St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-28
The SUNDAY SHOWS
Theatrical Managers Divided
Upon the All-Absorbing
Sunday Question.
Frank Bixby, Of the Grand,
estates the Issue in Plain,
Outspoken Terms.
Sunday Theater a Reality Be-
cause the Mass Of the Peo-
pie Want It.
Aid. Conley, However, Urges
That Theaters Be Closed
on the Sabbath.

lot? Such is the question which sec
tion of citizens of st. Paul are about to
place before the theater managers.
The inwardness of this movement
against the Sunday theater is interest
ing. A few weeks ago Rev. Samuel G.
Smith, of the Peoples church, wrote
the ministers of Minneapolis, who were
agitating the Sunday question in that
city, that the matter was shortly to be
brought forward in st. Paul. Mr.. Smith
failed in getting bill put through
the legislature prohibiting the
opening of theaters Sunday,
the bill being introduced by
Senator McHale. of anti-tights bill
fame, and. singularly enough, defeated
by him also. Senator McHale's eXplana-
ton of his peculiar action was that the
ministers turned their backs upon him
i'll his fight for public decency and
morality" SO he was not going to resist
them i'll their pet measure. Failing IN
securing the passage of the bill to pro-
hiDit the opening of theaterS Sunday,
the attempt is now made to force the
hands of the theater managers.
From interviews with the managers
yesterday tits exceedingly questionable
whether the crusade against the Sunday
theater will be successful, and for two
reason:
First. 1t pays to keep the theater
opened Sunday.
Second. The people want the the
aters opened Sunday.
There were three theaters running
last Sunday evening-the Metropolitan,
the Grand and the Park-and every one
was packed to the door, at the Metro
politan and the Grand people having to
be turned away. This, no doubt, may
be very calling to the preacher-no
man likes to sermonize to empty
bencheS-but the fact ought to be
fairly faced that large portion Of the
community prefer the theater to the
church. Any attempt to rob the people
OF the Sunday performance is certain
to be resented. The people who fire.
quent the theater Sunday are largely
working people. 1t is the opportunity
they have of enjoying a visit to the the
ater. Their case is very well put by
Manager f. l.. BiXby, Of Lifts Grand
opera house.
There is great deal of sentimentalism
about the opening of theaters Sundays" p" re-
from two standpoints-a business standpoint
and moral standpoint. Financially, let me
tell you, Sunday is away ahead of any other
night of the week. There have only been
three Sunday nights since the Grand opened
that we have not turned people away. On
every other Sunday it was standing room
only. Now let me touch the moral stand
point. l am of the opinion-I may be
wrong, but it's my opinion-that there is
nothing demoralizing i'll people attending a
theatrical performance on Sunday. The
most Tabid religionist, Sabbatarian, or what
you will, can visit the Grand any Sunday
I
thing having in the slightest degree tenden-
cy to lower the morals of the people. On
the contrary,it is my belief that the influence
of the stage IS 10 elevate, TO educate the
morals OF the people.
"A word about the people who attend the
Grand on Sunday evening. All classes are
repreSented-the professional man, the bus-
ness man and the working man-all of them,
in many cases accompanied by their wives
and families. The working class may be
said to largely preponderate. You do not
hear any complaint from these against the
Sunday theater; the protest is from a section
of the COMMUNICATE least, l am in
formed so-who never come to theater
Oh Sunday. Some of them do not come on
any other day of the week | think it is only
fair in discussing this question, that the
working people should be allowed say. The
working classes are not possessed of elegant
mansions, surrounded by all the intellectual
retinements money can purchase, or able to
provide themselves with gaily equipped
equipapes. The only day of recreation for
them is Sunday. They toll hard and long
on other days. Are they 10 be deprived of
their one pleasure of the week-the sunday
theater-because in the opinion of q section
of the community it is wrong for them TO do
so? This is serious question. 1t is not TO
passed upon lightly.
1.-The question is one that the tteater man
ager cannot decide. The theater manager is
the servant of the public; theaters exist sim
ply upon the patronage of the public. If the
people decide they want the theater opened
Sunday the manager must oblige. II the
people do not want the theaters opened Sun
day, they have only got TO stop away and the
places will quickly be closed. There is no
compulsion about this. The Sunday theater
Is reality because the people demand it. 1t
will continue SO long as that demand exists.
The management of the Metropolitan
opera house is taking somewhat con-
servatiVe stand. 1t will he remembered
that it is only within the past two
months that this theater opened it's
doors on Sunday. Why? Simply be-
cause the public demanded it. The
theater was closed Sunday and so the
people went elsewhere. The extra
revenue for the week did not make up
what was lost by the non-Sunday per-
formance. Since the theater was opened
on Sunday it has been crowded. The
management is not likely to be in
clined to return to the old system.
When seen, however, Manager l.. n.
Scott was non-committal.
Il have talked the matter over with the
directors, . he said. ''and for the present do
not care to say anything. We prefer to wait
and see the petition which is being prepared
When presented it will receive our respect
full attention and we will be prepared to give
our decision"
While Mr.. Scott was thus non-com-
initial, Aid. p. COnley, the proprietor
and owner of the Olympic theater, was
very outspoken.
81 say, close the theaters.' he remarked
with some emphasis proceeding: IF every
other theater proprietor viii agree, l will
close my theater right away. / am op-
posed TO the opening of the theater on Sum
day, and never would have opened mine had
! not been compelled to by the opposition of
other theaters. Six nights and two matinees
is quite enough work Tor the actors and
actresses for one week, and you can get
all the people i'll the theater on
week days as you would if Sunday was in
Guided. Ii the entertainment provided is a
good one, depend upon it the people will be
there. l look at this question from a tinan-
ciai point of view well as every other
point and l repeat Close the theaters on
sunday 1t is unfair to expect people in
the theatrical business, or any other busi-
agitation to shut off Sunday performances
will be successful"
E. w. Trask, of the Park theater, is
ready to close Sunday if only the other
theaters are closed. He is lmbued with
the idea that church is the place for
people to go to on Sunday, and would
never have opened the Park on that day
but for the fact that the competition
of other theaters. compelled him.
At the same time, Mr.. Trask
parenthetically remarked that the Sun
=, q
some times prInted-indeed. in many
instances, great deal Of good was
done. However, to clinch the matter,
he would say: Ii the people wanted
no theaters opened Sunday, and the
theatrical managers followed into line,
!. he would place no obstacles in the way.
The GLOBE yesterday received sew
eral hundred letters from citizens pro-
testing against the closing of theaters
Sunday. Ali tho letters were anony-
| nous. "Vox Populi." ''Theater-goer,"
K