The Washington herald., 1920-12-12
New York
Day by Day
BY o. o. MCINTYRE.

Nb" lOENhB Dec. ll.-Great
howls from the Sunday amusement
goers are being echoed in the New
York newspapers over the proposed
plan to enforce the Blue Laws and
give to this unconventional metrop-
oils a Puritan Sabbath. Vox Pop
uli and Pro Bono Publico are bam-
harding the newspapers with pages
OF rhetoric demanding that some
thing be done. Personal liberty is
praised and glorified.
The excitement is interesting in
view of the fact that any New
Yorker would smile. yes even Choir
tie. a year before the prohibition
law was enacted at the idea that
liquor would ever be banned in New
York. 1t might be all right for other
parts of the country but New York
was different"
When the city awakened one day
to the fact that prohibition was
here, the people began to see
that almost anything was possible
and now they are in actual dread
of Puritan Sunday
The first real fight has developed
in letter writing battle between
the Board OF Bishops of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church and the Ac-
tors Equity.
The Equity is indignant because
it is charged the Methodists have
barred a dancing master from the
church Fellowship. 1t also prods the
church for recommending national
legislation for an old-time Puritan
Sunday.
The Equity says: In our asso-
citation are thousands of Christians
VINO are professional dancers, many
OF whom have been brought up in
Methodism. They are proud of
their calling and resent church
criticism of their vocation"
This has been followed by an open
letter to the Board of Bishops
by Louis II. Chalif, who is a leader
in dancing circles and who has been
foremost for years in the fight to
eliminate the shimmy, Jazz and
other suggestive dances.
Chalif has been responsible for
the success of many dancing stars.
In his letter he wrote: DO YOU NOT
realize that the love of God cannot
be legislated into anybody"
one reform league has started
war to prohibit the Dempsey
Carpenter fight in New York STATE
The movement has grown to alarm
ing proportions and the promoters
are said to be genuinely worried
Whatever happens one thing is
certain4 New York is not receiving
the news with a placid smile. The
moving picture magnates are or
ganizing and so are the puryeyors
of soft drinks. The battle will be
stirring one froms the tap of the
bell.
strange to say. however. there
are any number of actors who re-
fuse to appear in public on Sunday.
This right is acknowledged in their
contracts with managers. The
great pitcher Christy Mathewson
would never pitch a ball game on
Sunday and there are several other
big league players who observed
the Sabbath strictly.
One of the actors who has never
played on Sunday has written to
a newspaper explaining that his
step was merely a personal conyic-
ton that 1t was wrong but that he
stood with the Equity and would
night against any legislation to
force the same view upon his fellow
actor.
Henry Arthur Jones. who for
thlrty years has been ranked with
PinerO as one of England's great
est dramatists. is coming to America
shortly. He is in his 10th year and
he is going to begin a new. career
writing for the movies.
He does mot haIiou.
is well within the Team and sIipper-
ed pantaloon" period at 20. He be-
lleVes that a mans faculties are
sometimes at their best at the age
of three score and ten.
Down in Duane street there
stands eace noon a friendly horse
attached to a newspaper delivery
wagon. He has been trained bv his
driver to shake hands, raising his
front leg politely at request, but
always expecting a lump of sugar
in return. Office boys have tricked
him so often by offering him balls
of white paper after ne had per-
formed his feat that now Paddy in
sists on seeing the sugar before he
performs.
The actor who five years ago got
$3.50 week is now getting $3.50
so the producers claim: Now they
must cut salaries. Fifty shows
have closed in New York during the
past six weeks. Thousands of first
class actors are out of jobs and
the high cost of transporting theat-
rical companies makes out-or-town
engagements almost prohibitive.
vaudeville suffers very little from
the slump but the legitimate thea.
ter has got to take some drastic
action. The first attack will be ON
the actors salary,