Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-07
SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS.
Views Thereon Of an Eminent Methodist
Minister.

To the Editor Of The Dispatch:
The editorial on "The Sunday Paper IN
vour issue of the Goth ultimo, with your
permission. [ would like to notice. J was
truly Glad to find a journal so extensively
read and welding such potential inhu-
ence IN educating the people as the DE
PATCH does agreeing with the most rgld
advocates for Sunday observance IN the
belief that a Sabbath law has the Divine
sanction. and | was glad TO see s1ch an
array of Scripture quotations TO prove II.
The editorial, however, refers untaYora-
blv TO a petition sigt-2d by many represen-
tafiyps of the Massachusetts Sabbath
Union and sent TO tho Legislature OF that
state. protesting against the printing,
publishing, sale, and delivery OF newspa-
pers on Sunday on the ground that there
Is no inst or sufficient reason why the pub
fishing and sale of newspapers should re-
ceiye discrimination from the State over
any other form of business OF labor on the
Lords day.
The editorial asks:
'Why begin the war in favor OF rigid ob5er-
vance OF Sunday upon the newspapers
The war in favor of Sabbath observance
was waged before there was a Sunday
paper published in, the United states. A
Sunday issue is of comparatively recent
origin. The war TO enforce Sabbath OBJ
servance began more than seyenty-hye
wears ago, when laws were enacted and
placed on our statute-bOoks making 1t an
offence against the Commonwealth for
work other than that of necessity or
mercy TO be done on the Sabbath.
The war against Sunday newspapers Is
not so much for a rigid observance OF the
Sabbath as il Is against Migrant violation
and dissertation Of il. The law cOmpels
,f 81
on the Sabbath day TO cease their traffic
n makes no discrimination IN favor of
those who make and sell newspapers on the
Lords day, and until the law Is changed
they ought to be made to observe its require
vents as much so as the carpenter the
Grocer. the blacksmith, the merchant, or
men in any other avocatiOn. Where Is the
lustice of arraigniug and filming the black
smith for making pair OF lhorse5hoe5 on
on a back street on Sunday, and permit,
ting newspaper making and selling and
buying TO be carried on for hours unmoc
Tested on the main thoroughfare of q cityI
Let no exceptions be made where the
law makes none. An unfair administration
of law is a sure way TO make 1t, sooner or
later. nullity. Let the owners OF news
papers petition the Legislature to make
their business an exception TO the general
rule. for such action only can make 1t
LEGAL. and let them, until this is done Ike
others. keep the law and not assume that
they have a right to disregard 1t with I'M
punity.
/ saw in oil kindness and with deep re-
gret that Sunday newspapers are dong
more TO break down a proper observance
of the Sabbath aud 70 inculcate loose views
ON the subject than all the outspokeh OPP
posltion of its avowed enemies combined.
And | mayhdd that the example OF Sunday
newspaper publishers is fraught with much
evil TO society, inasmuch as 1t proclaims
that Gods law, as interpreted by the Wis
dom of our legislatures, Is so rigid that a
breach of it is iustihable.
We are told that 1.-THE rest-day is a boon
to the workingman. The rich man can
rest when he will-the poor man must rest
when he can"
True. the Sabbath Is the God-given boon
Of the workingman. And 1t IS for this very
reason that his right TO it ought to
be rigidly guarded by law. No man
or company of men have any right I'M
necessarily to deprive him of 1t and to say
10 him: You must work when we
tell you, Sunday or no Sunday, and
rest when you can" Let not the
workingman unnecessarily be deprived
of the day of rest God has provided for
him, and be told that be must rest when
he can-that is, rest when and az long as
those who employ him say, and not when
and how God tells him. A protest loud
and deep ought to be made against any
tendency in this direction.
As to Sunday newspapers, / believe as TO
the whole movement that it is needless.
80 real interest would suffer, save, per-
bsps, the loss OF little money, were there
q return TO the former custom of publish
ing only on six days Of the week.
In the great city of Lon1 don, with its mil
lions of people, the prominent daily jour-
nails intermit publication on Sunday, and
there Is no clamoring for them. | am Of
the opinion that not one newspaper is
published on Sunday in Scotland, and I'M
til the year 1861 or 1862 | do not know Of
one published in this country on Sunday,
Sunday could be easily dispensed with
now without serious damage to the public.
am entirely convinced that the Sunday
issue does much more harm than good.
IL is idle to try and break the force Of
the sanctity OF the Sabbath by assuming
that it was originally designed specially
for the Jewish nation--or that Sunday
laws can be justified only on the ground
that they may be olassed with police laws,
or laws passed for the benefit of the COM
munity without reference to the fact that
such laws have the Divine sanction.
The Sabbath was given to our first pa
rents in Eden, Genesis IL, %. and it was
therefore intended tor the race. When the
law was given the command TO hallow the
Sabbath was made conspicuous as one Of
the Ten Commandments. Ithas the same
rank as the other commandments, all Of
which are moral in their character and
universally binding. Nothing ceremonial
or merely temporary Is embraced in the
decalogue. EMP.
-------s.-n,--
A woman's rule in whist-when in doubt