SUNDAY AMUSEMENTS IN AMERICA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1004, 20 November 1883, Page 4

SUNDAY AMUSEMENTS IN AMERICA.

r,. -/ - ■ . ; » The theatrical world in the United States (says the Eta) has had a new - in the opening of M‘Vicker’s Theatre, Chicago, on Sunday evenings. Until*‘recently New Orleans was the ' ohly city where’ a play could be seen on Sunday evenings, and for some yearsdramaficT performances have been r oh Sundays owing to the French population there. It has therefore been customary with travelling theatrir car companies visiting New Orleans to open pn Sundays, and managers in Western cities have of late followed their' example. At San Francisco, where there is- always a large floating population of foreigners, dramatic representations on Sundays have become . thelroleL As may be expected, there have*-been strong protests against the tiistbm in those portions of the States where the religious element is strong; Jftsj' for instance, in the East and \ j.Ndrth-’weSt. But these protests do not appear to hive had any results, for %iw6‘ v io i opened their dopits, they have almost always had a large audience. In some cases, no doubt, /the drama; has gained nothing, .having* in fact, lost ground, owing to the opposition?©! the religious world; but the managers have turned a deaf ear to those who objected on religious ground!, when, as frequently happened, the Sunday * night receipts were the . largest; of ' the ‘ week. Now that McVlcker’s Theatre, at Chicago, is vegulmly opened on Sunday evenings, l it by rhany to indicate that soon .such performances will be general in America. The.next question yrill; be i whether New York and other large American cities will adopt r , the plan; , Meanwhile a strong antagoaism has taken root in the minds of the actors themselves, and many of the best and popular performers have determined td make a., vigorous stand against the new system. The actors and actresses argue that playing six nights a week during the greater part of the year, combined with occasional day performances and the arduous labor involved in rehearsals and travelling, ought to be ' Sufficient to satisfy the most exacting manager. As yet the protest has not taken a practical form, but as soon as it can be made effective by an organised system we believe it is the intention of the performers to resist to the uttermost ail Sunday evening performances. The present Aof a' lafge foreign population in many cities of the United States led tq,tbe. pustom being first adopted, but if actors and actresses of note set their faces against the system, as they pro'piketo do," there is- not rauch chance of the Sunday performances becoming getieral. lt has been one of the forer r < most arguments against the opening of <‘ l ibaseumsand picture galleries in London ru!j bnSmiday that the theatres would follow; 'blit* apart from all considerations of religious observance, we believe 4 • English value the day of rest too much to give it up.