The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-26
nv ESTHER eRlFFlN WHITE.

BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
There are some things that seem
strange.
And yet aren't SO strange.
One of them is this moral feeling.
In instance we have Chautauqua
here in the summertime. That is, on
the fringes of the summer. 1t laps over
into September but not to damage
September.
But, willy-nilly, we have our little
Chautauqua.
And we hold it in public park.
This is against the law.
Therefore we get our canny legisla
tor to run bill through our sainted
Assembly permitting us to hold oui
particular Chautauqua in our particu
lar public park.
Any Kindergarten understands al
about this.
But we retain our faces and look pi
Gus and very, very virtuous.
We do not countenance Sunday des
ecration in this town.
No, indeedy, deed.
We only. give a sort of religious vau
deville in our public park-roping of
part of the public domain from those
who haven't the inclination or the
price-to which we charge undoubtet
admission and receive tickets in ex
change.
On the inside we give Sunday con
certs that are concerts all right ever
if they are labeled sacred"
Sometimes they aren't sacred at all
Last summer they played on bells
and otherwise performed.
But what's the odds-didnt We oper
the thing with prayer?
Go to-thou carping and imperti
nent critic.
And then do we not divide the finan
cial sheep from the goats and with {
well directed throw land the former
in the Y. M. C. A. treasury and the
latter in the city hop?
Sure we do.
But we don't believe in Sunday des
ecration. + i.
Nay. Nay! 1t gives us hideous shud
ders to think of it.
We are strong Sabbatarians herea
bouts!
Remember the Sabbath-day to keel
it holy"-please pass the chewing
gum, the cracker-jack and the ham
burgers, to say nothing of the ice
cream-cones and the coco-cola (all o
which you will find down near the
Main street entrance) the while | ge
my coat to go to hear the bell-ringer'
down in the tent.
But hist!
10 | understand a song recital by
New York baritone is to be given OIL
Sunday afternoon in down town the
atre?
This is an outrageous infringement
on the Sunday closing law.
Besides 1t is setting a bad example
If the youth of our town should be
come cognfzant of the fact that Sun
day songtFecital is being given, anar
chy would reign. ....+
1t would be but short time whe1
all the business houses in town would
be OPEN, saloons going full tilt, grocer
selling eggs at a dollar a dozen ant
butchers Staying the defenceless OK il
the shambles.
And then think Of the moving-pic
ture shows!
Perchance they might open!
Civic infamy would have reached it
lowest depth! ..->. .-. ..
We would have one wild carousal o
the movies and an orgy of beefselling
Maybe the people who don't care t,
go to the Chautauqua might EMO.
themselves in their own way!
This could not be tolerated.
Anybody who would prefer a movin
picture drama to a Chautauqua vaude
Vile is a degenerate and should b.
thrown out root and branch.
And anybody who can't afford t
have a refrigerator has no right to ca
meat on Sunday. ~..--
Let 'em go without it.
We have refrigerators and. if othe
people don't we can't help that. w
simply cannot have our virtue offende
by the sight of butcher shop open al
hour on Sunday morning.
We will not stand for it.
We will appeal to the police, OIL
mayhap, the Ministerial Association.
We must be protected.
Our religion is frail thing at bes
and we must be sheltered in such a
tacks on its outposts.
Now the strange thing about it wa
this.
The song recital was given.
And what happened?
Nothing a. all.