The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-05-28

The existing Sunday law is an absurdity
and Its administration an iniquity The
convictions obtained are generally where
the trespasser was most innocent, OF most
ignorant of the law. In and about Homo
lulu every one who keeps a horse or vehi-
Gle uses them on Sunday, mostly for the
purpose of recreation which is iabu. Rid
ing or driving generally necessitates
| grooming, etc, which as worldly bust
ness Is forbidden. The ladies and children
who 20 out for fresh air. and out of doors
motion In a drive round the park on Sun
day are distinctly seeking recreation and
their drivers, if hackmen or domestic ser
wants. are doing their worldly business
A group of gentlemen spending the Sun
day afternoon idly on the verandah of
the hotel, renders the keeper thereof liable
to fine for each one of them. 1t is not
clear that going to Church or Sunday
School by carriage or omnibus ought not
to be held to be criminal
The merchant or clerk who takes his
horse and rides out into the country on
Saturday evening for change and recrea
ton, might be fined for spending his time
idly" on the Sunday, which was probably
the very object of his journey. Wherever
the net of the law is so widespread as to
catch such very small flies as these the
| big ones invariably break through. 1t is
regrettable but sometimes unavoidable,
that the great ocean steamers reach this
port on Sunday, and then the Post Office,
the news agents, the hackmen, the dray-
men, the wharflaborers, the officers and
men of the ship are all alike breaking the
law, not only they, the relations and friends
who go to meet expected arrivals, or to
wish God speed to departing dear ones,
are breaking the law The island steamers
which arrive here or at any other port in
the Kingdom on Sunday cause innumer-
able breaches of this law, and yet no one
IN or about Honolulu is ever molested.
1t Is different in some country districts.
A heather Chinee is occasionally snapped
up and much to his amazement and indig-
nation. Is told that he is fined SIS for car
rying his shoulder-pole with food from one
place to another. Some few months ago
a resident III an outlying district in Hawaii
was disappointed in the receipt of his reg
ular consignment Of provisions from Ho-
nolulu; rough weather, impracticable land
ing, occasioned the difficulty. but at last
the provisions were landed and their sorely
I
Sunday, to bring them home; he was ar
rested and finedl
There are many earnest, conscientious
men and women here who strictly observe
and keep the Christian Sabbath and who
nevertheless habitually break the law. No
one here wishes to make any approach to
what may be called Partisan Sunday.
No one desires to establish races, open
theaters, or carry on work on the Christian
day Of rest, it is spent here almost invari-
ably iu an orderly, suitable manner, places
of worship, Sunday schools are as well at
tended as in any cosmopolitan seaport
such as this and much more decently and
properly than in many others. But it is
in spite of, not because of this law. The
second and third clauses are such that they
can only be mal-administered. A steamer
with mails, freight, passengers and bag
gage goes straight through, solitary
countryman with his parcel of groceries is
pounced upon. Not Court in this King
dom could righteously administer so un-
righteous law. Let us have Sunday
law by all means, but let it be practic-
able one