The record-union., 1897-05-15
WHY NOT A HALF-HOLIDAY?

In San Francisco there is a mild SEN
sation over the resolution of a large
number Of young men who train at the
gymnasium of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association Hall, to take a run
in the hills and woods Sunday after
moons to test their physical develop
ment.
The association has protested and
will shut the young men out of its
rooms if they persist. The youths re-
ply: I'VE propose to do nothing i'm
proper. We are not going to engage
in any exercises for gain, our outing
is not to be frivolous or for mere sport.
We are going out into natures
fields and free our limbs on the green
bosom of mother earth. We select
Sunday because if we do not, we can
not go at all Under the California
system there is no general weekly half
holiday Shall we therefore remain
cooped up between bricks and mortar?"
That is the gist of the argument The
cycling clubs Of California make much
the same plea. They say: we wish
to enjoy out door wheeling contests and
exercises. We cannot get the public
to attend them on any other day than
Sunday. We cannot ourselves take
any other hour from the unceasing toll
of wage earners. We would prefer not
to give these exercises on Sunday But
We realize that it is Sunday or no day
at all. Also, that if we do not con-
troll these exercises and keep them
clean on that day, they will fall into
the hands of the booksellers and gam
blers, and the wheeling will cease TO
be clean and honest"
On the other hand their opponents
argue that Sunday is the day OF rest
by divine command and by general rec
ognition. That its observance as a
holy day has bettered the world, and
given the people Of the nation distinct
i've character. That ii is the day for
special worship in church and religious
assemblies, and 10 make it a day Of
sport and recreation is to desecrate it
and violate the best traditions of
Christian life, and to promote a ten
dency that will reduce US as a people
TO lower level of civilization.
All which we recite 10 emphasize the
demand for a half-holiday on Satur-
day That will largely settle these
questions and harmonic elements now
in conflict. 10 some extent Saturday
afternoon is now half holiday in the
larger towns and the cities In San
Francisco nearly all jobbing business
ceases on Saturday at noon. There and
here the banks, insurance and real es-
tate offices are closed Saturday after
noon. In the East half of the day is
generally recognized as a holiday, and
notably in New York nearly all bust
ness ceases on Saturdays at high noon.
Why not make the practice general?
1t will cause loss to no man. but
viii make gains for all. There will
be no less consumption of goods, no
less quantity of products sold. no
smaller number Of articles pass over
the counter Wage earners will come
to their work on Monday in better form
and spirits, than where all recreation
is crowded into Sunday, and unhappily
too often into it's night. The Saturday
half holiday viii do here what it has
done in the East; open athletic sports
to vast body of people to whom they
are now closed, by conscientious scru-
pies, and who are DESTROYS of patron
izing them, but will not do so on the
first day of the week
The reasons for the half-holiday are
so many, so strong and so obvious, that
we do not deem 1t necessary to re-
count them further. What has been
accomplished in the larger towns and
the cities Of the East, can be done here,
and there is no reason why ii should
not be done That very important
body. the League of American Wheel
men. numbering nearly 100000 per-
sons. has been able to maintain with
success its athletic exercises solely be-
cause of the Saturday half holiday,
and because it does so, and forbids its
athletes to indulge in such exercises on
Sunday, we have the division and seces-
sion, that has largely cut Northern