The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 28, 1900, Page 15

stage folk. he stage is so immoral w where it is I'm sure I 1 have been on e since I was ten years old and cen the vice that is discussed by ded preachers and their fol- se people insist they are good but there is no great amount being good from lack of Most of such people are good have never been tempted; never had an opportunity to t have any strength of 1 admire the loyaity of Emma 1 1 remember how, when she Universalist church in from her seat and com- her to cease his abuse She said she would speak of its people as because she knew so many were honorable. You see tiack the stage are ignorant ters of its people and are criticize. Why, five min- with such characters de Adams, Viola Allen, ethersole is so uplift- se in ey I feel er and have a more uni- versal love ¥ heart after talking with such ch than after Msten- ing to an sermon full of threats for others. Most of such preju- dice is not prejudice at all, but hypocrisy. I have seen preachers who were not sup- posed to approve of the stage, come to comic opera and sit behind the scenes in the flies. One gets on very nicely without the hypocritical sort of preach- ers. * And the favorite prima donna gathered her frou-frou flounces more tightly in her jeweled hands, as though she longed to eweep past prejudiced accusers and with all her years or e could hold her head quite those who wrap cloaks of self ss about n, often s for the stage Do the people of San Francisco realize how short a distance they would have to o from this city to find ultra-orthodox elders who express a public antipathy for the theater and its people, but who them- selves attend a play with amusing alac- rity whenever they have & palpable ex- cuse? They go about excuse-making in differ- ent ways. Sometimes they place them- selves upon an ection committee” for the purpose of “seeing and reporting at the next meeting.” Those not fortu- nate enough to become & ‘‘committe find other avenues of inlet. A San Francisco theatrical manager told me a few days ago that ministers frequently gain admission to his theater by passing through his private office and into the foyer, thus avolding the danger of meeting any of their flock at the iront entrance, which accident would be em- barrassing, to say the least. Once safely in thelr seats, the worthy patrons proceed to conceal their identity in the most mod- est manner. They have a way of trans- forming their straight, ecclesiastical col- lars Into the most neglige-looking turn- overs you ever saw. They deftly unbut- ton the collar behind, turn it down and it is quite out of the way. Then they urge thelr coats up around their willing necks as high as possible and look away to thelr hearts' content. A few ministers get into the theater by mistake, believing they are going to at- tend & concert; but I have noticed that such victims have kept their seats and borne it bravely. I know a Chicago min- ister who went to hear Pattl sing the last time she visited America. With her sup- ‘porting company she sang ‘“‘Martha’ with full stage costumes and scenic effects. The worthy preacher held his libretto in his hand and enjoyed the opera to the to hide ciose, put Insisted it was only a concert. His family accompanied him and enjoyed it quite as much. The next morning the daughter asked her mother to take her to see Denman Thompson play “The Old Homestead,” a great, whole-souled heart play; but the father declared in stentor- fan tones that his daughter should never £0 to hell by stepping over the threshold of a theater. When the family explained he had seen an opera with him the nixht before he indignantly denied the accus tion and insisted it was a concert. Bome consclentiously offer their little mite toward marring the success of the few actors that come in their way, there- by alding In the “suppression of the stage.” “But the stage Is not so well entitled to friendliness as the non-orthodox affect to believe,” ig another decision the preacher critic arrived at without acquaintance with the theater and Its people. This comes of struggling with a subject he is @ik Though only an amateur aeronaut, the Rev. J. M. Bacon, rector of a small Eng- lish perish, has solved the problem of communicating from ths clouds to. the earth without the use of wires. The re- sults of his experiments, which have cov- ered a period of seven years, have been made public, and will be of valuable assistance to scouts and commanders in times of war. In the past the war balloon has been of little practical service for the reason that wires have been con- sidered necessary in notifying the troops below of the enemy's movements, and because the wires have prevented ascen- sions beyond the reach of guns. The old balloons were limited to an ascension of 1000 to 1500 feet, while the Rev. Bacon is able to converse at an altitude of 2000 to 8500 feet. SIGNALS FROM Mr. THE SUNDAY CALL. not familiar