The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-11-28
SUNDAY AMUSEMENT WAR.

the Police Board, to prevent them from
interfering with his operate entertain
ment Sunday evenings, The church and
stage arc arrayed against each other, and
there is sharp firing all along the line.
The spirit Of the warfare on either side
may be judged, by the extracts we repro.
duce below from the recent utterances Of
parsons and play actors. Upon the side
of the church, the Rev. Geo. Il. Hepworth
says:
Do ! want q theatre 10 set up In opposI.
ton 10 me? Will these young people get
as much benefit from AIS Grsnde Ouch
csc" as they will from the preaching oil
any true minister? Will dramatic per-
formance make them temperate, or repen.
tant, or determined How can encQur.
age any movement which will take these
young folks from my influence, and sub
ject them to the at least doubtful influence
ofa comedy on Sunday EVENING"
The Rev. ]. Hyatt Smith says:
a Sabbath concert oil unexceptional
character will be sure 10 open the door to
performances which will destroy every
holy tendency OF the Lords Day, and ul
timAtely debase the hallowed hours to the
miserable level Of Partisan holiday.
The Rev. Archbishop McCloskey says:
do not object to entertainments which
combine within them music Of q solemn
and sacred nature, but l do obj TO pro-
miscuous amusements oil any kind that
tend 10 draw people from the church and
that have the influence Of rendering our
Sabbath Partisan and European. tcau-
not indone our Sunday concerts as they
are now carried on.
Dr.. ]. H. RylAnce takes medium
ground. He recognizes the observance
Of Sundsy simply as a matter Of custom
and not obligatory. lie says:
There is no distinct command about II,
nor any distinct law, and my objections
10 this innovation are mainly that the
morals Of the people will be Injured, and
that in the constantly growing liberalism
OF the age the Church is losing ground.
do not argue for the strict observance
OF the one day in seven common 10 the
Middle Ages, and which the historical re-.
search oil the present age has proved to
be wrong. do not even deprecste limo.
cent amusement and instruction on that
day, but it is hard 10 see where It will
all end OF the rate we are going. Such
step as the one we speak Of will have on
enormous influence in alternating masses
from the practice Of Christianity incul-
Gated by the respect for the Lords Day.
Dr.. John Hall, the eminent Presbyte.
risu divine, says:
am certainly not in favor of it, and l
don't think that any minister Of the Cos.
pei can be. In any way you put 1t, no
benedt can be done by the opening OF the
theatres, and inasmuch as II tends TO
weaken the influence Of the Sabbath day
upon the people, so much / am opposed
TO it. l am excessively sorry 10 hear
that any.such movement Is in contempla.
ton.
Df Talmagc, the sensational Taberna.
Gle preacher of Brooklyn, makes savage
onslaught upon the stage and every one
connected with it, SO virulent, in fact,
that he Is many times guilty d mtsstate-
ment, and his arguments lose all their
force
The Church is not allowed 10 have it
all ils own way. The Stage fires back
with lis heaviest columbiads, and has two
important clerical allies in the Rev. Dr..
rockingham and DR.. Porteous. The
latter says:
declare myself in favor Of operatic
and theatrical performances on Sunday
evening Tor the masses. The enormous
numbers OF people who do not, can not
aud will not attend church, demand recre
alton, amusement, and excitement-ele.
ments 10 them Of holiday and happiness.
Dr.. rockingham expresses himself no
less iorcibly:
am decidedly in favor Of Sunday con.
ceru, and have advocated their inaugu-
ration all my life. am in favor of open
libraries, OF public lectures, Of any inno-
cent and harmless recreation on the Sab.
bsth that will amuse the popular mind,
elevate the masses OF society, and dispel
anxiety and care. Our present use Of Sun
day believe to be altogether wrong.
Our churches are too few in number, and
our poor people can no more afford 10
attend them on Sunday than they can
afford to attend the high-priced opera
during the week. Besides this, the preach.
ing In our churches is not good-not Of
the nature calculated 10 interest or in
struct our masses.
The actors themselves load up their
heaviest guns. Lolita takes up the Rev.
TAlmage,.and the.sprightly little woman
handles him in this wise:
Iadmit there have been immoral peo-
pie In our profession, Just as there are
black sheep In every flock, but don't
see that that gives Mr.. TalmSge right
10 denounce US all any more than it does
the actors TO denounce Mr.. Talmage as
an immoral man because there are minis
tiers like Glendenning. The great major.
ity OF actors are poor, and 1t Ia struggle
with them through liio 10 get bread Tor
themselves and little ones. Yet they re-
main pure and virtuous, Notwithstanding
oil they have had 10 contend against. |
This, however does not prevent Mr.. Tai |
mage, sleek and well fed, who has never
known the day when want pressed him
sharp, rom rising on pulpit over which
hangs his $1,000 or $1,000 salary, and in
the most unjust, outrageous, and false way
denouncing people Of whom, in every vi.
tersnce, he shows he knows nothing.
Mr. E. Davenport, the tragedian (who
was recently here in Wheeling), at the
close OF his engagement in Brooklyn,
made a speech from the stage, in which
he Alludedl to the Reverend Talmage's
sermon, declaring that, in view of recent
events, the comparison between the actors
aud ministers Is in favor of the former