New-York tribune., 1906-12-17
SUNDAY AND THEATRES
hec. DR.. Grant Says Play Might
Be Made Moral Force

enouio Theaeres Be Opened on Sundayq' was
.ne theme Of thu sermon BY the Rev Or. Percy
.uohhey Grant at the Episcopal Church Of the
ascension last night He said if the theatre war.
4i AZ might De and should be Il would be- IN Il.
way as helpful institution as the church ttssIf
pul unoef present conditions he thought the idea
Q. sunday would be better preserved and the peo-
PFC ~ooio be better served by having the theatres
,h.. ae &c ne could see a time when the play,
'na& iaiett OPEN up life and develop character In a
way tnat symhohcal worship could not DO might
wen De given 90 Sunday. He also saw a time when
religion. instead Of being a tidal wave on Sunday
would be q high tide OF rerreshment on every day
OF the week
When that day comes" he said .qt win be time
70 open the theatres on Sunday. for then WIN
Demand only high class ana elsvatine plays
AT nfet Sunday was for physical recuperation g.
Gay ior eirec humanity. BY and by II got to be q
cay 70 Dc used for showing through religious prao-
tices special respect for God We have inherited
these ideas OF Sunday Those seem 70 be the rss
sons we observe Sunday as we DO because of its
origin as day OF rest and its extension as a DAY
on worship and the discovery that a day SO spent
sent men back TO their worl, better and better
wealth-producing factors
What tho uses OF arrrusepen enta- said r,r
Grant. coming down TO the theme. '"rbey are to
give rest and refreshent At present that partic,-
lar form OF amusement known as the theatre has
peen divorced from the idea Of religion although IL
originated In religious uses. To-day whatever
theatre. there Is actual sense OF doing snv.b,np
that Is pleasing to God
What ere the reasons should close the thea
tire on Sunday First IL may be argued that 1t in
terferes with rest; and second may be held that
II is not an uplift TO the community and we shouId
restrict its Use. DO that OF saloons 10 not
mink We can argue frun the latter premise But
we can make a strong point OF the ground that It
interferes with rest
we have heard a great deal about the Cont,
mental R1t
strong Temperance wave is sweeping over Germany
on the part OF scholarly men, and there ts possi-
bility that the Continental Sunday as represented
by the German beer garden. may decline II is
interesting to note that France is passing more
stringent laws 10 the observance of Sunday
who wants the theatre open on SUNDAY bereq
The actors do not for they want their day of rest
Ine people who want Sunday for theatrical ex-
are OF who have no use for our sundas., and
cannot something WScR looks dPr tRe 81 afgs 9wF
mercantile should be imposed a community If il
shers and the Mechanics M Wst say thft sn the
pose II is because they are paid by the day and
days work week became the general thing no
man would get more money for the extra work
Tor a working man would deoreass rather than IN
There are serious limitations in our American
use OF SUNDAY. But II seems 70 me that Sunday Is
ton having the inwardness Of religious devotion
We nave the inWardness OF affection for rela-
While the American Sunday is not IN its present
use, an iaeal cay should be sorry 20 see Il de-
class of vaudeville and other shows 1t would not
only degrade our religious nature, but minds.
and moral impulse, but we Know that the ifHss t6e
atre is not all that IL should be BY making our
may raise the stage 10 all the effectiveness OF its
wonderful force. It would be one OF the most pow;
truths