The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-18
FOR EARLY CLOSING
Rev. Nh. Seudder Suggests
Means for Attaining
the End.

As q prelude TO his regular Sunday
evening discourse. the Rev. John l..
Scudder. OF the Tabernacle. last evening.
had this to cay concerning the EARLY
Closing Movement
"Touight I have been requested TO ad-
yocate the cause of the Early Closing
Association. aud more particularly TO
show the eason why they were not suc-
cessful during the summer mouths In
their attempt to secure q shorter period
OF daily labor. This movement To close
the stores on the ayehue at seven O'Clock
In the evening, Saturdays, OF course,
cepted, Is Que that deserves nothing but
praise, and ought 20 be Enthusiastically
upheld by every one IN this who pretends
TO love his fellow -ulan and tellow-woman.
l sincerely pity this army of pale faced
clerks, VINO scarcely emo the meaning
OF sunlight and keep working away IL
the sreadmiil OF human drud9ery from
eight o'clock in the morning until eight
O'Clock at night. / do not wonder that
they rebel against this long. unnecessary
term of service. ana nave banded together
to agltate and secure their rights. Here
Is q reform that has Jagged for years
aud now l shall tell You why progress.
has been SO slow.
TWO PARTIES AT FAULTS.
I'm the hrst place there are a few
contemplate storsKsep .rs who refuse to
close early ever II other stores put up
their blinds and let their clerks go home
at seven o'clock. They are SO extremely
selfish that they are willing to coin mouey
out of the k%inditness of their fellow
iradesmen. They boldly say that II their
neighbors clio 20 early They will stay open
late and catch their trade; and thus, to
protect themselves their mora generously
disposed competitors are forced to keep
their stores open against their will and
against their better Judgment. Thus.
the most sordid. abject storskeepers sat
the fashion for all the rest
BOYCOTT THEM.
NOW, what can we do with such
INSCRIPTIONS. hard hearted men? ]
ought not to call them men, for to ME the
word N meabs q great deal u ought
not to be used as a synonym for mean.
ness. How can we bring our influence to
bear upon these blpeds. compel them to
be decent and meet their fellow trades
man half wsyi can tell you how to do
it IN two words. Boycott them. Ascer-
tam who THESE ~unprfncipled storekeepers
are. aud do not give them a penny's
worth Of patronage during the entire
year. Buy elsewhere. When they begin
to feel the r%etrihution of public wrath
in diminishing receipts, they will heed
the dictates Of 9th Justice aud mercy
but not before. I wish our Jersey City
papers would publish a list of those stores
which are willing TO close at seven
O'Clock and those which ara not willing.
II they will present US with such At list |
will promise for one never to trade with
those stores tnat are opposed to early
closing.
THE CAUSE.
II am told that one prominent store OF
Newark avenue has blocked the wheels
~ fbto Nrafnrpn dtIrinn fho n,Sf rhran
months, aud entailed suffering not only
| upon It's own clerks. but those who stand
behind the counters in ali the other
| stores. Furthermore, I I'M told that this
p~retentious establishment has FORBIDDEN
all It's clerks TO jin the Early.
Closing Association. II these u mors
are G rect, such business
spirit. ongit to be visited with popular
displeasure. 1t ought to be made 10 feel
the results OF It's ~ t~nhuinauity. I'm ere
| are some people in this world vino are
not guided by a sense of justice, but are
behOlden to the community for their
livelihood. Under SAID circumstances
stances the community should tell them
very plainly which roa To travel.
T-HoUGHTLEsS PUBLIC.
Next to the hearilsss s~torekeeper IN
retardtng this movement is the thought
less public. II the people OF this city. o I
any considerable portion of them would
set q limit OF time and say, We will mol
buy any article of merchandise after seven
o'clock. that would settle the problem in
short order. Ii there were no customers
| the stores would soon close and
the clerks would go nome re-
| joicing and nave the evenings
TO themselves like other people.
Now. If we believe IN brotherhood and
want to help the oppressed this Is pre-
cssely what We will do; aud furthermore
We Will induce as many OF our frientls as
possible to follow our example. Let Us
remember that we. the peopie, through
orr heediessness OF indifference are In
| the last analysis responsible for ibis late
closing nuisance. Bv tradiug late we en-
courage the storekee9ers to keep open
! ,ate. Now, II we are consistent WI shall
mend our ways Rt the same time
that we denounce the misdoipgs of our
~ueignbors. The time has come Tor Us 30
talk less about early ctosing aud do
more.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE.
There are only two ways OF alb tti nc
this evil. Une Is for the storeksspers tu
after u certain hour. The other is for the
| people to refuse to buy after that same
hour The first method would succeed ii
the tradesfEeu were unanimous; but Lhe
second would be successful, whether
they were unanimous or not. So that,
after all, this reform, like all other re-
forms. depends upon public sentiment
and public practice. II. during the sum-
mer. sou have bought goods after seven
O'Clock, you have so far damaged
the cause OF early closing, and l now adj
wise you to ask the Lord TO forgi We you
and promise to do so no more"
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