The Washington herald., 1918-02-16


soweth, that shall he also reap.
1 know OF no more suitable text
for the subject I have in mind. By
the, expression on your faces, you
don't expect much from me In the
way OF endorsement, and yet, II there i
is no harm in this proposition, why |
do / speak against the class Of all
classes that you champion and en-
dorse?
II the ingenious skill Of the devil
is to be defeated, there are but one
or two alternatives left open to the
man who wants to assault it. First, he |
can spend his strength and time talk
ing about a thousand minor usages.
and tell you Of the possible indul- |
gence. Or, he can assault the thing
fair and square. and tell you what 1t
really is, and by so doing run the risk
of mourning the enmity and displeas-
ure and ilI-will Of the people.
have wilfulIy and deliberately cho-
sen the latter course. and I have no
apologies to make, either now or after
1 am through. But 1 will challenge
anybody who can successfully contra
dict what ] have to say. for what I
have to say has been forged on the
anvil Of observation, communication
and investigation up and down the
land.
Never Condemn Good Things.
I never condemn good things. Il
only condemn what even the people
who are respectable in the theatrical
profession condemn themselves.
condemn the rottenness in the church
and on the stage, too. I condemn rot
tenness everywhere it is. 1t makes
no difference whether it's in the pew
or pulpit. or behind the fOotlights, the
paTquet or boxes.
We associate certain amusements-l
the theater. cards and the dance.
While some would condemn one thing,
others wOuld condemn something else,
and vice versa Yet the theaters are
the most condemned. To most people,
things that are forbidden, amuse. and
there is u reason back of all this. Peo-
PIE are not simply crazy and fanatic.
there IS a reason back Of it.
The thcater had its beginning in the
church, and in the first place. it was
intended for a haidmanden Of relig-
ion. But from the very beginning
it was n source of worry and of
harm. and little by little they were
forced to denOUnCe it, and at last for
their own protection, to repudiate it.
day to which no right-minded man
would take a decent woman, and the
manager is not to blame. He will
tell you if he puts a good show on
the road. he will starve to death. The
public must want these things. my
friends, or they wouldn't battle
around the doors to get in So. 1
think the public are as much to blame
as the mana ger, for II you didn't want
#, We wouldn't have it. Therefore. |
your taste must be on a mighty low
level.
The theater IS not educational. 1t
doesn't teach n lesson. 1t doesn't
preach a sermon. Its mission Is one
of entertainment, pure and simple,
my friends. and when it presents a
story Of a harIot, why. that story is
told to entertain the people that are
in the audience and not to elevate
the souls Of the people that are there. |
1t is not to point out the pit for the
unwaTy feet, which they might fall
into.
People Want Them.
Ask a manager why he produces
them. and he will tell you that as
long as the public wants them he will
produce them So it is your fault, as !
part of the pubnc, and I take su- |
preme delight in telling you so.
Crude melOdrama and comedies and !
sentimental and literary claptrap ex- !
travasanzas, which are nothing more |
or less than the old-fashioned drama
they are the offerings from the av-
eTage stage Of today. You know it is !
the spectacular that seems to attract.
Ninety out of 100 who go to New /
York TO go on the stage fail. Some |
Of them go back home, some of them |
90 IN other lines. and some of them |
become human derelicts and drift |
wood, and in the end, what do you |
get for all your years Of work and |
your denial Of your home. wearing |
yourself out in one-night stands, trav-
cling up and down the land, away 1
from horne and children? Oh. you will |
merely get a passing notice in a |
newspaper in some obscure corner,
and it will say you died in the actors |
home, such and such time, and that /
you were once a famous actor or ac-
tress-apd that's your obituary for |
your hard work
Now. keep in mind two things, will |
you? Character in the theatrical peo-
PIE, and character in the theatrical /
plays.
Oh. that there are noble men and
women on the stage everybody will I
admit. Just as noble as YOU can find /
anywhere. You couldn't find anybody |
more high class than Booth or Joe |
Jefferson or Tom Keene, Fanny Dav-
cnpOrt or Maud Adams or Maxine FL
lott or Billie Burke and a lot Of them,
and Dave Warfield and Sarah Bern
hardt, Rose Stahl, J. X Hackett, and \
a multitude OF them. They reflect |
~rcat credit to manhood, and you can't
tGi a higher type Of manhood or
manhood anywhere on earth-they /
9-2 just as fine as you find anywhere /
81 earth. They are noble people, |
cvCrybody will admit that. You can't |
beat them. I say they reflect great
honor upon manhood and womanhood
and their profession as well.
Theater has capital and it has power
In the money; certainly I will admit
an that. It is estimated that $500. 900 900
Is invested in the movies alone now
adays. Fifteen million people attend
daily the movies in this country. A
million dollars day, 1t is estimated,
Is the most conservative estimate of
the assets taken IN by the movies.
Twenty-Five thousand theaters house
the film lovers Of the land.
Raps Critics.
Crtainiy there is money in tive
viii admit all that. Salaries are big,
all right. and don't begrudge any
actor or actress on the stage one dol
lar or their salary; don't begrudge
any prizefghter a dollar or a baseball
player one dollar that he can get II
fellow can get SO. 900 a year, then L
wouldn't play for 5000 IL I was q