Year: 1879

THE CHURCH AND THE THEATRE-SEhMoN Df


THE REV. e. c. swEETsER


Among the Thugs which God in His wisdom has
Joined together, said the Rev. T. G. Swectser, at the
Bleecker Street Unversalist Church. the various
needs of human nature. He has been pleased to
combine In our complex constitution need Of re
ligon and a need of amusement of course. with
many other needs. Tho Church is generally ad-
mtted to be the principal means of meeting mans
religious needs; but the proper relation Of the
Church to the theatre the proper attitude which
the Church should sustain to the theatre
is subject which has been discussed more
less for o good many years, but never
widely or to SO great an advantage now. After
speaking Of the Importance Of the subject and say
ing that both mans need Of religion and his need Of
amusement of Gods making and ought to be
satisfied the preacher added that there is mistake
somewhere. and an injurious mistake whenever
attempt to satsfy their need Of religion In such
way as to exclude amusement from their lives or to
satisfy their need OF amusement Us to exclude
religion from their lives. Those theories and
methods which are hostile to amusement such,
and those kinds Of amusement which are hostile to
religion are alike indefensible. Though the
ligion q man-made superstition and the
self-hagelatins bigot may denounce human ma
ture essentially corrupt, and declare that its
desire for amusement is implanted by the devil
Mr.. Sweetser said he took human nature he found





ment for its welfare plant has need of light and
moisture, he assumed that both appropriate OBJ
jects for mankind to pursue.


THE ATTITUDE THE CHURCH


II the theatre Is essentially good, if 1t affords
legitimate and powerful means Of amusing tho
people; IT, notwithstanding the evils which
nected with it, it is itself good thing, with noble
possibilities, like q man or woman who has
fallen from virtue, but who, nevertheless has aspira-
tions after righteous life with sanity capabilities,
if it can be redeemed from bad uses and made to
minister properly to mans need of amusement fll-
in a n q n
fll then the Church should take toward it friendly
attitude and openly seek alliance with It. that Is
ment between the Church and the theatre at least
il there is any the Church should not be responsible
amusement which it furnishes Is necessarily of
evil kind. having tendency to depraye man
kind, IL the evils which associated with
it are Inherent and ineradicable. while the good
which 1t does IL 1t does any at ALL Is only sporadic
and incidental then certainly t S the Church should
hesitatingy and without the least compromise 1t is
sometimes said. aud has lately been said that the
Church can do nothing to- injure tho theatre. and
that, inasmuch the theatre is a fixed institution
and mankind will have it anyhow. the Church might
what it cannot prevent. But that very fallacious
argument. 1t is sample, however, OF q particular
kind of worldywise foolishness which Is atogether
too common and too acceptable in society. 1t is
duty to God to abhor that which IL evil and
to battle against it to the extent of our power.
But the other hand, that method OF dealing with
the question which that the theatre utterly
bad that the Church should therefore oppose 1t





furious. For If should turn out upon investigation
that the theatre by means entirely bad but that
there great deal of good in and that 1t is capable
Of more good why, then, by ignorantly and unjusty
condemning it the Church Is in danger OF hinderng
its Improvement by giving it bad name and OF
| justice OF its attitude and Of woundng the weak
consciences of great many moro who will go to the
and by the example Of others at the same time that
they think that perhaps they ought not to so be-
cause the Church prohibits them. 1t is dangerous
fprtb tb.E nofva
berS to hesitate between obeying Its requirements
and doing what, except for its requirement they
cannot the slightest harm in. 1t tends to make
| doubters and hypocrites of them.


NOT SINFUL fTsELF.


As the assumption that the theatre Is entirely
or almost entirely, good and that us moral power ii
| surpasses the Church. an assumption which has
lately been made by one who was an actress and who
is ut present lecturer 1t Ia too stupidity false to
demand contradiction. The truth is that the theatre
| in itself has no moral character at all. that
is to say IL is neither moral immoral 1t Is sim
ply passive instrument. SO to speak, which may be
| used neither morally nor immorally. The dramatic
art is IN this respect like tho other ars-ke paint
| ing sculpture, or poetry which may be used TO
express moral or immoral idcas or ideas which havo
no relation TO morality. There is no mere harm in
dramatic composition simply such. than in pic
ture, or o statue, or poem; and there is no more
| harm necessarily in representing drama. in wit
Messing drama, than there Is in arranging tho pic
lures for exhibition in our Academy OF Design,
| in going to sec them when arranged. Whether any
a. depends what the pictures There good
| pictures and bao pictures. good dramas and bad
Dramas neither kind Is responsible for the other.
play is in reality living picture. and the theatre
is only the frame for the exhibition OF the picture.
| In conclusion the speaker said that the Church
should acknowledge that the theatre In itself s by
sinful, but that, Notwithstanding the base
uses to which It has been often put IL Ia still
| good thing essentially which has dono much good
and which may do IL only It'll rightly used Let
the Church. therefore, seek to redeem the theatre
from evil and associations, and 20 form holy
alliance with IL for the elevation OF mankind.
ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL.
pnpE IEo's LETTER ON TIE UNIVERSAL. JuRI-