The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-09
SUNDAY RAILWAY TRAINS.

SUNDAY RAILWAY TRAINS.
An interesting discussion is up among
railway managers as to the expediency of
suspending traffic and trains on Sunday.
The general reply from railroad men, elected
by series of questions on this subject by
the Railway Gazette, is to the effect that
total suspension is impracticable, especially
on through lines; that the running of a GER
tain number of trains is imperative, since
certain kinds of perishable freight must be
moved or suffer great loss while number
of passenger trains must be run in order to
prevent the delay of travellers to long dis
tances. But it was generally conceded that
work on Sunday should be reduced to the
minimum, and that the few trains that
are allowed to proceed on that
day should be run on account
of necessity rather than from
any attempt to get additional gain 1t is not
argued that this suspension of traffic should
be on account of the sacredness of the day,
butsimply asa sanatory measure, the enforce
ment of which would naturally tend to the
betterment of all employees, morally. men
tally and physically. 1t is coming to be
pretty generally believed thai as much can
',e done in six days as in seven; that both
and machinery are better and stronger,
Ad will endure longer with one days rest
lin seven Certainly, there can be no sensible
man who would not appreciate concession
of one day in the week in which to
recuperate from the fatigues of labor.
The advantage of setting aside a GER
tain day for this purpose is appar-
ent without argument. ii by common
consent one day be selected for all, it can
the better be enjoyed, and there is less likeli
hood of one set of people disturbing another.
With improved machinery that does the
work of a week of former times in a day or
less, and with trains that have shortened
transcontnental trip from three months to
six days, there is no longer excuse for the
never-ending rush of traffic and travel. In
days when fields were sown by hand when
corn was covered and cultivated with hoe,
when wheat was cut with sickle or with
cradle, when corn was pounded in a mortar
and woven into coarse fabrics by means of
clumsy domestic loom, the men and
women found time to rest one
day in the week How much
better. them can we take Sunday for enjoy
ment and solid comfort. Corn now goes into
the earth with mathematical exactness;
wheat is cut and bound by one machine and
as rapidly as a dozen men could do it in the
old way; grain and hay are stacked by ma
chinery corn is shelled and wheat is
threshed by steam fax is broken and spun
and woven and dyed all by machinery that
operates almost as if possessed of human
intelligence; fingers OF flesh, and nerves and
muscles that grow weary, have been super
seeded by fingers of steel, and rods and
wheels that know no lassitude. Aside from
any religious character of Sunday, men ought
to enjoy it as right One day in seven in
which to unbend, to relax mind and muscle
from the fearful strain put upon
them; one day in seven in which to turn
from the dry text and to leisurely look at
the pictures scattered between the tiresome
lines. 1t is well to have one day in which to
think, to rest, to shake off the harness and
take full, hearty breath that is not accom-
panied by tug. The farmer leaves his
reaper and pillow on that day, the merchant
abandons his store, the mechanic his shop,
and the lawyer his suits. 1t is no more than
just that railroad men should also enjoy
some relaxation. Let locomotives go to
stalls in stables; let whistle and bell stop
shriekng and changing, and give the en-
gineer and fireman holiday with the rest.
In this direction the churches can do much
While Sunday must be day of rest on secular
rather than religious grounds, the church
should take the initiative in the matter of
freeing it from all forms of labor. Anything
looking to the encouragement of train-run-
ming OH Sunday should be discontinued. In
consistent as it is, the church has been dere-
lict on this point. Those who have had the
management of large camp-meetings have
almost without exception, made Sunday the
big day and have advertised the fact in such
manner that the running Of
trains became necessity, while
instances have been reported wherein
camp-meeting associations have shared per-
centage of the receipts of railways on such
occasions All this must be abandoned if
We are ever to have day of rest for all men
alike The church cannot afford to main