Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-02-24
Our Wicked Stage.

| A quarrel which the Albany Times
Union says began about three hum
dred and fifty years ago and has peeh
s6ing on with more or less vehe-
mence ever since" broke out in acute
! form in New York city the other DAY
! when a prominent minister and a
prominent theatrical producer at
tempted to debate the premise that
| present conditions and tendencies on
the American stage are menace to
a sound public and private morality
| AS the press surveys the wreckase
left on the battlefield, it concludes
| no light.
| . The bout" which took place in
New York church. is described by the
| Norfolk Virginian-PHot:
DIR. Straton led off with feint
\ with his left, in which he conceded
! that the origin of the modern drama
| is partly religious, then landed what
was intended for body blow with
| his right. by charging that it has
| forsaken it's religious inheritance ana
| now. in it's viciousness and immo-
| rality, is but a licentious throwback
| to its classic forebears. HIS
| opponent countered with a biblical
| quotation anent charity and toler.
ance, and got in stiff uppercut
! with the statement that there are
more ministers than actors in jail.
| such a discussion, participated IN
, by such eminent authorities, ought to
| have been Instructive" but, unfortu-
| nately. the Houston Chronicle finds
! that at wasn't" for instead OF de-
! veloping the theme in way That
might be helpful each speaker ap-
peared to be well loaded with more
1 IL %oi q
! others profession. and each proceeded
| to generalize from particulars IN
way not only out of keeping with the
time and place. but unworthy OF me
! victed ministers were made to play an
important part. The record of few
tragedies in connection with the stage
| and another few in connection with
| The church were made to stand TOT
| he general character OF eacn. Gen
| ,ral attacks on the stage seem TO
| he the favorite pastime of sensational
| reformers, trouble makers and NOR
aIists," the Ohio State journal 90
| observes ANY unhappy development
| any sordid picture, is seized upon as
justification for wholesale denuncia-
tions. This country has heard these
| attacks many times, heard all people
! of the stage denounced ana branded
as wholly bad" but these charges
were not true In the past anu 'ne'
are not true today.
.Nobody but a fool thinks of con-
demning the church because there
are rascally and immoral clergymeh,
| some of whom find their way INTO
| jails and penitentiarles. or ere
| individual judges and lawyers VINO 20
| Wrong." and accordingly. the Arkan-
sas democrat contends that we can
| not "denounce or renounce the moves
because an occasional actor or actress
l
| noittedly. there are sensationailses
! nf the theater," the New York Ilmes
| grants, folk for whom the sln,pae
Serities of life and the norman anu 81 =
| single out the few sensa tionalists as
| REPRESENTATIVE of the whole is IIseia
Tho act of a sensationalist. because
| ..any one who indicts the stage u
! nation indicts the nation ,,e.;n.
| ."The stage always needs upliI.ins,
| ~ chicago POST comedies. lit always
needs critical discussion. But SO d9 Sof
sun,an life" And even granting, .tt
,he sake of argument. that present ~
law morals are lower than lnos yor II.
| a generation age. me ,v sn have a
aisicn1t time proving the stage re-
snnnsihle. "He might as truly sds
| that the newspaper, the au to,hhope
he good roads movement, tne plu IN
rraph ar the increasing congesu attan m
i,ias Is responsible" Moral rottene
aess exists Through every Phase e,, ue
American life" but the o nf our social
viii Ss beguil sdv By Stb sae in asa9
that .the stage OF any any. o ,nsnners and
zion makes or unn Ia es n'"'NN
morals. .;.;c,sn, Of stage
md Aim that has grown SO rispseu 2
he Or tive e a;meg declares has
sause s:,e the theatrical profession OBJ
sets 70 censorship aI It snSnla teS Mr.
| rne sIafensa Of the stage was
merely an .adroi, s Sisw Esvs .h for sp ee
Kans .;o, WAS not .the percentage or
sheep n the s ;n;sse5s n the pu
OF u w 3ne broad. sweeping influence
the stage on public n,,, ana pr ssers
= NJ y. ~ number Of tf,eater-g going peo-
pie who W, testify e The s6 9sa1 ial
/ 1sms ~ IS bad. Certatnly the debate
ssffied nothinGs ~ far ~ the Wicnlta