New-York tribune., 1886-03-23
THE HALF-IIOLIDAY REFORM
ENTHUSIASTIC SPEECHES II IFS FAVOR.

! he adODted generally in this country il cannot III. a.
MED that the reform has obi aimed strong hold g., ,t
city. The meeting at Cbckorng Hall last eyeuipo yy.s
! large and enthusiastic. Employers and crn,Iove.
society ladies aud shop-girls, GLIB men and clerrs
merchants and booAkcepers. ministers and laymen
manufacturers and mechanics, were present Lo,,
before oc ock every seat was taken and MANY were
turucd away. Among those on the platform aud ar1on,
! the Idicnce were Mayor Grace, Rabbi Browne tLs
! Rev. Drs J. B. RemeLsnyicr j. +. strobridge G.
| Roosevelt DuiIe, w. Il. Huntington. Il. 5 Macarthur
! AMI f. McGiynu. Morris X. Jesnp. Alexander Knox
| A. p Korhler John c. Ferner. K Toupkin- Dr
John A. Orrter. II. A. Oakley; the Reys. ). ; scw-
| ard +. c. Williams, George 9. Carter and Lindsay
Parker; j. II. Hawkins, Father Quinn, james Scott
| and Char es II. Sage.
| Emmett Il. Olcott chairman OF the committee who
has been working for months IN behalf Of the move
ment. opened he meeting. He gave history ol tAe
project from its beginning last year and explained The
nature of the proposed re om and added;
"We ask for no contribution. no financial support
but simply that you will abstain from .hoppin,
Saturday afternoons. DO This aud You will cou'er
boon to thousands OF toiors in this great city Is
displayed bundle of petitions containing the names
of thousands who have Pledged themselves TO do no
buying on the last afternoon OF the week On these
lists he sail wsre the names of almost every prom-
nent woman in the city.
Mayor Grace presided and began his speech 10y say
in! that the before him reuted the current
maxim that nothing but politics will h hall in New
York The Substance of his address follows:
Rufus C1oate used to say that mar can do a days
work in zen hours but not in twelve and IN tDis
agree with him. 1t not only the length Of time that
VT work that is valuable to ourselves or tie COM
muny. il Is the char deter aud quality OF tue "oid
l. man were won all day ana all night he would
soon have 10 stop altogether; lhe weary BRAN ana
the tired hand would not only turn ont mdirrrnt or
| po,itiyrly bad work. but the necessity for WORKING
under such conditions rains the worker hin sell
! man Is not "A machine; and he cannot be rtn AAe
machine ii To treat our horses - some en-
poyers of labor treat their employees the horses "eud
pt tris tLe, ,yol III die Now the great question %
determine is how 10 get The most YORK oi the best
| quality wear in AMI year out. that S: ho" much
man can do and do within certain time and preserve
hi, cluaclty to work tie same rate indefinitely We
know he cannot work sixteen holI uaS wee" dilar
week without running his health ana shortening M u"
! We know that under any creams ,ahceS u' c'"n hoI
| work longer than eight 10 twelve hours d'f and
more than six days IN the week. Dut the question -il
remains if every man and consequently The whole
community would be better of II our day WORK or
the aggregate houEsof work week were shortened,
| am satisfied that I've could all accomplish more by
| working well and thoroughly five and halt days in
| each week than by working six days. De matt dly
saved would he given TO recreation ana that Is only
another way of prononncing re-creation We eat
sleep rest and play tor thl- purpose aId i"I no "ei
! that Is. to re-create ourselves.
