The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-18
The Police Commissioners Order All Sun.
day Dramatic and operate Per-
fOrmances and All Public
Balls To Be Stopped.
EXCITEMENT AMONG TIE GERMANS.
Censors Appointed to Distinguish
Sacred from Pr0fane Music.
Work Of the Sabbath Committee To-
Day and This Evening.

that have q greater number OF citizens and cTt-
zens wives and children than the German colony
in New York. And It must be remembered that
the Teutonic peoples have always been fond OF
amusement, singing, dancing and drinking beer
since the days OF Tacitus And 1t is,
therefore, consequent upon all this that the
parts of the city inhabited and frequented
by the Germans, and more particularly west of the
Bowery, from Canal to Twenty-third street, should
be thickly studded with theatres for comedy,
tragedy, farce and operate as wen concert
music There are also many hundreds OF ball
rooms and places where dancing parties and asso-
cha lions, both benevolent and terpschOrean meet,
which are crowded nightly with amusement seek
ers-hard working men and women and der ks,,der
OF the DeuScher VOU. Everywhere the eye is greeted
with these signs. and the numbers Of Harmony,
Concordia Turntables and O0rtens that spectator
and pedestrian encounters on his travels are be-
You'd calculation.
ARBErT, FREIHEIT UND GEsANG.
Just at present. and more particularly since the
clubbing OF the workingmen in T0mpkins square,
the greatest excitement prevails among our Ger
man fellow citizens regarding the action taken
by the Police Commissioners and affecting the
pleasurable and other interests OF tins class
citizens During the last few days the propretors
or lessees OF the various German theatres concert
halls and ball rooms throughout the city have been
the Police superintendent Matsen, in regard to
an order issued by the Police Commissioners to
the effect that on and after Sunday, January Is
(to-day), no dramatic equestrian operate, aero
batic negro minstrel or dancing performance, or
any other dancing, would be allowed by
law to take place on Sunday or Sunday
evening, and that the prOprietors or essees OF
all such places would be arrested for mlsdemeanOr
and fined $500 EACH and to be locked up until the
fine is paid Nearly all the different German pro-
prletors Of these kindred places OF amusement
called at Police Headquarters and had the law
read to them by the superintendent, which forbds
any performance 10 take place on the Sabbath day
or evening.
TIE LAW AGAINST SUNDAY ADJUSTMENTS.
The law as read by superintendent Matscn to
these gentlemen was passed in of session of The
New York Legislature on AprIl II, 1860, and AL
tempts OF spasmodc nature have been made
during the past thirteen years TO enforce 1t, but
they have failed signaly. Owing 20 the fact also
that nearly 200. 600 German citizens volunteered
Tor the Union during the rebellion the law WAS,
in fact, permitted to remain in sleepy allegiance.
The first section OF the law reads as foiiows:--
1t shall not be lawful to exhibit the first day Of the
S Nor ohs, room
inerlude tragedy, opera play farce negro mlnsresy,
sage or any part or parts therein, any equestrian,
circus dramatic performance OF ussers acrobas or
This act was passed four days after the firing on
Sumter by the rebels and 1t was buried in the
thunderOus hurry burly and crash OF the war.
Mr.. Norman White, who Is a member OF the Sab
bath Committee, the headquarters OF which are at
Atterburv is Secretary, called on Friday at Police
Headquarters Ior the purpose of having the
today at the instance or rather on demand of the
sabbath Committee and of the Young MEMS Chris
IS
in the matter. Mr. White Is wealthy paper
dealer Of this city; residing IN West Thlrty;sixth
Christian Association Is Mr.. William f.. Dodge who
is well known all over the country as the head OF
the firm OF Phelps, Dodge Co., and Is also Presi-
dent Of the Chamber OF Commerce.
WHAT DOES THE ACT OF 1850 MEAN
At each and every large German concert hall,
theatre or other similar place OF amusement in
this city, this day and evening, an agent OF the
mysterious n sabbath committee WIN De present to
must not be in costume; no curtain must rise or
fail during the performance or before or after
1t, and 1t will be for these sellc0nstituted
agents to decide from their nigh musical intelli-
gence what is sacred and what is profane music.
with french. German and Italian secular and
sacred music, with operate music, OratoriO,
must have q clear knowledge Of classical
and chamber music, and II not their decks.
ions win be open to debate and question.
pie IN regard to this measure OF the Police Com
missioners, and the interference Of the sabbath
Committee is resented by them as OiiciOus, med
dlesome ana Impairment Many OF these theatres
have performances or speeches and short acts dur
ing Sunday eve nings, and sometimes a curtain is
used and at other times 1t Is not used at
ALL The proprietors OF the Germania Theatre in
are it seems also the iessees Of Terrace Garden
Theatre, at Fifty-ninth street and Third avenue,
have been notified by the police about their sun.
day evening performances, which purely
dramatic and operate, and have determined to
compy with the demands Of the Commissioners
They have posted the following notice, in German.
at their theatres, which will explain itselr:--
NOTICE.
The honored public Is hereby informed that in accord
ane e wn hH
10 take Pe
Longer The purchasers tickets for the pcriormancss
to them at the fs ne Ger
TALK WITH MATsELL.
reporter OF the HERALD called yesterday at
Police Headquarters to see superintendent Matsen
on the performances. The veteran superintendent
sat behind his big desk with his glasses on and
was 1ns'y engaged Id pfolound and inscrutabie
burglars pcklocks rms kind Of thing affords the
veteran superintendent the most pleasurable ex-
element. Mr.. MatSef allowed the reporter to
peruse his copy OF the Law OF 1860, out would not
permit MIN to carry IT away, as he said that
fine Of $500 is to go to the treasury of the Society
for the Reform Of Juvenile Delinquents Mr..
Matsell was asked what constituted an illegal per-
Torrance, and his answer was that any dramatic
or operate performance was Illegal on Sunday
not Illegal. And he added that it was a matter Of
extreme difficulty TO decide what was sacred and
what was not sacred in performance purely musi.
CAL or any concert But no stage performance would
be allowed and he said that there would be plenty
OF police in attendance at the different German re-
performance to be given at the Stadt Theatre in
the Bowery tonight was illegal. He answered
Illegal on Sunday night but that q concert in
theatre was not illegal. He was again asked II
the orchestra OF the stadt Theatre was placed on
the stage anu there gave q concert would it be
illegal, and ne declared positively that 1t would