The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-04
SUNDAY LAWS.


sachuselts lately. They have IN
covered and brought to the surface
some Sunday laws passed 200 wears ago
hut which have not been enforced for
ally ihree quarters Of century. These
laws forbid the prosecution of any gain
IA, calling on the first day of the week,
making it penal offense for a barber
70 shave a person on Sunday, for
druggist 70 fill a physicians prescrlP-
ton, for a boy to sell q newspsper'ior
street car or hack 20 run on the streets
for milkman 10 deliver milk, Tor
baker TO send out bread, and so on; IN
fact. the law foroids al labor which can
be avoided. and every form Of traffic
and trade foIgain. A case having been
taken to the Supreme Court oil the
state that tribunal has declared
the laws valid, and as full OF HE
as If they had been passed only last
wear. Backed by this opinion
the truly pious people Of Boston have
set out to make Sunday real Sabbath
in that metropolis. Druggists milk
men. newsboys, bakers, BARRIERS and
others were first warned TO obey the
law. and upon their failure to do 80
we're either arrested for its violation,
or notified to appear before the Justices
for punishment. For two Sundays
mast, an earnest effort has been put
forth to compel respect for the anti
ouated statute The police have not
taken kindly TO the task, but are doing
fairly we'll. The arrests have been
numerous and many fines have been
irnDosed. but these latter haye so lar
been light, as if they were intended rs
warning rather than as punishment for
vluul wrong-dOing.
1t was a statesman, whoever he may
have been, who said that the best way
70 bring about the repeal OF bad
Ian Vas 10 enforce il. A
vigorous enforcement of the ancient
Sunday laws of Massachusetts, viii
cause their repeal quicker than any
amount of agitation while those acts are
not applied; and with the repeal OF the
antiorated statutes will come the
enactment OF laws that are in harmony
with the age, and rational in their pro-
visions. In all American cities there Is
too little regard for the Sunday; In
MANY OF them the day is Sunday only
in name. differing from other days
in the week, if at all, only in the greater
boisterousness vi CHI it brings, and the
greater levity. STaday is selected Tor
horse-racing, ba|-playing, boating, pic
nicking, and pleasure excursions, be
cause on that day people think they
have nothing else TO do but give them
selves over to thoughtless amusement:
and lively pleasures. This is all wrong
and calls for better legislation and :
far better and more vigorous en-
forcernenI Of existing laws. o.
the other hand, it would b,
an idle effort to undertake 10 bring Al
American community of this age to {
conformity TO the requirements Of tn
Sunday laws of Puritan times. Tn
people have changed with the years
their ideas in regard to religion hav
undergone a wonderful change, snC
their whole social natures have bee
reyolutonized. 1t would be easier I
put a community into knee breeche
and hose, to have them all long-haIre
and smooth-shsved, than to train theI
to the WAYS of sn early Puritan Sun
day.
There is a medium, whether or not
isa happy one. between the extremes
and 10 strike that medium is what legi
lators and executives should try, an
what they can do if they viii be wiss
their efforts. There are some thin
that cannot be done now, that we
easily accomplished last century. F,
instance, a law that forbid the sale
newspapers on Sunday morniI
could not be enforced in ST
Americancity, be ause public Sentime
would not permit its enforcemeI
Three people out of four want the
newspaper on Sunday, and vii! have
They regard it as essential to their We
being and happiness; in fact, have ma
the paper necessity with them. On
other hand, little or no hardship viii
occasioned by closing the barber sho
on Sunday; nor by keeping dry goo
and jewelry stores, stock exchang
and so on shut. Years ago it was
easy matter for railway companies
run no trains on Sunday, bit "
would seriou l. think Of saying tod
that trains must stop from Saturd
night until Monday morning.
We believe the majority sentiment
the American people is in favor OF
observance Of the Christian Sunds
but that majority sentiment interpr
. Christian Sunday TO mean a q