The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-10
Consy Island and the Sunday Ques-
ton.


Yesterday appears to haSo been a COM
paratively open day at coney isianu'
differing in this respect from the TWO pre-
ceding Sundays. The fact itself IS Worthy
Of approval, but It seems 10 e1'pnas'Ne
the injustice and outrage OF tne prefious
course of the police The attempt TO ei-
force a medieval puritanism IN the pay
ground of the two hundred Thousand peo-
pie Is bad enough IN ltseii' Dul lhas sAe'
enforcement should be a matter OF caprNe
IS simply intolerable-
Az New York IS governed eooas ms
the shadow OF MOSS Mazet ana 'he
OF the late P~arknurst, no cilizen' "Ae
he starts for Coney Island with ms family
on q torrid Sunday morning can ieei :
assurance as to whether ne VIII ne aofe
70 refresh himself IN the course u =
DAY with 2 glass Oh "noiesoine osa
whether he VIII oe onilgeo 70 Ian DaeA
on soda waters sarsapariha anu osi
sickening ana noxious nuios-
Similarly the caterer opens ~
on Sunday morning tor the tnousa''s :
VISITORS VINO neeo ms
out the slightest certainty as 70 ~na
may pc ailowed % az may
sunered 70 sen liquor ireeiy' IA
with the dictates OF common SENSE ~
may be compehed 10 associa'e VIZ"
fne Fnarisaac ana lneiuaeooS
ne may De allowed no so's
he may De naieo on 70 q
burglar or a pickpocket, sup3ec'eu
sorts OF persecution anu even
with the loss OF ms ilcense' winch
his hving- ihat inns uhcef
rageous 1t is absurdly trlre 70 say
Whether the victim OF II IS the propiie'o'
Of the Manhattan Beaen Hotei OF me
smallest place OF entertainment a. ;"
West End, It Is equally a disgrace 10 Inc
police and civilization OF A1FnericaSs great
est city. OF course the crueiiy soou ere
zzent will reply that the way 10 security
IS an exact compliance with the Terms
OF the law. But this is no answer, "heH
these terms are hostile to the immediate
desires and needs of a quarter OF a mil
HON Of people. there IN the mar
row compass of a square mile or 50, vocif-
Xbously insisting that the law be broken
fHon the spot. Nc party dare enforce the
Nv literally. no administration could
dream Of consistently and persistentiy
carrying out its exactions- The only Dues
tion, from Sunday to Sunday. is how far
The amusement purveyors at Coney
island and the public have an equally
sound cause Of complaint on account of
the nuctuation from week to week as TO
what they may be allowed to do. In
dealing with the problem of their case, it
ought to be easy to find a middle course
which would be neither oppressive nor in
decent. and which could be consistently
observed both by the showmen and the
police. In the first place, it might be
granted that all music was allowable;
even the popular song Of the day is better
than no music, and it is at least morally
harmless. Equally, it may be allowed
that feats of strength and skill are unob-
sectionable, and should be allowed with
out cavil. on the other hand, plays or
ssketches' in costume n stage dancing
are 50 Objectionable to many persons, that
they might be placed on the prohibited
iist without any undue tyranny.
The dificu1t problem is that of the
dancing platform, upon which the youth
ful portion of the public disports itself.
cso doubt there are people who would sup
press this on weekdays as well as Sum
day: hut we have no sympathy with
them whatever. On the whole, we believe
tile. dancing which goes on at picnics and
public resorts is innocent, exhilarating
and gaeaithfu1. II Is certainly the supreme
enjoyment OF tens of thousands who par
s1cipate in It, and we can only regard as
. nala y rtaa cr,,antxy anx, nronostt;on ~