The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-01
Accidents ON Sunday.

There are few adults in the south,
where the colored ''mauma" as a nurse
has been the rule for more than a cen
fury, who can not recall how, in their
childhood days, their sensibilities were
aroused and their horror excited by the
fearful tale of the boy who went a-fishing
on Sunday. He sat on a log and used a
long rod. When it became time for him
to go home he tried to do so, but could
not, and called for help. When his
mamma and papa found him the fishing
rod had grown fast to his hands, and the
boy had grown fast to the log. When
papa tried to cut the rod with his knife
the rod bled and the boy screamed, and
when the same kind of thing was tried
with the log it also bled, and the boy
screamed So mamma and papa were
forced to return home and leave the boy,
the rod and the log to their fate. What
that fate was the nurse never told.
Along the same line, but backed with
little more of probability were the stories
told to the older children of the certainty
of accident Detailing those who made
pleasure trips on Sunday. Whoever went
riding on Sunday was sure to get fall
and broken arm or leg, if not neck, and
those who went out on the water were
morally certain to be capsized, with all of
the chances in favor of being drowned.
These yarns, and others built upon the
same foundation-sup superstition have left
their indelble imprint upon thousands of
minds. Probably three-fourths of the
southern readers of newspapers have got
into the habit of looking in their Monday
mornings paper for reports of an extra
number of crimes and casualties. They
do not. of course, see in these things now,
as they used to, the evidence of swift
punishment for Sabbath breaking; not
because they are less reverent, but be
cause they have come to look for physi-
cal and rational explanation of the oc-
currences And the explanation is at
hand.
Sunday is the working peoples holiday.
On that day they rest from their labors
and seek recreation. They depart. for
the day, from their usual routine. Some
go to the seashore, others 90 to the coun-
try, still others charter a steamboat or a
train and make an excursion Generally
speaking, the day is given to spiritual
and physical refreshments In pursuit of
the latter, accidents. brought about by
unusual crowds, or the actions of the peo-
/ pie under circumstances to which they
/ are uuaccustomed, occur. Last Sunday
an incident il point occurred near New
/ York. party of pleasure seekers on a
/ tug boat, being ignorant of the necessity
/ for keeping the ship trimmed, !" crowded
on one side. The result was the boat
capsized and number of the excursion
lists were drowned.
Had the trip been on a Saturday, or on
a Monday, with the same people aboard
the result would undoubtedly have been
the same. II was holiday affair, merely.
II may have been breach Of the holy
day but if it was, there is no reason for
saying there was connection between the
breach and the casualty. If there We're,
what should be said of the Fourth of July
and Christmas casualties, ON those two
days there are usually more accidents
and crimes than on any other days Of the
! year. 1t is probable mat on the forth
coming Fourth of July theIS will be ex-
! plosions, drownings, fights ane murders
in various sections of the country And,
/ il the prediction shall prove correcL, the
/ untoward incidents will have occurred
simply because the people did not confin
/ themselves to business on that day and
went where disaster and crime were thu
more probable. And so it is with the
majority of the regrettable incidents thai
/ occur on Sundays.