Show WRANGLE OVER I SUNDAY THEATRE J Ministers and Mormon Officials Work Wark in Harmony for Closing Law ARGUE TO TP CITY COUNCIL MANAGERS OF SHOWS APPEAR TO OPPOSE ORDINANCE NANCE Officials of the Mormon church and members of the Salt Lake Ministerial association worked in harmony for once nce o last night when representatives oo of o f both appeared before tho the commit committee tee t ee on municipal laws of the city coun council council cil c ii in support of the ordinance intro introduced introduced introduced by Councilman Rulon S Wells forbidding f theatres to open on Sunday The meeting was more or less spec spectacular t Every Ever phase p ase of the Sunday theatre t was discussed and the views expressed e ranged from a declaration by Frederick A one of the proprietors of the Grand theatre that all a ll good plays lead to a higher and bet beter better beter ter t er life Ufe on the part of those who wit witness witness witness ness them to a general denunciation of the theatre by Rev Rey I D A Brown pastor of the First Baptist church and others who advocate Sunday closing Would Concede Amendment At the opening of the session Mr Wells consented to one amendment to tolis his lis ordinance As originally intro introduced introduced introduced the ordinance specifically ex cx exempted exempted empted from the Sunday closing law sacred acred s concerts Mr Wells Yells conceded conce ed edan i an amendment which would exempt only such concerts as do not charge an admission fee feeRe Rev Re Mr Brown opened the discus discussion discussIon discussion sion with a speech of considerable length l couched In language of much earnestness and fire He was followed by Rev Benjamin Young Both di divines divines divines vines asserted that the plays which are given Sunday evenings are zing Izing Both asserted that the minis ministerial ministerial erial association had sent emissaries to investigate the plays Two Mormon stake presidents fol followed followed lowed owed in advocacy of the ordinance They were Nephi L Morris president of the he Salt Lake stake and Major Richard W lV Young president of stake Both argued that independent of re religious religious religious and sectarian considerations it was generally recognized that man de demands demands demands mands one days rest in seven and Major Young laid particular stress on the fact that the necessity ty for such rest had t been een recognized in judicial decisions t I y the courts Attack Summer Resorts Councilmen T R Black and Thomas Hobday both attacked the summer re resorts resorts resorts sorts Both expressed the opinion that such resorts do more harm than Sunday theatres th atres Both expressed the opinion that if Sunday theatres keep young people away from the summer resorts they will do much good Black and Hobday both took a shot at atthe atthe atthe the Saltair pavilion which is owned by the Mormon church Councilman Wells in a lengthy speech in support of his ordinance de do declared declared dared that if it was within the juris jurisdiction jurisdiction jurisdiction diction of the city council to close Salt Saltair Saltair Saltair air resort Sunday nights he would fa favor favor f vor it He declared that the drama had become debased and degraded degrade 1 and argued that the moral influence of Sunday theatres was bad Hobday In another speech pleaded that the Sun Sunday Sunday Sunday day theatres were were for the benefit of the poor people who had no other night to enjoy an entertainment Speaks for the Theatres F A one of the proprietors of the Grand theatre said he was will willing willing willing ing to close his place If all other re resorts resorts resorts sorts were closed He declared that the drama has a good moral m ral effect upon those who witness it and cited the fact that the audience always dif differentiated differentiated differentiated between right and wrong by applauding the hero and hissing the villain He declared that any attempt to restrict the liberty of the citizen would meet with failure Councilmen M E Mulvey and L D DMartin DMartin DMartin Martin both hoth supported Mr views and then there was a general discussion in which Rev Mr Brown criticised the tendency of modern drama severely There was also con considerable considerable considerable wrangling gling as to the course of other cities of the country toward the Sunday theatre C P Overfield speaking as vice president of the Y M C A said his organization favored Sunday closing and William Guiney manager of the Lyric theatre declared that his best audiences both from a standpoint of numbers and quality attended Sunday evening performances The committee decided to defer ac action action tion for a week but there is every prospect that it will wUI make an adverse report on the ordinance The commit committee tee Is made up of the following coun councilmen councilmen councilmen C J Crabtree chairman W Mont Ferry M 11 E Mulvey T R It Black and John Holey |