Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-10
WORSE AND MORE OF IT.
WHAT ANOTHER MINISTER DOES
NOT KNOW.
Prejudice Against the Sunday Paper
(, Founded on Ignorance and
Bigotry.

Prejudice Against the Sunday Paper
/, Founded on Ignorance and
Bigotry.
The following communication was re
ceived on Wednesday night too late fo
publication in yesterdays issue:
EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN: 1 entertain a high re
gard for the RECORD UNION as an exceedingly
clean journal in the matter of news publication
l have still higher regard for it. because it!
editorial mention has been generally on the
side of right and justice. can say with theAht
OF San Francisco, that wish it could have seer
its way to avoid Sunday issue. But since the
management have deemed it necessary, under
the present pressure of competition, as matter
OF business enterprise TO make the change
l am sorry that it was not made upon
me TO enter my protest against the trivial
disposition you make Of this whole question
of the Sunday newspaper? Believe me
who do not consider the Sunday paper as q
calamity. Surely you are not so blind to the
widespread discussion of this question that you
can dismiss it from the public mind by simply
When Charles Bradlaugh. the distinguished
atheist and the advocate of English labor
stands side by side with the Archbishop of Can
terbury in opposing the introduction into Lon
don of the Sunday issue of the New York Herald
you will not toss their arguments aside as
ignorance or religious bigotry. When Moses
for sanitary or religious or economical reasons
or for all these, commanded the Jews to rest OF
the Sabbath day, you will certsinly be willing
to admit the generalization that he did moi
claim to know that at II O'Clock on q certain
specified night the Lord completed his work in
creating this universe, and that the man who
honestly observes one day in seven as day Of
rest is obeying in spirit the law of God as re
vealed in the law of Moses. 1t has BEEN the
where was born to date Sunday from sunset Of
Saturday to sunset of Sunday. You know that
it is perfectly feasible tor all compositors to
rest and worship during those hours
Monday morning. They would thus observe
the Sabbath as it is interpreted in thousands Of
Christian households Before you dispose Of
the ministry, who deplore the Sunday news
paper, by clubbing them in the lump ignorant
narrow-minded, bigoted, etc., will YOU please
answer for them the following questions They
are questions that will get answered in this land
of freedom whether you find an answer for them
or not:
1. The gospel of Christ is the gospel of human.
1ty. In the name OF tolliDg humanity 1 am la
rest one day in seven. Can the average com,
positor get that day of rest and publish news
paper seven days in the week? The true
Christian compositor must observe day of rest
Under your new movement can such a Christian
earn full wages for six days in your composing
looms and rest on the seventh? Then, if not
you virtually advertise mo Christian need ap
ply"
2. My second question is along the same line
Foremen in the great manufactures, when
large orders are at hand are now saying tC
their men, "fout must be here tomorrow
Sunday or you need not come on Monday
To such an extent is this carried that at the
present time three and a half million men in
the United States are engaged in Sunday labor
the most of which is unnecessary. All this is in
the line OF competition and you know enough
about political economy to understand that IN
the long run IL means leyeling of wages sc
that seven days work shall purchase no more
for the workingman than the present six days
work. When that time has come; when from
our poorly-paid masses the cry for bread is as
the sound OF many wa'e rS; when from our toll.
ing and burdened millions the cry for rest is
as the roar of Niagara; will you satisfy their
claim or satlate their hate by the sneer Of ignor
ance and blgotry?
8. The business man needs rest from ccmmer
cial and industrial news; needs rest from all
business eXcitements and excitements on the
Sabbath if he is to live out his days. The fash.
1onable world needs rest from society news and
social detail one day in seven If it is to main
tain any zest for life. If this is true, the tele
graphic news is not needed for Sunday paper
and all the reading matter necessary tor thai
day can as easily be published in the Saturday
issue. How, then. can you answer for the labol
imposed upon carriers, upon thousands of ne VS.
boys, upon the railroad employees who art
obliged to run trains in some States very largely
to carry the issues of the great dailies? WheI
lucu like fduueI anu OLueI great IallIO66
magnates are working industriously to solve
the problem, How can we reduce SUNDAY
work and give our employees day of restg' arr
protestations like this TO be set aside by thu
sheer of bigotry?
