The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-05-10
A Postomce Sermon.

EDITORS NEWS: In q sermon preach
ed by one OF our ministers last Sunday
evening there were assertions and ALA
sions made IN regard to postmasters and
their assistants, which, to say the least,
were unkind, unjust, and unwaranted by
facts The preacher would have us be-
lIeve that our letters to our dearest
friends, our important business cores
pondence, our money to be transmitted,
and all the varied responsibilities of tn
conduct Of a post Office were entrusted to
persons who have lost all honor and self
respect.
There is something sacred about the
handling of the malls. Much information
too of q confidential character comes un-
der the observance Of post office en-
pIcye, or il entrusted in confidence to
him. Should q wrongful use be made of
this information 1t would be by gross
breach Of trust. But we do not believe
people entrust such matters to persons
without honor and self-respect. We all
know good people, ministers too, who al
low their sons to engage in occupations
that require Of them Sunday work, and
yet we do not believe that these men
think their boys have lost all honor and
self-respect.
We do not hold up post Office employees
as the only mo raj specimens Of humanity
for we believe there are others who
would be just as COED exemplars-but
what we do say most emphaticalIy Is
this, that because q man IL in the post
office employ, or any other employment
that requires Sunday work, he is not
necessarily q man without honor and
self-respect. We do not pretend to main
tain that it Is right to carry mails on the
Sabbath. That is another gus stion and
the one to which the preacher should
have confined himself. We know the
boys in post Offices do network on Sun
day because they make money by it; be-
cause they are compelled to by the post
master; or through fear Of being discharg-
ed should they refuse, as has been stated
from this pulpit. These are not the rea-
sons. The reason they work in tn post
ofice on Sunday is because it is their du-
ty to do so, and their sworn duty at that,
and as long as the post Office department
requires that mails shall leave and arrive
on Sunday so long must postmasters and
clerks take care OF them; nor can they do
otherwise and keep their honor and self
respect. We can not believe that the re-
marks upon post ONCE employees were in
the sermon IS originally prepared, but
think they must Ave been afier-thoughts
and more or Jess imprOmptu expressions
for they embodied assertions and illusions
which no post ofice eIhplOye could listen
to without feeling Of just indignation al
what at least seems to be an insult to hi
nature and upon his character.
In the same sermon railroad corpora,
lions were eensured, justly, perhaps, fol
running their trans on Sunday, but moth,
ing said. we believe, sgsinst the charac
ter OF conductors, engineers and othel
train men-WhIch We think right. On
the other hand the management OF ii.
/ post ONCE department was not con
demned. but instead, the ehara cter Of tn,
postmaster, and particularly the youns
men who worked In the post Offices. W,
believe that the facts Will show that Their.
are comparatively as many or more high
minded. honcrabIe and self-respeetins
men In the post oniees throughout tn
country as are engaged IN any other le
gitImafs business.
The appeal 70 keep out Of the mail ser
vics and preserve their homer and SELF
reepeet is perhaps timely for We are tolg
that appl.cntiens for adnlssioH into e,
! lusoflI rsrglss hsEa hsen very numer.
oea of late. Nelseak nc zzslrr. snssrs no
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