Without lifrs duties there be no pleasures. and
without the pleasures there can be no perlorahct OF
the duties. Hrmely a it l., nothing Is rner thqh the
old saying that all work and no pay makes Ja'H
dull boy.b Il worse. it ruins his useiulHe'S
altogether II he has time to rest, or % play De hAS
no time to make himself either ply ,lcally hrahy or
| a sound minded man and both of these tln1' are
| necessary To make good worker. great number Of
clerks and other employees in this els convinced ot
these facts but they seek the opportunity TO rene" no
! thai comes with shorter hours OF work lbe com,
woman must turn in and help. If all nuke Their par
chases before Saturday noon, the aggregate results
will only be reduced hours IN the long 'un Odt
change Of shopping h bits, virtual! lengthenmI the
! sunday or weekly day OF rest from twentyiour TO
thirty six hours aud all society viii be better Tor lt
will have gained by II something tiat Is worm more
than money; will have leugtheued the week by hall
day and by doing will have raised the standard OF
comfort and happiness in thousands OF homes. fOr
one am satisfied that there can he no better work.
and NJ hOier crusade. and pledge II my lndiErlual
support Applause. 10 such gentle people a. adie.
would not the word. boycott bn' wond slssrst
that such stores will not give their employees fhe
Saudy holiday good ones TO keep away from tho
rest of the week. Loud Applause.
Letters were read from several prominent men.
Chief Justice Noah Davis was detained at home bv
sickness senator Evarts said in his letter to tho
committee.
The adoption of the system earlier closing of stores
and change OF pay day seems TO me to promise con-
siderable advantages.
Other letters of a similar character were read from
the Rev. Drs. John He'll Howard Crosby Henry j.
Van Dyke d. Parker Morgan wilbur +. Watkins
William NJ Taylor, c. II. Parkhurst, Bishop Henry C.
Potter and the officers of the Young Women's Chris
tan Association. Resolutions requesting the Iroprie
tors of all in the city to close far as possible a
l o'clock on Saturdays, TO make the payday OF the
week earlier than Saturday were then introduced
! The Rev. Or. Macarthur spoke in 1ayo OF them az
| follows:
regard this as an occasion of more an ordinary in
terest to the social intellectual and commercial lite OF
| this CITY, Years ago in a Roman theatre wheu mau
! said am man and nothing that belongs to man Ii
| foreign to me' he greeted with Gtatenmg
| applause | believe such a time Is coming IN this
country when every good citizen will he able to say
the speech with like effect. The lime a. come
! when we must deal with the great problems Of labor
| and capital they are upon us and must be solved
Everything that goes To reconcile these TWO great
powers worthy of our support. such holc 10 Dc
the character of this movement which we are met 10
indorsr this evening. believe in the SATURDAY hall
holiday reform for its inherent justice 1t asks moth
ing that is not lawful and humane believe ia labor
He that work shall not eat Is true to-day
as it was in Paul's time but steady. sayinG ton Is
quite another thing. ANY corporation that IN rms
day will ak a man TO work more than twelve hours
day and refuse to him mole than - for such WORK IL
not worthy of the sympathy support OF any honest
man or woman. also believe that the saturday half.
holiday will tend to preserve the sanctty Of tho
Sabbath.
Morris K Jesup said that he was not pessimiSt
lie believed that people were getting closer together
and that capital aud labor would adjust themselves in
due time lie advocated the proposed reform for tho
good Influence it would have on the home Temperance
commerce. business. AMI religion.
The Rev Dr. McGlynn sa!d that despite his Roman
collar he appeared in pllre % tue Rev Henry Nad
Beecher who was unavoidably absent dc added;
feel that it is good for me TO be here. Naate'er
tends to the elevation the ceseryes our ' P'
! and in this case ii has il uHr sefFrdy. w '''''
mere to NIGHT in behalf ot Justice, charity AMI human
| ity hi, half holiday movement has been c,"du'l'u
with great prudeuco ana moderation. lt' a'Focot'
| do not thrcaer any body; they simply alPr" 10 l"o
kndliest feelings Tlclr demands are most Wooei'e'
| 30 one can possibly los, 10y granting them JGat -
! rnuch business will be done ever. only "nl 90
! Snno ,nor, Ii,nly on Saturday mornings and on tao
! othrr J,ys than heretofore For my part c'h Goa
peye of no reasonIbe objection 10 the reform l' "
| nart of ,nvsone We are but following IN thls meek
client rxanple set Us by Great britain where IL -.
bIinre o"ain.t the law 10 compel operative Ia toe
factories work ai;er o CLOCK Oh St,"l LA