with. Why is this so? Why should he not encourage those players who work harder to earn money honestly than those in almost any other professlon? Very often those who make such stren- uous efforts to suppress the stage are not without secret dramatic tendencles them- sclves, It is commonly supposed that the stage-struck element consists of young girls with starry eyes and billowy halr and young men with chocolate cream Many leaders of flocks, the good preachers themselves, are among the countless number—count- less because this latter class will never line up to be enumerated. The fact is es- tablished, neverthéless, by their attend- ance In dramatic schools. In Chicago one of the finest dramatie schools in the country has Saturday clesses arranged for the Benefit of those who cannot attend dally, but who wish to “take the work.” Every Baturday morn- ing from fifteen to twenty ministers ap- pear at the school and for several hours the halls resound with Shylock's “Re- venge’ or moan with Hamlet's sollloquy, “To be or not to be.” In however tragic a manner the elder may paw the air, he insists that he is not studying dramatic art. Such an insinuation is resented at once and you are told in words you can- not fall to understand that he 1s study- Ing “lterary interpretation.’ That “‘the work’ bencfits preachers and improves their personality s unques- tioned, for truth is the keynote of religica, and the more truly they can express the best emotions the nearer they can ap- proech other human hearts they mean to help. But why do they not say so? A Chicago preacher with whom I have a personal acquaintance has taken three years' work at the dra- matic school just mentioned. He ap- peared on the scene of dramatic action four times a week, in addition to per- forming the duties of his church. When fancy dancing was taught every other day the ambitious elder fell into line with the scores of girls and “did the steps” beautifull but he never danced in his life; he always explained this as “wark in rhythm.” This preacher frequentiy re- minded his classmates that he had never seen a play and never would commit the sin of stepping Into a theater, but he gave entertainments. I remember his best one was a cutting of Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice.” He gave the play himself in a couple of hours. Sir Henry Irving vis- ited Chicago last winter and played his masterplece, “The Merchant of Venice,” but the elder would not go. Much as he desired to study Irving's art, he content- ed himself with asking questions. But we know they do not all stay at home. Miss Frances Willard told a secret within my hearing a few years ago. Once when In New York it occurred to her she would like to go to the theater now that she was a safe distance from home— Evanston, Ill. She yielded to the inclina- tion and went, but imagine her amaze- ment In meeting there the good elder .of her church at home. He was also In New York and had entertained the same idea. They solemnly promised each other never to reveal the transgression, but after years and years it leaked out In the old Revolutionary days George Washington attended the theater when- ever he happened to visit New York City, and he was strongly censured by many. for this unpardonable indiscretion. Although he knew perfectly well the existing preju- dice toward theater-going, George Wash- ington walked in at the front door, truth, hatchet and all—and thereby hangs a moral. There is every reason why the church should co-operate with the stage—both are , teachers. Richard Mansfleld said to me once: “The stage teaches oftener than the church, for we give a lesson elght times a week, while the church only preaches twice. Then, too, we often reach people who would not go elsewhere.” Theatrical medicine Is often easier to take because it is sugar-coated, but the mouths; but this {s not all. A huge, black, collapsing drum hangs some forty or fifty feet below the car of his balloon, and this he heats by means of electricity—the sounds belng caused really by expansion and contrac- tion. The dots and dashes of the Morse telegraph, code have been used in Mr. Bacon's experiments and have been heard for several miles. An operator understanding the Morse code has been able to *‘take’” Mr. Bacon's messages without difficulty. Naturally, in time of war, the operator inthe balloon using the Bacon system would, while using the dots and dashes of the Morse alphabet, communicate with his officers below in cipher. The enemy might hear the signals as plainly as the comrades of the operators, yet would not be able to understand what was sald any more than S e 2 2 " THE CLOUDS benent 1s tnere ana tne cure can be er- fected. Should preachers object so streu- ously to competition? It only spoils thelr dispositions and puts them out of har- mony with the Infinite and the people and cuts off the great supply of love which should be as broad as the universa. The professional and soclal