The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-23
YESTERDAYS SERMONIZING.
Services at Memorial, Plymouth, the
Tabernacle, the Temple, Etc.
The Sunday Law and the legislature Fatal
ism of General Charles Gordon
Hebrew Heraldry.
MEMoRrAL pnEsnYrEsrAs CHURCH.

Rev. III. A. Edison, ID. D., breaches "The
Sunday Law and the Legislature"
The subject of Rev. H. A. Edison, d. D., at the
Memorial Presbyterian Church, last night was
'The Sunday Law and the Legislature" his text
being Mark ii, 27-"The Sabbath was made for
man" The Doctor spoke substantially as fol-
lows: If God made the Sabbath for man, it is
no doubt good for man. If it is good for man,
we had better keep it for man. If there are
any classes of people whose business or pleasure
is helping to destroy the Sabbath their influence
is against their neighbors' well-being want
especially to get in plea for the man who works.
If he works six days in the week he needs to
rest on the seventh day, and has right TO- I
want to get in plea for good government. Sir
Charles Reed ex president of the London School
Board, says: 1.-THE defense of the Sabbath is
patriotic duty" Who believes that it would be
safe to hand America over to the Sabbath break
ing classesi We have the best country under
the sun, but how long would we have it without
church or school? The civil powers take cogni-
zance of Sunday, not because it is their bust
ness TO promote religion, but because of the duty
of self-defense. Government must strike at
What is necessary for the WELL being of the
state it is the duty Of the state to protect.
There are statutes concerning health against
nuisances. All nosome or bad smells are sub
jects of legislation. Drunkenness and other inn
moralities come before legislatures and courts.
not because they a re immoral but because they
are injurious and dangerous to society. It is in
this spirit and with such purpose that Sunday
laws are formed. They will be found in one
form or another in the statute books of every
State in the Union, with perhaps the single ex
ception of California. Our own laws on the sub
ject are clear, recognizing as misdemeanors
''riotine, hunting, fishing quarreling on the
first day of the week, commonly called Sunday"
Considerable public interest has been shown
with reference to the Sunday law passed by the
lower house of the present General Assembly,
and not yet acted upon by the Senate. This
bill is brief but vigorous prohibition of ball
playing on Sunday, making it misdemeanor
punishable with fine and imprisonment With
regard to this bill there are probably some good
citizens who would like it better if it prohibited
professional base ball seven days instead of one,
for the fact is that in too many instances this
great American game has gone into the hands of
the poolselling, gambling fraternity.
That is the fraternity whose greatest
need is to be thoroughly broken up
We need to do with them what Judge Moore of
Brooklyn, N. Y, has just done with one of
them, Mr.. Bauer, a wealthy and influential
Coney Island hotel keeper. For his persistent
pool-seiliDg the judge has imposed fine of $3.50
and three months in the penitentiary. When
there have been enough small towns in Indiana
,,-t>L 1~z1.
men impoverished by the betting, pool-selling,
bucket-shop methods, an outraged public senri-
ment will possibly interpoSe at last to protect
the common welfare My only criticism of the
pending bill would be that while We are hard on
one lot of sinners we had better be just and deal
with others all along the line. The thing to be
recognized is the Importance and necessity of
maintaining decent. quiet, religious Sunday
for America
We do not need to be religious ourselves to ac-
knowledge as much as that Let us contend for
Sunday just as we contend for fresh air aud
pure water We not get along without
them. ask it first OF the ground of health and
comfort man who voluntarily soils himself
to his own business to make money seven days
in the week, is simply abusing himself A
corporation requiring its men to work seven
days in the week is abusing other people
An exception is, of course, always understood
with regard to work that is unavoidable or
necessary. That none but lazy people object
to. Take course Of years. and a man will do
more and better week's.work if he gets one
day in seven. like the tone of the petition of
railroad men to Mr.. Vanderbili, $50 of whose
locomotive engineers petiti0ned him for a cessa-
ton Of Sunday labor. They pointed out clearly
that Sunday running had peculiar and great
hardships upon the engineers, and that this never
ending labor was running their health and pre-.
maturely making old men of them. The fact is
that the passion of our people for money.making
is beginning serious Entertainments upon the day
of rest, ana so upon the physical we'll being of
many thousands Of our citizens.
The United States Postofice Department
works on Sunday $50, 900 men. In little city
like this, take the postofice railroad people,
workmen on the street cars, railroads, butchers,
grocers, druggists, newspaper people, saloon
keepers. and other like lines of business, form
ing a proportion of our population who are prac-
tically deprived of their Sunday by the de-
mands of money getting Nor is it the
laborers individually alone that suffer from
this Sabbath work Wife and children suffer
with them. The home is adjusted to the Sab
bathless week. That sort of week is dreary
week. But our subject has regard not only to
business but what are described as pleasures.
Coarse pleasures, in the main, are meant.
A little Cincinnati girl is reported as saying in
answer to the question as to what the sermon was
about: 'Oh, it was about heaven" Then she
added: Wont it be nice. Nothing but music.
gardens races. and base ball games all the time.
When the astonished mother asked where she
got that idea her reply was From the preacher,
for he said that in heaven there would be Sun
day all the time"
1t is a sound rule to distrust and be ready to
oppose any scheme for the promotion of which
bad citizens are found swiftly mbning Who
make up the crowds who want more Sunday
license for pleasure readily see. Men profit
ing by the whisky traffic are willing even to defy
the statute forbidding even the Sunday traffic.
This question about the Sunday closing of
saloons has been fully tested in many places,
and the figures all speak in one language. The
consumption of liquor in Ireland during the
Sunday closing period, that is, since 1873 shows
a decrease of 1927, 000, 600. The six ordinary
days of the week gave IA, 600 arrests each for
drunkenness, while Sunday, the idle day-the
day when money is more or less available, and
day not specially observed by this people in
religious sense, and which is specially protected
from the business of the dram seller shows only
1000 arrests. The same sort of figures appear
with regard to Scotland and Wales. The Daily
Tel of IN Nav loo caid In