The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-17
ULTIMATE OUTCOME
 ON SUNDAY MOVIES LIES WITH PEOPLE.
Calls Attention t9 Inaccurc s In Dr. DickinsOn's State
 ment Yesterday

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
 It is not the intention of the writer nor anyone else connected with the motion picture business in Birmingham to enter into a newspaper controversy over the Sunday opening matter, as I believe this | to be a matter that public sentiment will ultimately handle, regardless of what or the Pastors union may have to say or do.
 believe, however, that matters have reached a point where word along cer- tain lines would not be amiss. In The Age-Herald of February IS. pr. Dickin- son states that the movie merchants of Birmingham have appeared several times before the Pastors union in the interest of Sunday motion pictures The doctor has been misinformed in this connection, for no owner or manager of any motion picture theatre in Birmingham has ever appeared before that body in the interest of Sunday or any other day operation. and if an appearance has been made be- fore them it was without the Knowledge or consent of any of the managers or owners and they knew nothing of it. The writer was president of the Theatre Own CTS association and is thoroughly famiI jar with all matters pertaining to the subject in question
 | Apather statement in which Dr, Dick
 nse pees
 mon
 whi aftesE<e m ep;
 The flrt aeqiszlaf sne Mir. Barber was only about four or five days before the election, at which time Mir. Barber called in my office at the Strand theatre, stating that he favored Sunday pictures, and that he would ap- pseciate my support. Mir. Calman was present at the time. and in fact intro nor MT. Calman as much as promised to vote for MT. Barber
 1 There has never been any agreement of support, nor any understanding be- tween the motion picture interests and 1 MT. Barber. He received no advertising on the screens in Birmingham, and asked for none, and is absolutely, nor has he ever been. under the slightest obliga- tion to anyone of them nor to them as l a whole.
 | While speaking along that line I might add that during MT. Wards campaign Gas | he might come in for a mortgage" later) voluntarily offered to give his candi dacy publicity all the motion picture
 screens in the Birmingham district, and l this Mir Ward declined. Speaking in a general way, the motion picture interests have not been nearly active in Sum- day opening as they have been accredited. 1 They were opened on account of the wishes of the public as a whole and not as favor to the people who owned them 1 If they are kept open or if they are closed again, it will not be on account of anything that the owners of the the atres nor the Pastors union may say but the public is going to solve the prob | lem. and the answer will he 100 per cent correct If the public did not want Sun day pictures the theatres would not be patronized to nearly the extent they are and they are patronized by people of 1 just as much intelligence as those who do not go Sundays and others days IS we'll The attendance on Sundays par l ticularly between the hours of and 6 1 D. m, is greater than on any other day of the week, and this would seem to in dicate that they are in favor. And this attendance is not made up of children as has been stated. but more than 9S per cent of the adult age, and fully capable of taking care of themselves without any outside assistance If. however. those who attend the Sunday shows are in need of stronger and more able minds to force | a direction of their movements along a certain path; if they are mentally un- able to determine what they should do and do it. then let's enact laws that will force them to travel the path that some one else has chosen for them and see to l 1t that they walk thereon. Respectfully
 T. s. ABERNATHY 1 Birmingham. February 16, 1916. I =