This Week in Texas Methofist History May 28, 2022 Advocate Editor Slams Proposed Dallas Bull Fight, June 1, 1936 One of the most events of the 1930s in Texas was the celebration of the centennial of Texas Independence in 1936. Reminders of the celebration are all around us such as historical markers along the route of the Old San Antonio Road, plaques on historic structures and especiall the San Jacinto Monument and Buildings on the Fair Grounds in Dallas. Perhaps you did not know that the local architect for the San Jacinto Monument was Alfred Finn who was also the architect for St. Paul’s UMC in Houston. He was the architect for Jesse Jones, a member of St. Paul’s. He was also Secretary of Commerce and Director of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Although Houston got the San Jacinto Monument, Dallas got the big Centennial Prize---new buildings on the grounds of the State Fair Grounds. One of those buildings was a Hall of Religion paid for by the Lone Star Gas System. Part of the donation was an air conditioning system fueled by natural gas. The Hall of Religion featured an assembly hall with 200 seating capacity and a 70 foot tower. As the the Centennial prepared for its grand opening scheduled for June, 1936, the Southwestern Christian Advocate editor, A. J. Weeks, both praised the centennial and condemned the proposed bull fight----Yes, as hard as is for us to grasp, a bull fight was planned as part of the opening ceremonies. The proposal was for an exhibition in which the bull would not be killed—as was usual in French and Portunguese bull fights until the more widely-known Spanish bull fight in which the bull was killed. Weeks wanted no part of a bull fight—either Spanish or Portuguese---but not necessarily on the grounds of opposing animal cruelty.. No, Weeks objected because he did want the Texas Centennial Exposition contaminated with European diversions---We didn’t have a Texas tradition of bull fights, so he opposed it. Ironcially, there was a Texas custom involving animals that did have deep roots---that of horse racing. Weeks had led the fight to overturn the legislation that had legalized pari-mutuel betting on horse and dog racing.