The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-22
GET AFTER JOINTS FIRST.
Sunday Night Performances Not Do
ing Near as Much Damage
as Joints.

Another attempt was made last night
to stop Sunday entertainments of any
kind in the theaters-
Members of the First Congrega tional
church appointed a committee with A.
B. Whiting as chairman to prevent if
possible the hypnotic performance of
the Flints last evening at Crawford's
Opera house
The committee called upon the police
commissioners and Chief of Police
Steele yesterday and asked that Prof.
Flint be arrested if he continue his per-
Torrance. City Attorney Bird was cal
led in consultation and he gave as his
official opinion that the city ordinance
known as the Sunday ordinace' COW
cred the case and that Prof. Flint could
be arrested if he gave hypnotic tests
here last night. The commissioners and
chief thought differently. They finally
decided that the arrest could only be
made on a warrant, and they so nOti-
fed the committee of churchmen.
The performance was given by the
Flints to an audience which comfor-
tably filed the Crawford Opera house
No action was taken by the police to
stop the performance. Sergeant Owen,
occupied seats in the parquette.
City Attorney Bird in speaking of the
case said: Il think that the ordinance
covers the giving of public entertain
ments ON Sunday. Any of these stores
which keep open on Sunday could be
pulled if anyone would file a complaint
Yesterday a committee of gentlemen
called on me to ask my opoinion. With
them I went to Chief Steele and we
looked up the ordinance. I gave it as
my opinion as city attorney that ii was
a violation of the Sunday ordinance. I
got word from Commissioner Hender-
son, saying that I should hold myself in
readiness to fill out a complaint against
the players. 1 filed out a complaint
and left ii at the police station. I
haven't heard anything since"
AtPhiSOn foi
down at police headquarters until nine
o'clock last night waiting for some one
to come and fill out the complaint. 1t
is my opinion that the performance was
a violation of the Sunday ordinance"
Mr.. a. B. Whiting, chairman of the
church committee said: We decided
to investigate a little farther and be
sure of our ground They told us that
the ordinance was not direct enough
and so we didn't file any complaint last
night. We shall make our report to the
church next Sunday morning after a
thorough investigation and then we will
try to have it submitted to the Minister
ial union on Monday after that. AS
understand it the statute is not definite
on this point and of course the ordi-
nance could not be. I do not think we
should have Sunday theaters here. It
is wrong. Mr.. Thomas Balm told US that
he would do all he could in seeing that
cases of this kind were pushed
There are on the other hand, great
many people who are in favor of anus
ing themselves on sunday in the same
manner they do on other days if it is
not wrong in itself. There is nothing in
the state or national constitutions which
says that persons who do not want to
go to church Sunday nights shall neces-
sarily be deprived of any form of enter
tainment which is wicked only on Sun
day nights and perfectly proper six 9th
er nights in the week If certain thea
tiers are bad they are bad every night in
the year and ought to be closed up all
the time. All laws and ordinances
should be enforced but one can well
question the justice or constitutionality
of some of them.