The daily gazette., 1878-08-19
From the Dela,cdredn.
RehOboth Dancing and Card
Playing Question.

QuikS Vs. DrIRuJ eJ. u. 10 restrain
dancing and card-playing at the Bright
House, at Rehobotb, Del.
! The case Of Johu b. Quigg VS.. Will
liam Bright, owner and Walter Burton
and James 7. Thompson, lessees of the
Bright House, on the grounds OF the Re-
hoboth Beach Camp-meeting Association
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church,
was argued before Chancellor Salisbury.
at chambers here, on Tuesday last. a
number OF ministers, and others were
| present to here the argument. GLIB
Day, Esq, appear ed for The complainant,
aud Jacob Moore, Esq, for The respon-
dents. An unusual interest was mani
tested in the case.
T. The case, III many of its features, is
novel; and at the same time very inter
asting. The General Assembly of the
State Of Delaware, at its session In Jan
uary, 1873, passed an act of incorpora-
tiop, and, among other things, did set
forth the objects OF said corporation, after
naming the corporators, in words fellow
ing, to wit: "Be and they are hereby
create body, corporate and polite, un-
der the name of THE Rehoboth Beach
Comp-meeting Association of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. fjr the purpose
OF providing and maintaining a perma-
nent camp-meetng ground and Chris
1 tan seaside resort, where everything in
CONSTANT with Christian morality, as
taught by said chnrch, shall be excluded
and prohibited !" and did authorize said
corporation TO ordain and establish such
bylaws and regulations as were neces-
sary for the government of the corpora
tion; and also authorize the appoint
ment of "Committee on Order" to be
composed OF five persons, with certain
powers therein enumerated, one of which
Is the power TO appoint peace officers,
with equal powers with the county con-
stables within thu limits of the corpora
tion, and with powers to enforce the
rules and regulations of the corporation
within its limits.
The Board of Directors, by bylaws
duly ordained, did ordain bylaw, en-.
titled Article 10, as follows, viz: "The
Discipline of the NJ. Il. church shall be
the standard for the moral government
of the place, and any business, avocation
| or recreation inconsistent Herewith shall
be unlawful"
The corporation purchased about four
hundred acres of land, in Lewes and
Rehoboth hundred, Sussex county, lying
on and contiguous to the Atlantic
Ocean.
William Bright, President of the Cor
poration, built al large hotel, known as
the "Bright House, within the limits of
the corporation, and leased the same to
Walter Burton and Jas. T. Thompson.
The bill was filed to restrain William
Bright, as owner, and Burton & Thonp-
son, lessees, from permitting dancing and
'card-playing in SAID hotel, alleging that
such amusements were in violation of the
| charter and bylaws ordained in pur-
suance thereof, and the argument was
made on rule to show cause why an in
junction should not issue.
One of the points that ne cessarily arose
was, whether dancing and card playing
were inconsistant with morality, Las taught
| by the Methodist Episcopal church. Up-
| on this question the Chancellor deliver
ed quite an extended opinion, in which
he said that dancing, card-playing, &c,
were inconsistent with morality as taught
by the Methodist Episcopal church, and
| that the doing of which, within the
limits of the corporation was in violation
| of the charter and the bylaws, and that
any person, either in the public or private
houses within the limits of this CORPORA
| ton, doing or permitting to be done,
| either, dancing, card-piaying or other
amusements inconsistant with such stan
dard of morality, were guilty of violating
| trary to the prohibition of the charter
AS to the mode for enforcing the rules
and regulations under the charter, the
Chancellor said that he felt no hesitancy
in saying that under the powers given
by the chart TO the "Committee on
| Order" TO preserve order and enforce
| rules and regulations by the appointment
| the committee on order, with the peace
officers appointed by them whose duty it
was to preserve order and enforce the
rules and regulations, had the right to
enter the Bright House, or any other
house where dancing and card-playing
| were being INDUCED, ahd after request
ing those engaged in dancing to desist
therefrom, to gently lay their hands upon
| them, andto lead them from the room, if
necessary, to prevent continuance of
the dancing, and use force only as was
necessary to prevent continuance OF
| the violation of the rules, and remove
them from the grounds, il need, and if
proprietor of the hotel or house should
interfere, by violence, with such COM
mittee on order, or such peace-offic ficers,i i'm
thus performing their duty, he might he
removed from mis- own house land beyond
/ the limits of the corporation, and would
/ be guilty of an assault and battery, and
punishable as such and that If he was
sitting as judge in the Ceurtof General
| o6SSlOub OI lie ItdCot lWhoicb uOWofci
he could not sit) when such proprietor
was Indicted and tried he would so charge
the jury.
The chancellor said that Walter Bur-
ton and James t. Thompson had no
right to use the hotel property in any
way that was inconsistent with the char
ter and the terms contained in the deed
to Mr.. Bright; and that they were bound,
by the terms of the charter and the terms
of the deed, and were presumed to have
full notice, and that by permitting dane
ing and card d-playing in the Bright House,
they were guilty of violation of the
charter and the rules and regulations
made for the government of the corpora
ton.
The rule to show cause was continued
until the first "Wednesday in September,
at 10 o'clock, a. m, with leave to amend
the bill, so as fully to present all the
grounds for equitable interference, with
a request that counsel reargue the case
upon certain points mentioned by him.
We do not understand the Chancellor
to have decided that a stockholder may
not, under certain circumstances, and
upon proper avertments in the bill show
| 4 IA. -, xbt Of nrnnartu ynau ba do