Show THE CLERGY VS TUB THE DRAMA the methodist episcopal church C conference 01 ference lately in colum bui south carolina was largely attended this being a natural consequence as it represented the most numerous religious body in in the state there were several good speak speakers ers an and d csome attendants who w ho were above the tile avera average ave rare goin in intelligence and a seeming regard for that better christianity which exalts the human soul and invests invests tins this life with w ith a joy w which hichi cannot bo derived from other sources and which is is endless cut Lut all tile thing things that 0 O were ft eaid said anc done don e were not m wise iso nor e even ven christian like ke adf a the following resolutions which were adopted show olred that an attendance upon tit the theat theater eror or circus oran professional or or amateur dramatic or impersonating in exhibition is is inconsistent with the ignation aion of a christian profession to renounce the world the tile ou and the tile devil that wo we appeal to he the laity of the church in in our conference to prove provo their loval loyalty to pure and spiritual religion by eye every ry wiy such dramatic draina tic ex exhibitions bi ions that we will mill discountenance and ili discourage diB t courage r a ge a resort to questionable i modes n 0 bous of of raising money for church purposes s by other means than an ap pea purr t to t the lie sense of religious iou oblations eions s that we regard card play aa ng throwing of diac dice attendance on oil ball 3 or ho horse racing as prohibited by the rules of our church and me will endeavor to root rout out such evils where they may oe be found with avith the exception of the third paragraph and the matter in in I 1 the lie fourth relating to cards and dice which are timely and proper there ia but little in in the above appealing strongly etro ugly to joany any impartial thoughtful truly christian individual such doctrine unchecked would lead mankind backward to the day when it was unlawful for a man to kiss ides his ilia wife on sunday and then un unrestricted restrict ed might go back of that and lecause w of some slight eccentricity of conduit on the p part 1 art of an art ad aged lady lad would mould cause her to lo be ix burned tit tat il the 0 as a witch there is 1 1 3 not nothing libeg inherently v w rong but exactly the reverse u in in corm correct cormet et dramatic dr depre As a means a of good in in the drama is is a power whose influence properly wielded bring sup our race above the groveling of the ignorant and the crimes mines of the aban abandoned there are more healthful pw powerful erful and benign sermons ja in works than can be found in in the man made text book of the Fec tarlan w rid and bince since good can and does come from reading the plays why is is not the moral tone thua thus inculcated made more im ressho and 1 lasting as ting by witnessing the tile action and the costumes of the characters as well as hearing I 1 their words because the stage like other means of good is is sometimes sometime s per perverted veried and ite its legitimate purpose prostituted prostitutes that is ie no reason w hy it should bo be thesus the BUD jentof act of anathemas from the clergy or ite its devotees regarded as dissidents from grace just the reverse the clergy should find the rule among themselves and in their own ow n practices they will I 1 hardly claim that there is not here and there a black cheep in the clerical told fold or that the dark cloud of heresy beresy does not at times reel rest upon a portion of the orthodox field it if they are not lot willing to cori concede cede thi thil s the secular world can establish it without euch such concession and in in the united states bach such instances in of off f falling ll 11 1 n 9 offin off in the requirements of gj good citizenship aro are numerous enough among the more straight laced of the clergy with lev and lir far between beaw een in in the ranks of the tile disciples of Th thessis espis perhaps those who rail eo and nd iso against the drama ax are e buffering by sympathy from the tile castigation asig ahon recently administer ed by the pec rles emma abbott to a divine indis pulpit one who went eo bo tar far out of hie his way as to adall as icil ohp moral character of actors and 1 in general there h a great deal of virtue and a wondrous rous amount of humane feeling among a the devotees of the drama andie the worthies would give them due credit lot for it and only rul rail against that part of them which is is posse mod to a greater or less extent by all mankind mankin id the pulpit would exalt itself and not injure other callings |