The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-20
ICE CREAM DELIVERY

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The Times has always been an advocate
of reform, where it believed those reforms
were demanded by the moral and mate
rial welfare of the community. We have
also always held that the laws should be
enforced: whether good or bad. feeling
sure that where they are beneficial the
desired result will be accomplished, and
where they work hardship that this is
the speediest way to effect their repeal.
There is such thing, however, as giving
too wide an Interpretation to law, and
it has also been found where publ, opin-
ion is opposed to the enforcement uf an
unpopular legal enactment that it re-
mains dead letter by mutual consent of
the officers and people of a community.
In the case of Sunday observance, sec
tions and of chapter NV. page 107,
define the duties of the people under the
law, and prescribes the penalties for fail
ure to obey.
Section reads as follows: stNo person
shall on Sunday, labor Mt any trade O.
calling, or shall employ others in labor
or other business except in the ordinary
household duties of daily necessity or
in other work of absolute necessity, I'M
der penalty of not less than two or more
than ten dollars for each offense."
Section 3 says: "No person shall open
mis- store or shop on Sunday for the pur-
pose of selling or disposng of any arti-
cles of merchandise under a penalty of
not less than two nor more than ten dol
lars for each offeuse; provided, that this
section shall not apply to the sale of med
icines, newspapers and other current ar
ticlesn
While, in regard to the section last
quoted, there are many who contend that
tobacco is in the case of many individuals
both medicine and necessity, it is not
with this question that we are at present
called upon to deal. A recent order from
the chief of police forbids confectioDers
or other makers of ice cream from deliv.
ering that article to patrons on Sunday,
even when it may have been ordered on
the Saturday previous, or made up on
that day. 1t is understood, of course,
that this order has been issued under the
authority supposed to be conferred in
section 2, above quoted, and while by a
stretch of Interpretation such a sump-
tuary police regulation may be attempt-
ed, it is exceedingly doubtful if the franz
ers of this provision ever contemplated
any such perversion.
We are now told that ice cream cannot
be delivered at our residences on Sunday,
and are compelled, if we would enjoy its
refreshing GOODNESS, to have it made ut
home on that day, thereby imposing an
extra amount of labor on the cook or
other members of the household. Since
the city authorities have gone thus far in
their Puritanicai endorsements, it would
be just as reasonable, though not exactly
in the line of the law as it now stands. to
prohibit man from using his horse and
carriage on Sunday, and to promulgate
an order barring bicycle riders from the
streets on that day.
Many persons use the street cars on
Sunday, Which is nothing more than the
purchase of the transportation facilities
of that corporation, and every one knows
that more profit is derived from it's Sun.
day traffic than from any day in the
week. The next move, perhaps, will he
to prevent the delivery of milk on the
Sabbath, and we understand that The sale
of newspapers on Sunday by boys on the
street is also to be stopped; but how
this last can be done under the statute is
hard to see; for in section 8. where the
sale of newspapers is permitted, not
word is said as to the time of the day or
the place at which they are to be sold.
On the whole, however, it would be
moro in line with justice to enforce all
the blue laws of the city than to pick out
a few. Sunday is a field day for the liv-
cries stables, and yet the liverymen are
not prohibited from hiring out teams on
that day. Newspapers are issued on
and in many families the cooks
work harder on that day than ON any
other in the week. In the matter of ice
cream delivery, it certainly seems a hard
ship that the citizens should be cut off
from this supply.