The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-17
President of the Local Red
Cross Protests to the
City Council
WHICH HOLDS A
HURRIED SESSION
Pastors Voice Opposition in
Pulpits and in Letter to
States Attorney

, and others, clash between the head OF
: the local Red Cross branch and the coun'
ty and city campaign organization, and
$55 were the net results of the first Sun
day movies i'm Barre. Three shows in
the Bijou Sunday afternoon and evening
were well patronized, and with the solo
ist, pianist and theatre manager giving
their services gratis, the receipts at the
door were nearly clear gain, but through
the week end the announcement that
Sunday movies at last had gained a hold
in Barre created a ferment in church
circles, Il ferment which eliminated in a
special meeting of the city council at
noon Sunday.
just where the Sunday movie plan,
initiated in conjunction with the Red
Cross membership campaign launched
to-day, viii end, is problematical, but
| pulpit utterances made in Barre yester-
day assert that the Red Cross is being
used as medium for making Sabbath
day picture shows q fixture in Barre,
Thus far the city council although it
met in session extraordinary yesterday,
has not acted, and for the patent reason
that it is seemingly without authority in
the matter. The meeting was called at
the request of Rev. Edgar Grassland pas
tor of the First Presbyterian church,
president of the Barre Red Cross, and
one of the clergymen who refused to
spare the Sunday movie program and its
sponsors in his sermon last evening
States Atty. Earle r. Davis and Grand
Juror William Wishart were present at
the meeting, but questions designed to
ascertain whether they contemplated ac-
tion did not elicit the desired informa-
tion. The council remained in session for |
an hour and then adjourned Mayor |
Glysson presided and members with the |
exception of Alderman Milne were pres.
ent
People who conduct or patronize Sun
day movies are accountable to the state,
according to the best authority. 1t is
stated that persons who participate or
hold Sunday entertainments of class
in which movies are listed are liable to
penalty of 81 and costs, while there is
city ordinance which provides a penalty
for 500 if person exhibiting moving
pictures does not procure license. At
the city clerks Office to-day ii was stated
that no license was issued for a show
Much of the opposition centered in
pulpit talks given in the churches of the
sity last evening, and at a special meet
ing of the clergy this forenoon, some Of
he more pronounced opponents took oc
,asion to enlarge upon opinions expressed
N their pulpits. Rev, B. J. Lehigh of the
First Baptist church. who considered
sunday movies in his sermon at the Sun
lay evening service, described the show {
program as the devils own work, ae-
,ording TO those who heard him, and he
$ further quoted as saying that the Red
ross apparently was being used as T
'retext for introducing movies to Sab
'ath-day audiences in this city. Rev
edgar Grassland, who had preached on
sed Cross work in the forenoon. spoke b
n the evening as the president of the To- t
al Red Cross branch. He was unsparing 0
n his denunciation of the move for Sun 3
ay movies and served notice on his con- k
regation that an attempt would be P
lade TO repeat the performance in the il
ark theatre next Sunday. He declared b
hat the organization which appears to Y
e back of the campaign in this section b
for the moving picture show W
-ithout consulting him. and intimated al
nat an effort was being made to create a;
popular demand for an entertainment te
hieh had its inception under the aus B
ices of the Red Cross. tt
The clergyman offered objections to us
e money obtained under such circum al
ances and declared that the Red Cross SC
nd its magnificent work was never at
arted with the idea that it should C'
rive o.: Illegal Sunday entertainments. al
e argued that permission to run the Cc
OWES worked discrimination against Pe
,nee hall owners, etc, for if Sunday is th
It 20 be exalted above other days. en- of
rtainments of all kinds should be al NJ
wed full sway. In closing, he said that tn
had been known to favor an exhibit VII
On of educational or war-work films
it'll the understanding that no admis-
IN should be charged. As for the NOV "
shown yesterday, he was inclined to
lieve that the best sentiment in the
immunity would condemn il without
serve.
At the Uniyersalist church the pastor, N,
". ]. h. Reardon, dwelt upon the fine !
nTage of those who forwarded an an
uncement of Sunday movies to be read cor
I'm his pulpit. The pastor expressed tbe
nself plainly against using his pulpit cor
a medium of advertising Sunday en- Me
tainments Of the character given yes maj
day. and while he urged general sup exc
ri of the Red Cross and its worthy ac me
tiles, he did not wish to go on record cbr
a supporter of moving picture enter fee
on Sunday fra
Pastors Address States Attorney. @ pos
Dutspoken disapproval of the movie sac
gram was heard again to-day when
ministers met. and the outcome of
meeting is the following letter, which
, Times is asked to print Sc
! open letter to the states attorney. -
,aTle r. Davis:
Dear Sir: We. the representatives OF day
churches Of our city, assembled this not
ming. knowing we surely sense the Of I
tinIsnt OF our churches, wish 70 regis
our disapproval Of the open violation
he Law in the opening Of the moving
~. ehour arcu when ~ i nzTewsfhfu~f