The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-25
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Innocent Sunday Amusement

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
After reading the opinions of the vari-
Gus individuals as published in The Age
Herald of today relative to the opening
of the picture shows on Sunday, and in
which many of them SO ably succeeded in
showing their intolerance for anything
on the Sabbath aside from the long Puri-
tanical demeanor of our old New Eng
unwillingness TO be boverned by the
wishes of the people at large, and their
personal enmity and animosity toward
Judge Lane, | am filled with unutterable
disgust.
Can these men, posing as representative
Christians and as followers and teachers
of the doctrine of the lowly Christ, i'm
agine Jesus taking part in such an ex-
hibition as that in which the speeches
were made
Christs instructions to the world were
to hold the church aloof from the state
and to render unto Caesar that which
was Caesars, etc.
These men, it seems TO me, are assuming
q great deal when they try to influence
and dictate the policies of government,
as representatives of the church, for it
is the Christian policy to reform and
Christianize men and let the men make
the state. AS individuals their opinion
she uld be stated in the ballot
The Roman Catholic church for centur-
les welded a powerful influence over
Rome and entirely dominated other ma
tions, but with the advance of time and
the progress of education and enlighten-
a. \. H..
spect, but what it has lost in state mat
ters it has gained in church matters Are
now the Protestant churches. through
their representatives, taking up what
the Roman church has relinquished?
| am, you may surmise, not one of
the fanatical narrow minority, who be-
cause / do not Ikea certain thing, would
say my fellow man should not have ii,
no matter how much he may desire it :;
hut class myself with that great, though
oftimes too silent, majority of broad
minded people tolerant enough to allow
a little sunshine in the way of amuse-
ment to tighten the darkness of work.
aday life.
For the man who is confined to his work
every day or night should have the op-
portunity of this much wholesome and
innocent amusement, which would in no
way interfere With his attendance at
church, or cause him to neglect his souls
welfare. / am fcnd of attending church
services and love good sermon intell-
gently rendered, as well as any man lir
ing, but one loses faith in the sincerity
OF the rendercr when we can only think
of him as politician playing a minis
ters part, and the good that should have
been CLEANED is lost
AS to the picture shows, of course
the. proprietors will make some profit.
But if the ministers had to perform their
labors without some profit there would be
few or no ministers and the world could
go to hell in very truth for the want of
teachers interpreters and expounders of
the gospel of our Lord
Again, the pictures will not detract from
the church attendance one iota, as no
man will stay away from church services
to attend picture show who would have
otherwise gone to church. People Will
not be forced 10 attend church by shut
ting off every other place he or she
might desire to go. They will not attend
against their will, but will rather walk
the street.
The moral tone and tenor of the picture
plays, ETC.. presented could easily be reg
ulated and even prescribed by q good
censor.
AS to Judge Iane, the criticisms of these
few ranters who are hopelessly in the
minority on these broad questions and
whose sole weapon is the loud noise tho5'
can produce give q fair minded man what
is known as that tired feeling.
! believe the majority of the people
should control these matters and not
few who by their ranting and bonbast
find a way to occupy their otherwise idle
hours that could be so much more profita-
bly, spent. There are some of these men
Zone In particularly who never let an op
portunity slip TO vilify and abuse Judge
Lane. Judge Lane has demonstrated
for many Yeas past his ability TO judge
fairly and eduitably He has made an
enviable reputation as judge and mayor.
He has made Birmingham an able. just.
worthy and honorable commissioner, and
Is o credit 10 himsef. to Birmingham
and Alabama. "Long may he live and
prosper, and let us hope that no fair
minded. good inten.ioned man or woman
win be influenced in any way By the
snarling, bowling and growing of some
who probably have an ak to grind.
j. l.. KIBBE,
72O 42d ST., Birmingham, February u.