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Show THE STAGE. 'Tis a great phty that the ?tage, capable, cap-able, when morally managed, of elevating ele-vating and instructing the human race, should ever become the mears of degradation degra-dation and weakening of moral principles. prin-ciples. The New Ycrk stage is. unfortunately, un-fortunately, too often the scene of dramatic dra-matic rcrie5.?r.'tation? noxious and vicious vic-ious beyond compare. Fault is found with clergymen who make sweeping denunciation of 'the 'theatre. It is charged that they do net sufficiently discriminate between what is good and what is evil. There is some tru-th in this, perhaps, but there is consider able justification for these sweeping acd unrest lie ted denunciations in view of the fact that at the present time a large majority of the plays- now before the people of the metropolis- of the country are debasing, vulgar, and. In seme instances, positively indecent. The condition of the Mtage in America has fallen pretty low when such a journal as the New Ycrk World feels constrained to utter the following pro-tent: pro-tent: Are we going to have a censorship of the drama? And if not. what are we going to do about it? Are we going to let it alone, to go from worse to wcrs3. and reach beyond the lowest depth a deeper still? It has gone from bad to worse, from "Camille" to "Zaza," and from the nude in "Iza" to the realistic in "The Turtle." to the frank aba--?ment of ','T'he Degenerates" and to the apothe-of.-'i3 of the nasty in "Sapho." It would not be s-afe to predict what may coma next. And it all goeis on without let or hindrance. A private society looks after immoral literature. The aegis of the Horton law shields the manly art of pugilism. Dive-keeping is a subject of restrictive legislation. Gambling is clearly prohibited by law, and from time to time the police advise the policy pol-icy sharks-that an intermission of their pernicious activity would be judicious. But how are wa.to deal with the indecent inde-cent drama ? J It pays: so much the worse. Very nice I people go to see it: so much the worse. I The prests denounces it; so much the I wonse, for it thrive? by exposure and I advertising, and can securely count on j its clientele. To let it alone is to tolerate toler-ate its growth, and to denounce it is I to stimulate it to pernicious activity, j What are we going to do about it? What is the attitude of the American mind toward the immoral drama? What 'is the safeguard of decency in a liberty-loving land against the public exploitation of indecency? We hardly 'think that a remedy is to be found in a censorship of the drama. The evil ie fundamental. It is to be' found in the management of the stage itself. It is Nemo dat quod non habe't no one gives what he has not got is an old and true axiom. Hence it Is, folly to expect moral principles which have their very basis in Christianity radiating from men whore live? are a protect against Christianity, the very source of all moral rectitude. In other words, to be very plain, the syndicate of Hebrews which now dictates to the whole American people the clasii of plays which they shall i-.-c-if responsible respon-sible for the naidtineas and iecenoy of so many plays now before the public Whst encouragement can a playwright play-wright animated "by Christian principles princi-ples receive from men who are unbelievers unbe-lievers in such principles, and whore only God ii3 line dollar? At the present time ip)?s than a half a dozen Hebrews in New York control the drama of the country. To them every actor and ac-trees, ac-trees, as well as every manager, must bow. la i-t not time that the' Christian peo-. pie of the United States entered an emphatic em-phatic portest against a domination which experience is daily piovingto be immoral and calculated to subvert all moral and Christian- principles? There are on the ?tage many Christian Chris-tian ladies and gentlemen, but their aspiration as-piration and ambitions are of no aval' against the wishes and desires of the vulgarians that form the theatrical i syndicate in the city of New York. I A I |
