The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-05
SHOPPING Until SIX.
The Rev. DR.. Seudder's Stir
ring Sermon on the Early
Closing Movement.

In the Tabernacle yesterday, the Rev.
DR.. Scudder preached a sermon on the
Early Closing Movement. He said:-
MANY are the causes which in the
course of a twelve-months are advo-
Gated from this pulpit, and it gives us
pleasure to support and encourage any
thing that makes for the welfare of
humanity at large, or any particular
class in society that is suffering from
oppression. On several occasions in the
past few years / nave spoken in behalf
of the Early Closing Association of Jer-
sey City. and tonight at their reqnes
l again lift up my voice in the interest
of the numerous clerks whose hours are
long and whose work extends we'll on
into the evening. Much is said in these
lays about w~orkingmen, and by them
people mean such as labor in mills and
manufactures. Their is a cry for a
shortening of the number of hours in
their daily toll, with all of which |
heartily agree. But 1t has always SEEM
ed to me that Che clerks in our stores
Jared worse than those who performed
the more ardUouS tasks OF life, Tor IN
many stores their work seems never 10
be done. They are kept behind the
counter until there is not a possibility or
another customer dropping into the
ing to do the same amount OF labor ana
more in two thirds OF the time. Why is
it then that the reasonable demands OF
the Early Closing Association are not
aceeded to? From time TO time there is
an agitation upon this subject, and many
of the stores agree to close by seven
BREAKING PROMISES.
''They keep their promise Tor
a season, but as a rule one BY
ing, until the majority drift back
10 the old system of remaining open
as long as their is anyone to trade. ONE
minutes, set the fashion for others, and
by and by, for fear of losing the GUS
toners, the others follow. / am glad TO
say, however, that there are eertaln A.
Boston and O'Brien's close at six O'Clock
and have kept up this self-sacrtneing
practice up to the present day. Ihey
have been true to their promises ana are
worthy of honorable mention.
Now there is one way by which every
store on the avenue can be made 10
year, n that is for the people TO 90
all their shopping before six O'clock.
Saturdays excepted. This Will settle the
whole question, for where there are no
But in order to make this movement an
unqualified success, the peopie as a
whole must do their trading before SIX
O'Clock. If any considerable number OF
our inhabitants shop after the hour, the
shops win be more or less open. for
some of the meaner men. In business
~stragglers and thus profit by the gener-
osity and public spirit OF chose VINO
WHAT IS NEEDED.
what we need on this subject is pub
lie sentiment. And now l call upon the
various labor organizations who are per-
petually asking others to aid them in
their struggle for independence, to sup
mort such stores as are true to their
pledges, and put up the shutters in time
for their clerks to go home to their sup
pers like the rest of the world, and take
abit of recreation during the evening. Our
army of clerks are men and women, and
not horses in treadmillS; they have feel
ings and aspirations like the rest of US
and do not want to be penned up from
eight O'Clock in the morning and earlier
in some cases to nine O'Clock at night.
Such hours are nothing short of slavery
and it is high time these slaves went
I are willing to make a little sacrifice.
If we say, Yes, / favor this REFORM,
and then run around after dark and buy
a pair of shoes or box OF collars, when
we could have done it equally well IN
the light there will be no such thing as
permanent and universal early closing.
Even if We do this in exceptional cases,
the sum OF exceptions during the year
will constitute a large body of shoppers
and thus defeat the movement. Let US
not make a rule for others and break it
ourselves. The women as a rule, can
trade in the daytime, and those men
who cannot do the same, can postpone
their shopping till Saturday night. Can
We not one and all inconvenience our
selves a tri1e, in order to bring sun
shine into the lives of those who are
confined in the stores from morning till
night? This would be duty and humani-
ty combined. In behalf of the Early
might reach every man, woman and
child in the city.