Sunday Theatricals by W. F. Martin

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 15, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 20.

Sunday Theatricals.

By W. F. Martin

A short time ago it was announced in Boise, Idaho, that the Ralph E. Cuming's stock company would play “Nell Gwyn” at the Columbia Theater the following Sunday evening. This announcement made a great stir among the ministers of the city, and also the theater-going part of their congregations. It seemed quite likely that a good many pews would be empty on that Sunday evening; and there were doubtless a good many of the church-members who wanted to go both to the show and to their place of worship.

A letter was therefore addressed to Mr. Cumings, asking him to change the date to Monday evening, and also conveying a sly hint of opposition to him if he refused. Their request was granted. The ministers were then jubilant over their victory, and began to advise all to attend the theater Monday evening. One of the most prominent, stated to the editor of the Statesman: “We hope that he (Mr. Cumings) will be fully recompensed by the size of the house on Monday night for the trouble we have put him to. I shall make it a point to speak to my congregation about Mr. Cumings, and I trust that many of my people will make it a point to go to see his company on Monday night. I think we owe Mr. Cumings at least that much.” A letter signed by the three leading pastors was also published in the daily papers commending the action of the company, and wishing them success. The sequel to this is, that as Seattle was to be the next stopping-place of the company, most of the stage furniture was sent on there, so that the play was a great disappointment to the Boise people. It is not now thought that any great victory was won by the church people, as the play was termed by the papers a “howling farce.” The point of interest to the student of prophecy, however, is the tendency on the part of the churches to join hands with theater managers, if by so doing they can uphold the supposed sanctity of Sunday. All these things point out to us that we are in the time spoken of by the apostle in 2 Timothy 3, when men shall have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. Whenever the church has lost the power of the Gospel, it has sought by the power of the civil arm to attain to its ends. In the formation of the Papacy, it was demanded that shows and circuses be transferred to some other day than Sunday. We see the same influence working in the formation of the image. The keepers of the seventh day, God's holy Sabbath, do not need to resort to such means for its preservation. God will care for his own divine institution. W. F. MARTIN.

College Place, Wash.