The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-11-27
LID Is CLAMPFD
ON SUNDAY SHOWS
TWO THEATERs REMAIN OPEN IN
SPITE OF ORDER, AND MIN.
IsTERs PREACH ON
SUBJECT.

inc crusade started a week aro nv
= ministers of the Portage Lake towns
: for the better Observance of sunday
ana the closing Of moving picture
SHOWS and theaters on Sunday. bore
Iruit yesterday in the closing of three
picture houses, one I'm Hancock. ana
TWO in Houghton. Those opening were
the Orpheum and the Royal. while the
Savoy in Hancock and the Lyric and
Star in Houghton gave no exhibitions
: yesterday.
AT various churches in both towns
last evening Sabbath Observance"
constituted the theme of the sermons
delivered by the pastors. every phase
or the matter of Sunday law observ-
ance being entered into and discussed
at length.
zone of the best and ablest of these
addresses was made by Rev. Mandus
Barrett, pastor of the Hancock Con-
gregational church, who replied to an
anonymous communication he had re-
| ceived in his mail during the past
week This communication purport-
ed to be from a member of Mr.. Bar
rett's congregation, and asked the min
lister why he was going after the pic
ture shows, the proprietor of one of
which, said the letter. was a Congre-
gationalst and contributed to the pas
tors support. The letter went on to
say that the show house proprietors
contributes largely to the mainten-
ance of the town, paying large rents
and that they had to keep open Sunday
in order to live.
Mr.. Barrett explained why the show
houses had been selected for consider
! alton, saying that conditions had be-
come well nigh intolerable ana that
contempt for one law resulted i'm con-
| tempt for all laws and finally defiance|
Of all government and authority.
"True, the picture houses contribute
TO the town. So also does anybody
who buys clothes, eats food, rents
buildings. requires fuel, etc" said Mr.
Barrett, 80 does the thief the drunk
ard. and the prostitute contribute toI
the town. That's no argument for
allowing them TO break the laws One
hundred and fifty dollars Is a high
rent for a room i'm which to show NOV
ing pictures. Maybe the managers
can't make money and pay such high
rents. But that's a matter for read
justment between the landlord and
lessee. The fact of the matter" said
the speaker, lis that the business is
overcrowded. each manager is anxious
to outlast the other. hoping that his
rival will go to the wall before he
does, each realizing that failure is i'm
minent unless he can stick it out long
or than the other. IT'S a case of dog
eat dog In fact" said Mr. Barrett, |
81 was informed when | called on one
manager, that was the advance agent
of failure
Referring again to the anonymous
communication, Mr.. Barrett read, ION
Sundays after prayer meeting I often
go to the moving picture houses. ItsI
the only chance ! get"
To this the preacher replied that he
did not see that it was so vitality es-
sential to the writer or anyone else to
60 to such a show at all 1t didn't
benefit him materially, mentally or
morally. Sunday was not intended as
a day of amusement or entertainment.
1t was set aside as a day of rest, the
civil law recognizing the necessity OF
mankind for relaxation, and time to
devote to the higher things of life.
h,, pf. pivf1l
law is the divine injunction to keep
the Sabbath Day. In some of the ar
guments resulting from the discussion
Of the Sunday closing movement the
question has been asked whether the
old Puritan blue laws were to be re-
vived Are we so civilized that the
ten commandments can be ignored?'
was asked.
why don't you go after the sa-
loons?" inquired the anonymous writ
or. Il don't patronize saloons myself,
but ! don't knock them" Mr.. Barrett
said he couldn't understand how any
one calling himself a member of the
Congregational church could dare to
say that he didn't knock saloons,
knowing their nature and abuses.
"The saloons will receive attention
in time" said Mr.. Barrett. "In fact
we started out today to ascertain the
extent to which they were kept open
on Sunday and found the doors wide
open to admit us. Men stood around
the bars and sat at tables drinking.
But as we advanced up the street we
found someone had got busy on the
wire and had passed the word along
that we were coming. Then we found
the doors fast locked"
Some Of the other statements in the
letter on which Mr.. Barrett based his
talk were to the effect that The had
better KEEP his face out of this or he
might lose his head" 10 stop med
ding" not 10 butt in" telling him
that he might better look after the
houses I'm West Hancock" intimating
that n the latter were done he would
'have more young men to attend
church" The writer said he didn't
care TO sign his name this time but
that II the business wasn't stopped he
would talk to the minister personally.
Concluding the letter said; Now.
Reverend. lust drop this I'm telling