is even more important for truth an6
religion than the more finished anC
splendid performances of the metro
politan stage.
Dramas Which Failed.
It would take long description tt
give the average Catholic clear ides
of what Lyton's Richelieu has done tt
destroy prejudices against the Catholic
faith Not only has it done this, it,
influence on the manager and thu
dramatist has been profound. Through
them the great success Of Richeliel
has given long list of prelates ant
priests to the stage, although nom
achieve the eminence of their model
Not many years ago the English acto
Willard delighted audiences in Eng
land and America with The Cardinal
in which a member of the Medici fam