The Washington times., 1922-02-26
ALAN-DALE TELLS
OF THINGS IN
PLAYLAND
Theme of Famous Critic Is Re-
cent Resurgsnce Of Never
Ending Row Between Men
of Cloth and Stage.

GnUinS NoW o0t"oo" WV
of Cloth and Stage.
CONTINUED from Page 6)
cause had said anything unkind
about him. but because ! had said
: nothing at all about him.
The subtlest and the most en-
phatic compliment paid to the ire
mendous force of the theater az q
factor for good and evil lies In
these entertaining attacks made
upon It by the church. The
church, lacking a sense Of humor
which ! consider an almost holy
attribute-plays delicately into the
hands Of the stage and spasmod.
ically boosts its game.
II the stage ever feels that its
power is dwindling and that its in
nuence is losing weight-then all
Il has to do Is to dwell upon tho
colossal advertisement that the
church Ia ever ready to lavish
upon It. Would the church waste
tn powder and shot II It did not
realize she fearful competition
that exists between it's own influ-
snces and those Of the thrice-ac-
coised stage? Methinks not.
Would the church deliberately
cater to the enjoyment Of crowds
ing to pay but the nominal price
Of a newspaper-if 1t didn't feel
that its game was a desperate
onef
. The manager knows how to urge
on the delicious fight. He Is an
artist. He is keenly alive to the
value OF what is going on. He
says: "But the church that de-
nounces us for producing bad plays
never mentions the good one that
We have to offer. Why does not
the church come out into the open
and thank US for producing them?"
Oh, la, la. la! There you have
the crux of the whole thing. 1t is
not the BAD plays produced that
hurt the church. 1t Is the GOOD
ones. It is the play that enlists
the sympathies of countless thou
sands, the play that runs through
a couple of seasons. drawing tre-
mendous audiences and DINING
into their ears certain truths that
make life easier, pleasanter and
more livable. These are the plays
that hurt the church.
Why? Why. with the good plays
that cater intelligently to the
thoughtful appreciation Of mobs,
the church is almost put out Of
business. Does the church ever APP
peal to the emotions Of the crowd?
Does the church ever put certain
cases irresistibly and plausibly and
en1cyably7 Does the church mako
you forget yourself in an unselfish
appreciation Of others7 No. The
church closes out" Distinctly.
The church views with alarm the
fAct that the theater Is packing
EN- in" and the church II pack
fnS SIN out" 1t II q notifying
thought That the church means
vsn and attempts to do a. It has
always done, 10 certain. But one
cannot do ~ one always did. Times
change and 30 do ideas. The doc
tr1nss in1ulcated in bysons days
can0t b. repeated today. The
thsat~ realizes this. It has always
prsachsd It breaches today. but
dif1srsu&fy. We SCORE the play that
- TOO trAnsparently . preach
mSn1" He holds II against the
stasA II the theater has anything
Il wishes TO drive into our systems
Il must DO the driving artistically
and pafnlessly. But the church.
bsllsvins that II Is there to preach,
prsachss ~ prosily and n inartisti-
oaIiy - ever. It never varies. II
10 WY strict with any Of its MEM
bsrs who try to vary. The church
must not change its attack.
AnA fhas world h tired and drear.
iiy miserable. e11ctins relaxation
and surcease from worry. It flies
to one thing that can give It re-
lisk The church, No. The church
IN TOO busy UNFOLDING its dignity"
and its traditions. and it's self
enforced mission. The church re-
osivss an these tired and drearily
miserable mortals and talks them
to death with>It In the least re-
moving their burdens.
Luckily they have that benign
safsty vaive-fhs theaterl Where
--whsre-would We be without TT
IT Ii there that troubles vanish.
that misery ceases to do its darn
dsst and that wo find q brief relief
in well-thought-out topics. It don't
say that The plays running the