Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-12-01
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FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. /. 1882.

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FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. /, 1882.
A GOOD MOVE.
Under tho above caption the follow
ing communication appears in the Alex
andria "Gazette:"
Some prominent men in the Northern
States are making an effort to secure the
united influence Of clergymen and states
men to prevent the present widespread
dissertation Of the Sabbath. To stop Sum-
day travelling on steamboats, and railways.
to force the various corporations to allow
this right to the thousands of overwrought
mechanics and conductors and engineers
and 6remen and mail-carriers, and post
office clerks, and to keep one class OF men
from robbing another class of men Of their
needed rest on the seventh day. is the OBJ
iect of this contemplated combined effort.
1t will be necessary to memorabilia Con-
gress, and send mammoth petitions to all
the State Legislatures. in order to effect
the end aimed at, and so worthy purpose
deserves at least serious consideration.
1t would startle many good Christian
people to know how lar6e proportion of
men are kept busy on the Sabbath, to the
injury of their health, separated from their
necessarily irregular habits OF the fathers,
brothers and SONS. and cut off from all OPP
p0rtunities of recreation and mental i'm
provement.
The point is made by philanthropists en-
gagged in this movement in behalf Of their
suffering fellow citizens, that no good rea-
son exists for keeping the pOstoffices open
or for running any railroad trains, passen-
ger or freight. on Sunday; that no real
gain can como from trying to carry Oh
traffic at the expense of the health and
morals Of those who are compelled to labor
on the day set apart for rest and public
worship; that no good can come from
wrong doing.
1t is hoped that this movement in the
interest of the divinely instituted day of
rest, in the interest Of religion, morality,
civilization and humanity. will find enough
supporters in the South az well as the
North, to put the matter in such light be-
fore the national Congress and tho different
State Legislatures as to insure its final
success.
A combined movement In the direction
indicated is necessary, The officers of
some railroads and steamboat lines would
gladly avail themselves of the opportunity
to rest and to give their employees rest
one day in seven. were it not for the ne
eessity fore ed upon them to run, by COM
petiDg and connecting lines, who will take
the trade and travel if they do not. OF
landing freight and passengers at their
termini, demand that they shall be for
warded. Legislation which will require a
general stoppage Of all carrying lines all
over the country, promptly on Saturday
night, will alone effect the desired object.
1t is hardly possible to estimate the ex-
tent Of the harm done. A railroad runs
its trains on Sunday which of course takes
the train men out. The officers must be
at their posts to look after these trains !;
telegraph operators must be in place to
regulate them, and the station agents to
receive and forward them. The hotel,
omnibus and hack men and horses must
do extra duty to acco immediate the travel
and the post Office officials, mail carriers
and clerks to accommodate the mail, while
main at home to prepare for the arrival or
departure of their husbands, sons or
brothers. Tho constant temptation is
thrown in the way of travellers to patron
ize the convenient trains and boats, and
worshipping congregations are disturbed
by their passing. And 80 by the orders OF
comparatively few officers who control
the carrying lines Of the country, thou
sands and hundreds Of thousands Of men
and animals are made to break the Sab
bath and lose the rest that divine author
ity has commanded them to take. And
this is not tho end of the evil. Man is not
physically able to bear constant work. His
overtaxed energies give way under the
constant strain and loss Of rest, and no
gets careless or dr. ops to sleep on bis pobt
and accidents destructive to life and prop
erty is the result.
An old railroad man at our elbow tells
US that he knows Of railroad that runs
$50 trains day but always stops them ut
12o'clock Saturday night wherever they are.
That road does not average an accident
year. He says, that on bis road, arrange
ments are often made for q big work on Sun
day and the movement of q large number OF
cars, but almost invariably an accident
illustrates all their plans and their cars re-
main Monday standing where they stood
Saturday night. He says too that very
large proportion of these accidents occur
at the beginning Of tho week and investi-
cation shows that they originate from the
carelessness of overworked, rest broken
trainmen.
The protection of the life and property OF
the public, then, as we'll as the interests OF
the corporations themselves, demand a re-
form IN the direction proposed, aud the
alarmingly increasing frequency Of disas-
tiers by land and water are giving force
to this demand, which every good citizen
should second and the secular press should
join the religious in one common protest
against this crying evil Of our Christian
and.
It is unfortunate that the State Board
of canvassers did not have before them
last Monday the lucid aud elaborate argu-
ment of the Valley Virginian on Augusta 3
Vote" 1t could never have come to the
conclusion that the combined opin ion Of
two learned judges and an intelligent
board OF commissioners was law in the face
of that admirable legal dissertation of our
learned contemporary. The Hon. John
Paul and jealous friends from Augusta,
who went down with the gallant Captain
to help him to dlsfranchise 767 free and
intelligent white men of this county could
not have seen that mastery presentation
of the leading Coalition organ of the
Saventh district. or these gentlemen would