Your own Colonel Forney (who will never bt
indicted for piety) closes, in his Philadelphia
paper. description of Partisan Sunday with
these words. This is Paris on Sunday Wher
Is here, freedom will have gone from us for
ever" You will not overlap these words with
charge OF -mindednes. When Gen
essral Grant was worn and i'll, and certain rail
road rendered him special engine and car TO-
run TO Long Branch on Sunday he replied, 90.
have never yet found it necessary to travel OF
vocated the running of horse-cars into SOM
English suburbs on sunday, Dr. Parker, of tn,
Temple, London, replied: II second the motion
and make the amendment that Professor Tildel
serve as one of the Sunday drivers There is
day of judgment coming in America for thu
great enterprises that are so working the secu
1srization of our Sunday that millions of hard
worked men are compelled to add another da,
of toll TO their long week of drudging that othe
millions may indulge in ease and needles
pleasures No little petty quibbling like that O
SUNDAY work for Monday paper" will annihi
late the fact that the Sunday paper robs tn
compostor OF his day of immunity from toll
The preacher finds his hardest days wor
upon the Sabbath; but Monday offers hir
I'D. day , o. rest, IA, and III if ca ne so -,
observe 1t. If our great newspapers could dis
pense with a Monday paper in spite of the dc
mands of trade, they should do it; if not, the
let them disregard this nineteenth-centur
craving for excitement and ceaseless amuse
ment and give their employees a Saturday G
rest. or prove traitor to God and humanity
do not send out these hasty words as treat
ment of this stupendous question, that lies q
the very root of American liberty. They ar
simply few hints to your readers that tn
principle of unremitting toll and business III
DERIVING this question is not to be disposed of i
20 N hQf hraa
Respectfully, W. C. MERRILL.
The Rev. Mr.. Merrill as will be seer
has taken up great deal Of valuable spac
in which to say very little, but we hav
published his communication in full i
order tina. cur readers may see for then
selves how little knowledge he possesse
on the subject upon which he writes, i. e
the work of publishing Sunday new.
paper.
at the outset we wish to say that W
should have expected of gentleman {
his profession, that if he chose to back hi
position by quoting some one else. he woul
at least have had the fairness to quote col
rectly The San Francisco Alta said moth
ing about avoiding a Sunday issue.
Here is what the Aita said:
The RECORD UNION will hereafter be issued {
seyen-day paper. We would rather be able
announce that all the seyen-day papers wei
about to issue only six days in the week. But
we cannot do that we note the spirit of tn
REcoRp-uSIoN which is determined to be at th
head of the procession. 1t is credit to Ii
Capital aud TO the journalism of the State, an
an unswervable advocate of the interests of III
great interior, where the productive forces
the State are and are 10 be. Long may 1t pre-
forward.
Mr.. Merrills communication contain
many statements OF irrelevant matters
which we hsye neither time nor space
give attention. 1t is no concern OF ours tn!
Charles Bradlaugh, an English atheist
odorous reputation, does not like the Ne
York Herald, but we will endeavor to al
swer fully all of the questions asked whic
pertain to the subject in hand-the public,
ton of the SACRAMENTO SUNDAY USfo,
The first question asked is:
Can the average compositor get that day
rest. and publish newspaper seven days in
week?
Certainly be can, and i1ai The reyerer
gentleman could not have asked q Questio
which would more completely expose b
lack of knowledge, or Ignorance of Il
subject on which he writes. If be kne
ANYTHING about our business, he wou
know that very few compositors on ID
paper, or any other morning paper, avera,
more than ire days work in each wee
They invariably work by the piece. and |
a system of subs" or substitutes, lay {
any night they choose. They may VOL
Il - q l.