world are coming closer together year by year, and this fact is one we can well afford to wel- come. There are more theatrical people to-day whose honest uprightness has se- cured them higher social standing than could have been hoped for fifty years ago. Some men and women in good soclety go upon the -'lue to-day without sacrificing position, as they would formerly have done. One cultivated woman who went upon the stage sald to me: “A mere fashionable life seems to strong natures so objectless, so purposeless. So- clety offers such petty triumphs, such mean glories. It is usually narrowed he would a government message sent over the cable or telegraphic wires. The Rev. Mr. Bacon has interested both the British War and Navy departments in his invention, and on one of his recent experimertal trips had as a companion Admiral 8ir Edmund R. Fremantle. The admiral expressed himself after the voy- age as favorably impressed with the sys- tem, and said he had no doubt that If adopted by the Government it would prove of great value either on land or sea. —_——————— To clean celery of the insects often found on it take a wineglassful of hot water in which a little bicarbonate of soda has been dissolved. Plunge the cel- ery Into this after it has been washed. Then cool in ice water before serving. down to the worship of self and for self. Mammon is tha fetich. One must have a small soul to enjoy a diet of soclety alone and thrive upon it.” This turning to the stage for the ex- pression of soul is not surprising, because society supplies inadequate food for emo- tional natures. The constant practice in the social zoo is to repress the deepest, truest expression of stif and substitute the lightest small talk—the same things invariably sald with the same manner isms. Repression is death. Expression is life. True expression is demanded In good acting. Duse is a lead- er of this movement for truth, and many are following already. Philips Brooks says: ¢ “We go jingling bells when we ought to sing the Litanfes.” Many who go upon the stage nowadays are of better caliber and finer sensibilities than was usual in the past. Better writers are producing plays for interpretation by players of to-day. Not only mind, but soul, is creeping into the theater. Miss Sadie Martinot, recently in San Francisco, believes she has discovered the reason for a narrow prejudice to theater- goin It is due,” she says, “to malnutrition. 1 have been a close observer of these con- ditions for years and am sure that these preachers are illy fed when they look at things in a dwarfed aspect. It is caused by insufficient red corpuscles in the blood. Yes, it is a pesitive fact. I've met them in boarding-houses sometimes and have noticed they eat cereals—oatmeal for breakfast; then bread and butter with ap- ple sauce; then cereals agafh, but no meat." Miss Martinot is not entirely wrong. The type of ministers she refers to need meat and plenty of it to give them vital- ity—life—and with it stronger sympathies and keener Insight into human nature. Phijips Brooks said: “It is deflcient vital- ity instead of excessive vitality that makes all the trouble of the woma.~ ANl progressive ministers are coming to this way of thinking. They realize that in or- der to reach souls they must come out of the clouds of theory and let their hearts £0 out to all bumanity with the genuine Christ love. The Church and Stage Alllance is & growing organization, which is bound to be the “tis that binds” these two powers together. It s a national movement, every city of any consequence forming & part. The headquarters is iIn New York City, where Bishop Potter Is In charge. Actors and ministers meet once & month for the purpose of establishing a better understanding with each other and cultivating a soclal and religious In- terest between their professions. On these occasions thers are religious ser- vices, discussions and sermons by repre- sentatives of both the church and stage. Talking their problems over, as they do constantly, strengthens the bond of unity between them. Better still, there Is an emergency fund for those In distress; also chaplains to call upon actors when 1ll and make them as comfortable as possible. Those assist- ed are not regarded as objects of charity, nor is the assistance rendered in the na- ture of patronizing missionary work, but is an alliance looking toward mutual help. San Francisco formed such an organiza- tion some time ago, but It practically went no further than the appointment of chaplains and then subsided. The officers are: Rev. W. A. Breck, Rev. Willlam Rader and Rev. John A. B. Wilson. A printed card on each stagedoor announc~ Ing that there is a church and stage al- liance 1s of no value unless substantiated by a real showing of friendliness, sym- pathy and co-operation. San Francisco would resent being told she 1s not progressive. Then why not overcome old-time prejudice and show in- stead a spirit of love and helpfulness?