Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-06-18
SUNDAY BAIL PLAYING.
the subject of the Recent Mass
Meeting.


Rock ISLAND. June 19.-Editor AR
| GUS: If there should be a suppressio
OF Sunday ball playing it may now be
| asked, will this action do the cause of
Christianity and good? Notwthsta@d>
ing the fact that many churches believe
and teach that i. is proper to spend the
Sabbath day by devotional exercises in
| the forenoon and evening and the after.
noon In harmless pleasure, few NAV
| hold that you must worship God our way.
1t is all right to violate the law by run
| ming ferry boats, street cars. drug stores,
butcher shops, barber shops, ETC., be-
cause many of those interested pecunlar-
lily IN those enterprises are Christians of
our type, aud who do these things cover
the multitude Of our sins by meeting with
Others in Harper's theatre and publicly
announcing that we are umpires or re-
hglon. Had that meeting Tor any other)
to wait to be opened by the man without
sin, 1t would never have been held.
Working men in the three cities Day
export, Rock Island and Moline are re-
| quired by necessity to toll nine, ten and
| eleven hours day, six days in the week
Sunday is their day of rest, and they like
TO spend it as they please. They have
no disposition to annoy anyone. Many
of them 60 to their churches in the fore
noon, and in the afternoon stroll about
| The better class are lively and cheerful,
and, if some innocent amusement is fur
nished them, they 60 to it and enjoy
themselves. If they have no place TO 90
many of them naturally drop into the So,
| looms. There they meet others and take
| q n nj NJ frna I'D
until habit is formed in time, that, to
draw it mildly, dWarfs their future
| The day of the first Sunday base ball
game the remark was made,
| A grelt many wives and sisters are
happy tonight"
| "WhY?" was asked.
Because our husbands and brothers
came home sober They had been to
the ball game.
Posted up at various places about the
seats at the ball park are notices some>
! thing like this: Please Make no noise
during Sunday games to disturb the peace
of the neighborhood. Do not shout. "
| These notices show the disposition OF the
| boys who have charge of the base bail
business They do not desire to annoy
anyone, and it is a question whether any
one is annoyed who does not seek l..
There may be occasionally little cheer
ing, but almost instantly there is a gen.
eral suppressed hush, which quiets it
| down. But even if there should be a lit
tie cheering occasionally, is that a sin?
An old Methodist hymn says:
| Il do believe without doub:,
| That Christians have a right to shout
How many of the people at these Suds
day games are christians. Perhaps more
charitable towards others than some who
took part IN the recent meeting, and pos
sbly Just as conscientious in essentials,
Just as honest in their methods and just
as kind to the poor. as those gentlemen.
We have all hoped that the city of Rock
Island was on business boom. Every
body was happy and all were pulling neck
and neck to help every enterprise along.
Many of the liberal minded people
thought it would be well to encourage the
organization of base ball club. No
body claims that it is a religious Organizi-
ton, but we do claim that base ball is an
innocent amusement. All live cities
nova days have such organizations.
| People are attracted here by the games;
they patronize our hotels, restaurants
and business houses. Travelling men
make SPECIAL effort to stop here, they
transact their business and then have
some fun. They 60 away and talk about
the place, how lively it is, and how it is
booming, but now few have
thrown bombshell in our midst. These
same liberal people who have contributed
to organize the base ball club. also con
| tribute to the churches, not for gain, but
to lend helping hand to everything
necessary 10 build up city. Is it policy
therefore to create dissentions among us
and engender ugly feelingT Will 1t do
the cause of Christianity any good?
! Where turmoil, strife and unhappiness
exist, there the devil will have his har-
vest FREE THOUGHT