The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-06-29
Religious Billiards.

From the Chicago Inter- Ocean.
A billiad hall that WI be opened each
morning with prayer aid religious cere-
monies, and in which bibles and theolog-
ical tracts will be substituted for the u.s.
ual sensational pictorial papers and rae
ms cards. is the unique innovation pro-
jected by Evanston church members. A
license for the project will be sought
from the Evanston City Council at lis
meeting tomorrow night
The moral billiard hall has the back
ing of the pastors of two of Evanston's
most prominent churches, and their con-
gregations and the suburb in which pool
and billiard rooms have been tabooed.
since the memory of the oldest resident,
has taken so kindly to the novel feature
proposed in the scheme that the Council
is expected to give its unanimous approx
al to the scheme.
The idea of a resort of the kind, where
the morals of the Evanston youth would
not be endangered, originated with VIII
lam hudson Harper, a member of the
First Congregational Church OF Evanston
and a prominent lawyer. Evanston has
poolrooms or ten years. Petitions I'M
numbered have been presented to the City
Council in the past but because of the
strong sentiment against such places in
the university town, all of them have
been refused.
Two weeks ago Wheeler c. Bartram,
former Chief of Police of Evanston, and
e. s. Garnhardt. who runs a pool and
billiard establishment in Rogers Park.
~. fpp
The petition was referred to the Police
Committee. but a large portion of the
community which uoes not Oelong to the
Evanston Club or the Boat Club rallied
to the support of the petitioners and as
serted their privilege to be allowed to
play pool or billiards in a public hall.
since the aristocI attic element took adj
vantage of the billiard rooms In the club
houses.
The cot was forced to consider the
poolroom PETITION and haj come to
look favoraDly upon the Idea when Mr.
Harper, enlistng the sympathies of the
Rev, John II. Boyd of the First Presby
terrain Church, ana the Rev. ]. F. Loba,
of the First Congregational Church, con-
ceived a solution for the danger threat
ening Evanston morals. Several meetings
were held at which a number of church
members and foremost citizens were in
attendance. and the outcome was the en-
dorsement of Mr.. Harper's plan for a
poolroom conducted on strictly Young
Mems Christian Association principles.
The church members offer a special in
ducement to the public with the proposal
to reduce the price of billiards to ten
cents an hour and of pool to three cents
a cue. The men who are in the billiard
business for the money protest that the
churches are using trust tactics to force
them out of business, and mat If a public
poolroom is to be established in Evanston
a license should be given to those persons
who are dependent upon the profits for a
living.
The moral" billiard hall undoubtedly
ranks higher in public favor and is
thought to have the better chance in the
council. The church members are so con-
fident of triumph with their Young Mems
Christian Association features that they
have appointed a committee to investi-
gate the prices of billiard and pool tables
and the equipment necessary for an up
to-date hall.