Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-02
CALFEE SUPPORTS WOMEN
Seconds Their Demand for Closing Of th,
Sunday Night Theatsr.
TAKES RADICAL STAND ON QUESTION
Incidentally Scores the Men and Inti-
ate Change of Garments I'm
Families Might Prove
Beneficial.

THE Closing OF the Thester on Sunday
Night" was the subject of Rev. w. J.. CAL
fees pulpit opinion. delivered at the
Broadway Methodis. curch last evening In
place Of the regular sermon.
In opening Rev. Calfee stated that his
pulpit opinions we're not given as the opin-
Ions Of the members of Broadway church
and congregation. but were decidedly the
opinion Of the one uttering them. and re-
Ierred to the fact that the attempt of a few
good wives and mothers to close the pub
lie playhouse on Sunday night had invited
considerable discussion and even criticism.
In brief Rev. Calfee's opinion on the mat
ter was gwen briefly as follows:
THE searchlight from the top Of the
playhouse turned on our homes, our
churches and our streets on Sunday nights
Beems so popular that we propose to trans
Ter It to the church steeple tonight and
turn IL on the Sunday night theater. My
calm, deliberate judgment is that the Sun
day night theater ought to be closed. and
this in the face Of all arguments used so
far to the contrary"
Then, after calling attention to the fact
that the crusade for the closing of the
Sunday night thoater had been begun by
women. he said: Now, my opinion is thai
some men who ought to be enforcing law
in this city and those who are not should
get W some morning and dress themselves
IN the garments on the other chair and
leave their chair and its contents for the
wife. Women may not be as astute poll
ticians or as long-headed in business mat
ters as men, but they do know right from
wrong. 1 have never been much OF a wo-
mans rights man, but l declare to you I
would like to see some Of our sissy men
Dficials in skirts and some Of our broad
minded, home-loving, God-fearing, patri-
otic women in control Of public affairs.
When the best wives and mothers Of a
community say a thing is wrong and ought
TO be stopped, let all the men say Amen
Not for WOrkingmen.
"It is urged that the Sunday night play
house ought to be allowed to run for the
sake Of the working people. 1 confess this
argument makes me mad. / resent such
an imputation against the very best class
Of citizens in our city. The working peu-
pie go to church as a class in greater num-
bers than any others. This argument is
also a libel on the men of our community
who employ labor, as II they were grinding
the life out OF the men and women they
employ. This argument is as false as sin.
for neither class is guilty OF the charges
preferred against them"
Taking UP the argument that the theater
would have to close permanently unless
the Sunday night performances were al
lowed, Rev. Calfee said that DUNG his two
years residence in Council Bluffs there
had not been, in his opinion. q single first
class show presented either on Sunday or
any other night. This statement, he said,
did not apply to the plays given by home
talent. 'In my opinion all the shows given
here have not added one iota to the COM
mercial we'll being Of the city or TO the
physical. intellectual. moral or spiritual
we'll being of a single individual"
AS to the argument that II the theater
was closed here people would go to the
theaters IN Omaha Sunday nights, Rev.
Calfee said: Perhaps it is for the best
they should go. for Sunday night In omaha
may satisfy them so they will not be
tempted to go over week days with full
purses and empty arms and return with
empty purses and full arms. / suppose we
ought to have a modest little hell In Coun-
ell Bluffs as long as they have such a big.
prosperous hell in Omaha. At least all our
city %oficials seem to second that motion .
In closing the speaker assured the mem
bers Of the Woman's Christian Temperance
union OF his support in their effort te close
the theater Sunday nights.