St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-11

place, shall lease or let the same, or per-
nit the same to be used for any of the
purposes previously enumerated.
Section forbds that any person shall
take part in any way in any perform
ance enumerated above, or to be en-
ployed in any way about theater or
place where such performance shall be
produced.
Section provides penalty of not
less than $50 or more than $500, or i'm
prlSonment not less than thirty or more
than ninety days.
Section provides that the fact being
shown that the doors or gates of place
OF amusement are open Sunday, and
that tickets are being sold and per-
1ormance IN progress, shall be prlma
facie evidence of violation of this or
dinance.
As soon as the meeting had been
called to order Rev. ID. Z. Wells arose
and read from a manuscript setting
forth at great length the evils OF the
Sunday theater.
DIR. Wells dwelt with great earnest
ness upon the Importance and necessity
of one day of rest during the week for
those engaged in theatrical preSenta-
tons and those employed about thea
tiers, and set forth that experience and
science had shown that even those ami
mails OF which hard labor is required
must have one day of rest out of seven
In order to perform good work. He at
tackled the argument that the Sunday
theater is instructive and improves the
mind. stating as far as he could judge
from the bill posters and the ad-
vance notices and criticisms in
the daily newspapers the character
OF performance presented Sunday were
nf O Ind aI,or
acter. In this connection he declared
that the newspapers and bill boards eX-
ercised a very evil influence by their
representation OF Sunday shows. In
support of this statement ne submitted
a handful of clippings from the daily
papers, among which were several ad-
vance notices of Sunday performances,
and criticisms of the same, which. he
argued. tended not only to show that the
Sunday theatrical performance was i'm
pure and immoral, but in themselves to
exert an evil influence. The bill boards
in all a is of the city, he said, pre-
scented women in tights and others in
short skirts, and these pictures in them
selves were detrimental to good morals.
Rev. Wayland Hoyt was then called
upon, and in clear, ringing tones which
penetrated every corner of the council
chamber, and even the hall beyond, ad-
dressed the committee. He also touched
with great force upon the evil effects of
the bill boards, calling attention to
poster which recently appeared, and in
which women were shown in tights sit
ting about tables drink and gambling.
He spoke of the expense to the young
men Of the city who did not 20 to the
theaters alone, and to whom the price
of the tickets was the smallest portion
of the expense.
Rev. Louis B. Speare, by way of in
PRODUCTION TO his remarks. stated to the
committee that he had for a number of
years been president of Young Mems
Christian association, and had also Off
clated for years as chaplain of peni
Tertiary. He said he had had wide eX-
perlence with young men, and was well
acquainted with the MANY temptations
thrown in their way.
1t was unfair, he said, to allow the
young men of the city to be subjected
OH their day of rest to the temptations
afforded by the Sunday theater. Most
OF them were in very modest circum-
stances and really needed the money
which they would squander in harmful
pursuit II given the opportunity to do
SO. This tendency toward the CONT
mental Sunday he termed blot upon
the fair moral name of Minneapolis, and
read an article from the Review of Re-
views to show that even in Europe, in
France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy
there is rapidly growing movement
toward a more strict observance Of the
Sabbath day.
On motion of Aid. Bradish the Ordi-
nance was referred to the city attorney
for an opinion as to its legality before
further action by the committee.