The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-20
SUNDAY ENTERTAINMENTS.


lifeless upon the ears Of those who were at
church and not at the park. After services
at one of the Methodist churches, whose
preacher had been terrifcally eloquent in his
denunciations of the play, one of the members
of the church suggested to the preacher that
it would be the right thing to say about the
same of the Acton camp-meeting There was
more point in the remark than some are will
ing to see. For twenty years OF more a hand
full of Christians have gone to the groves year
after year, at first ostensibly for worship, after
the manner of the fathers, but each successive
| year incorporating more and more facilities
for recreation and amusement, until it no
longer pretends to be "camp-meeting, 3"
but an ASSEMBLY" for scientific, literary,
and social purposes, with mere sprinkle Of
religious exercises As a matter Of fact, ex-
cept on Sunday, the crowd is small and select,
being confined almost wholly to the few fami
lies that have taken temporary abode on the
ground. As such, no one has any right to OBJ
jet, and none do object but when Sunday
comes there are the most ample arrangements
| for drawing crowds, not from indianapolis
alone, but from Cincinnati and Lafayette, and
all intermediate points, as well ats from points
within fifty to seventy miles on all the rail
roads centering at Indianapolis. AS an in
ducenent careful selections are made months
| IN aIx e.
draw, or, at least afford pretext for those
who would otherwise hesitate about violating
their consciences in going to place of amuse-
ment on Sunday. Then there are ample pro
visions for taking gate money or entrance fees,
so much per capita for man, so much per head
for cattle, besides liberal whack with the
railroads. At one time this was per capita,
but lately it is taken in round
sums, amounting to thousands of dollars.
The Journal institutes no comparison be-
tween the relative character of the exercises
at the two places, but there is no comparison
between the respective crowds The ''Assem-
bly," outnumbers the play more than ten to
one, and gathers it's patrons from an area
thousand times as great. There is another
feature of the entertainment: the base ball en-
tertainment drew but lightly upon the church
congregations of the city, and none at all
upon the congregations outside of the city,
while the Acton entertainment draws no less
upon the sporting class, but draws so largely
| II
city congregations are broken up entirely, and
all are decimated for many miles around.
Thus the matter of Sunday entertainments
stands to-day. A class OF professional ball
players have opened their grounds on Sunday
for the money there is in it; the Acton AS
sembly opens its grounds on Sunday for the
same end. The ball-players say that without
the proceeds of the gate on Sunday they can
not maintain their institution at Indi-
annapolis; the Acton Assembly says
the same of its gate receipts.
Among the most clamorous for official in
reference with the ball-players are some who
have for years partaken in all that belongs 10
the Acton enterprise; yet for their life they
cannot tell wherein is any essential difference
The Journal is no apologist for the ball-play-
indicted and the other not So far as has
come to our knowledge, the behavior of the
crowd in and about the park was equal to the
behavior in and about the camp grounds,
while the conduct of the "hoodlum' element
on the cars to and from the grounds was GER
tainly less reprehensible.
This, then, is the situation: for twenty
years OF more a handful of men have gathered
annually at Acton for their personal gratifca-
ton. The entertainments have been various,
preaching, lecturing singing, boating, swing
ing, walking, talking, laughing, while the
expenses of the whole have been met
by Sunday gate receipts and
profits of the Sunday railroad traffic, and
every Sunday has seen tens of thousands on
the grounds partaking for consideration, in
the entertainments Most Of the propretors
have been Methodists. but not all; vet the
whole has an official connection with the
church. notwithstanding the General Confer
eDce and the annual conferences have steadily
and earnestly protested And now come a
few ball-players and erect their pavilion and
give their entertainments, aud all at once
protest goes up from every church against
them.
To-day witnesses the annual gathering Of
the tent holders to make arrangements for tho
annual meeting They may see difference
between their entertainment aud that given
here last Sunday, but the common people see