El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-28
SUNDAY -MOVINGs PICTURES.
CFrom New Orleans States.J


Atlanta is now in the thrOes Of unique
and interesting fight over Sabbath OBJ
servance-unique because the moving
picture is the storm center and inter-
csting because apparently the whole
community has taken one side or the
other and is enlisted 10 the wars end
For long time AtlantG's pride has
eeen that she IS one of the uShtest
sunday cities In the country The lid
never moves Amusement is taboo.
The church offers the only Sunday di-
version.
This situation finally got on the
nerves Of the Atlanta folk- They began
TO ask themselves whether an admiX-
tUre of innocent and educational
amusement with prayer would not
make for increased happiness and
cOntentment, and recently the moving
picture managers proposed that they be
dIIOWeo 70 open lnelr tneaters on sur
days TO furnish this character OF
amusement
The churches and the straight-laced
element OF the community voiced an
indignant protest They said Sunday
movies" would not only be a deSecra-
ton of the sabbath. but prove an en-
tering wedge to lift the lid off alto
gether-
The criminal code Of Georgia says:
ANY person who pursues his bust
ness, or the work of his ordinary cali
ing, on the Lords day, work Of charity
and necessity alone excepted, shall De
guilty Of q miSdemeanOr."
This provision the churches invoked
as legal barrier TO sunday movies"
They considered it insurmOuntable- But
the theater managers. backed by q
strong public sentiment, found a way
around Last week they announced
that their places would be opened from
until 10 D. m. but that, instead OF
charging admission. contribution box
would be placed in each theater. and
the entire proceeds not even subtract
ING expenses would be turned over TO
a charity, the firemen's fund, thus com
Ing within the law.
The result was that the nine theaters
were Jammed during the entire eight
hours, and the days count showed that
44,1O6 passed through the turnstiles
The program had been carefully cen
sOred- What the people saw were clean
and wholesome pictures. There was
no vaudeville. The electric pianos were
silent In their stead pipe organs
played religious music The films were
COnIlne0 to travel pictures, pictures OF
great Industrial undertakings. pictures
of naval maneuvers, scripture stories
and dramas with moral themes.
The churches held services cOutem-
pOraneOusly- From the pulpits the min
lSters numbered against the rheaters-
BuL II We may read between the lines
OF the Atlanta papers, the first test OF
strength resulted in favor of the
movies" and a majority Of the people
would like to see the rigOTs of the
present blue laws relaxed.
vs. hat the ultimate outcome viii be-
Of course, it IS difficult to forecast 1t
is not to be expected that the theater
managers will give their free shows
every sunday, for that would mean a
very heavy pecuniary loss, and the pic
ture show man is under no obligation
10 1ulrll the role Of a philanthrOpist
merely because the Atlanta public is
hungry for Sunday amusement The
question is whether Atlanta public SEN
ument is strong enough to force a
modification of the law which makes
the theater manager guilty of a mis-
demeanor II he operates his theater on
sunday and charges an admission fee.
From the standpoint of this commu-
nity, it is difficult to see wherein lies
the harm of the moving picture theater.
provided II is conducted as 1t was in
Atlanta last Sunday. Sunday moving
pictures that are clean. instructive and
eleYatlng may very well be made to
serve the cause in which the churches
themselves are enlisted. and the best
evidence of that fact is that churches
IN some of the cities not only approve
o. the moving picture on sunday pro-
Vided II is properly censored. but are
using 1t themselves as a help to re-
ligiOn-