The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-31
No More Sunday Evening
Concerts.
Chief of Police Baker Will Not
Them.
Result of Councilman Waterman'S
Visit to an Entertainment.

There will be no more Sunday concerts
In this town Inle's they are TO be
strictly religious, says the chief Of police.
The promoters of Sunday night concerts
IRE corresrondingly indignant. so are q
large number OF the populace who found
rest, relief and advertisement In the sun
day night concerts, for now they Will
have no where TO go, except to church or
bed. Councilman Waterman is not in
dignant. however, for il Is said he had
no small influence In having the fiat prom
ulgatsd. 1wo or three ministers are
wiIhshim. Ii happened that last Sunday
evening a concert was given in the West
minister Theater and tbither went Council.
man Waterman, who Is superintendent
OF a Baptist Sunday school, to see IL 1t
was fit. The next day, it IS said, the Coun-
Gilman complaiaed TO Chief of Police
Baker, and he was sustained by some
clergymen, who, IL is understood, did not
AXE i'm the %''show," but objected on
principle. At any rate, the chief conclud-
ed to enforce the statute law which pro-
hibits exhibitions and performances on
the first day OF the week, ana as the line
could not be drawn AT the expense Of one
pace of I'm usement II was made to rope
in all
Manager Batcheller Of the Westminster
says: 81 have never given a Sunday
concert during the eight or nine years. i
idNo btth htt1, "a A AaNO
leased the theater for that purpose. Last
Sunday there was a genteei concert
there, but there was no dancing, no scene
shifting or anything out of the way. To
be sure, some of the songs sung during
the week were heard, but the sin gers were
i'm citizens dress and modestly behaved.
1 vent to see the chief. lie said there had
been complaints and he had decided to
put a stop TO my concerts. / tried to con-
vince him that there was some mistake,
but he wouldn't have 1t, so / told him II
was only right 10 prohibit Others.
81 didn't think 1t right to permit
strangers to come In here and give con-
certs, when i am q taxpayer and a citizen
and was horn here"
Mr.. Batoheller seemed to doubt the
chiefs authority to act so peremptorily,
bot, aside from the statute prohibiting
Sunday entertainments, the city ordi-
nances provide that ne shall recommend
to the Beard of Aldermen who shall or
shall not hold entertainments, SO the
matter lies wholly In his discretion. The
chief taid he had had several complaints,
but about others. lie felt obliged to
keen the theaters closed Sundays, except
for specifically tacred purposes.
Manager Morrow of the Providence
Orera House laid he understood that the
privilege to give Sunday concerts was a
natter OF sufferaDce only, but 1t didn't
concern him one way or the other.
Manager Moore of Lothrop's Opera
House said be saw nothing out OF the
way In the Sunday concerts, although his
theater never had them, out Of courtesy to
Grace Church. There was a concert some
weeks ago, in which only brief selection
appeared, which was not quite as moral as
IT might have been, be said, but nothing
of the sort has happened since to his
knowledge
he Wandering Bards were going to
give a concert next Sunday night, but 1t
has been indefinitely postponed because
the police are not sure that it would have
been religious. The money is to be paid
back.
n Boston, 1t seems, has ust-undergone a
similar paroxysn OF reform, SO Provi-
dence is not lone.