The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-17
yTis Based on the charlottesville
Right to tho Pursuit Of
Happiness"
typical American Cities Where
. Healthful Recreation ID tho
Practica
Ihs New York Times On the Proposition
to Close tho Gates Of tho Fair
on Sundays.

One Of the most amusing Developments OF
che discussion over tho question of opening
Abe Worlds fair on Sunday IL tho attempt
30 stigmatizo ito advocates % ''un-Ameri-
San." and TO arouse . sentiment OF patriot
lsm In behalf OF keeping the gates closed on
that day. A conspicuous illustration OF
This 10 furnished in Iowa. One OF the na-
tional commissioners from that state. Mf.
Joseph Eibsck. was prominent and inhuon-
tial In carrying the decision OF tho ponfo'
and q ministerial association at Des Moines
has resolved "that we deplore the fact That
q n un-Anlerisan and Christian person.
champion OF ths snloon and Sabbath dss-
scsasion, 10. bv appointment. permitted to
misrspresent she people of Iowa ON the
board Of commissioner. by urging the Sum
day opening"
What IL the American way OF keeping
Sunday, and what views on The subject rem
der 4 man ''un-American'? These are In
terssting questions. and the currsnt discus
zion furnishes material for answering them.
Boston. Now York and P~hilsdelphis are
certainly typical American cities. How do
they observe Sunday? BY furnishing every
facility for tho healthful recreation OF
their inhabitants. through the opening OF
art mussums, the giving Of concerts in tho
= public parks, and the running Of excursion
trains and boats TO take the masses into
The country and to the ssashore. Phila-
eelphia, which has proportionally . smaller
foreign element than New York. was ahead
Of this city in opening her art galleries on
Sunday.
The smaller cities do not differ materially
In this respect from the larger. Take
Portland, Me-, for example. % representa-
tive Of New England. Every summer Sun
day excursions arc made from that CITY into
che White mountains. and Neal Dow last
year called attention to the orderly con
duct OF those who pntronized them (Which
he. Of course. attributed to the prohibition
law. For another part of the county take
Knoxville, In the eastern part OF Tennessee.
AZ the journal of that city says: .Ihs
foreign population i not ve;y strong mere.
II any people are imbued with the prinoi-
PIES Of the American Sunday. this ought to
BE-" How does Knoxville keep sunday
The journal Of last sunday thus answers
She question: "Wateh the electric ears to-
day, Behold the business the livsrymsn
Stroll across the county bridge. And Il
you know the ropes, enter the side doors."
Nor 10 IL only the people from "ths slums'
who devote Sunday largely. TO recreation:
Az the Knoxville Journal says: Coed
Christian people now give mp possibly four
and their dsvotions. The rest of the dny 10
spent in recreation. in amusenlsnt-seekinR,
In rest" The Presbyterian elder who oc-
oupied the White house from 1883 to 1o95
made . regular practice everv summer OF
spending Sunday In this way. often board
fuo Sunday in ease ON the vessel down the
Potomac or outside the capes. and getting
back to his desk some time on Monday.
without feeling under any sense OF obliRa-
zion to look mp q church during his sb-
sence.
The Iswa clergymen denounos Mr.. Ell
beck for misrepEssentinQ the sentiments OF
Iowa people regarding the Sunday opening.
But the policy which he supported has been
earnestly advocated by the most influential
newspaper OF the state, like the Des Moines
Register and the Keokuk Gate City. More
over. it was simply the same policy which
Iowa already putsuss regarding . state On.
Des Moines, which begins n week and
ends during the next. The grounds on
which this fair IL held are always open on
the intervening Sunday. People can walk
about and view the exhibits. and religious
services are conducted by some eminent
clergyman. This systom has been pursued
tor years without any consequences which
have provoked criticism.
The truth il that we have developed dur
ing the past quarter of y century an Amer
ican'' Sunday. which 10 based upon the
principle laid down in the Declaration Of
independence. that all mon arc endowed
with an 'u%nalienable right to the pursuit
Of happiness''-on every day of the week.
A contrary rule has. until a comparatively
recent time, prevailed in tho grenter part
of the country-a rule which forbade the
pursuit of happiness on Sunday unless one
could get it at chu CHI or reading religious
books at home; but there WINS never any
thing american" about this rule. Il was
assrvile imitation Of EnRland-the adop-
tion of a theory about the day which finds
no support In the life of the Founder o:
Christianity. or in the practice of the
Christian church outside of Great Britain.
So far from it's being "un-American' fol
MI. Eibeck to advocate the pursuit OF
happiness on Sunday. It il the very embod-
imsnt OF the principle upon which the
American system il based.