The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1896-03-07
Somewhat PuritanicaI.

The State Senators marched up the
bill and then marched down again.
On Thursday the Senate passed q
law making 1t q criminal offence
for any person to play any game
in any public place, club house, or
private residence or premises on Sun
day.
on Friday the bill was reconsider
ed, and, private residences stricken
from its text. This Is quite con-
cesslon to the citizens OF the State,
A citizen may yet play game Of
checkers, or chess, or whist in bis
own castle on Sunday, and the boys
may yet play game OF marbles no
for "keeps" in their own yard with
out being classed as breakers of the
law. But a gentleman may not play
game OF chess in his own. @,r4yate !.
bis haledfe fer .cJnb.
session for neorly two months has
not yet passed single measure to
secure the proper enforcement Of the
criminal laws of the State, or TO mitl-
gate the curse Of mob law that is
poisoning the moral life OF the State,
or TO provide properly for the State
convicts, or to provide better sys-
tenn than the slavery Of leasing coun-
ty convicts, although oil these evils
are obvious and paIpable to ordinary
observers who do not aspire to be
statesmen or .legislators. With all
these things staring them in the face,
these lawmakers are blindly devot,ng
day after day to the discussion Of
pistol sassying, gambling liquor SELL
ing, Cartridge selling, cigarette
smoking, and sunday laws, and can
see nothing of those larger and more
impol tant subjects that demand their
patient thought and attention.
1t was anticipated when this goody
gcody small business began there
would be no place given TO the glar-
ing evils that require reform. There
does not seem to be any man in the
Legislature who can carry any Of
these large measures through. And
the man Of smaller calibfe evidently
find their powers tested to full capa-
city in the advocacy Of the remedies
that they are suggesting.
Ii 1t 10 desired TO make ell men
moral and religious by statute enact
ment, then Senator Smiths amend
ment 10 the Sunday law ought to
have been adopted TO require every
body TO 60 TO church twice Sundays.
Perhaps the festive pistol-toter
might give up his gun II he heard
two good sermons every Sunday on
the subject Of the badness of that
practice, and the great evils which
follow from it. And the stern lynch
er OF persons accused Of crimes, il he
could be induced by statute to attend
church twice, nay euen once on every
Sunday. and be made TO listen to the
words Of the preacher and 10 join in
the prayers of the faithful, even he
might eventually see the error and
wickedness Of sitting in Judgment on
his fellow creatures and executing
them according TO his own sweet will
and pleasure.
Viewed as measure OF real reform
the Senate Sunday law, with Mr..
Smiths amendment lest out, 10 as
tlnkling cymbal and sounding brass.
As long as we permit the Laws
against murder to trampled under
foot, and the functions Of the Courts
to he usurped at will BY armed mobs,
in the name of common sense what Is
the use Of talking about the sin Of
playing. cards or whist or chess on
Sundayp
In New England, people at one
time were punished ~ witches, and
il was crime for a man TO kiss bis
wife on Sunday. They were pious
people. According to an old dog
geraI, on old Puritan was once found
whipping Of his cat Of q Monday
for catching Of q rat on a Sunday
-vicksburg Post.