The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-17
OF SUNDAY SPORTS.
CRUSADE IN FAVOR ,NAuGuRATEp BY
A WORKING BOY
Emil Fuchs of New York Wants Leave to
Play Gamss on the sabbath--Gets En-
couraging Letters From Leading Citi-
sens-what the Boys Ask For.

L
| Emil Fuchs of go Delaney street. boy
| II the east side of New York, not yet 90
years old backed only by three of the
| working boys clubs-the Endeavor, S. H.
| l. and Chadwick Civic-has determined
that bill should be passed by the legis.
lature legalizing nonprofessional outdoor
sports and games on Sunday for the bene
fit of the boys Of Greater New York.
Emil Fuchs is not an outsider. He Is
| one of the lads who toll under adverse CIR
cumstances, and therefore when he told me
how IL came about that he and his friends
began TO clamor for this desired freedom
he lifted for a moment the inner curtain
which shuts out from the public gaze the
great beating heart of the east side
You don't know what hard life these
boys lead. he Said with steady gaze out
of his big brown eyes. Most OF them
work at wiring brushes and doing such
things six days In the week, from half.past
6 O'Clock In the morning until 6 o'clock
at night They stand all day and have
no exercise At night many of them at.
tend school. Naturally, then, when Sun.
day comes. they want some amusement
About 10 o clock they begin to gather to.
gether and ask. What shall we dos' They
don't want to read, for they have not
been brought up that way. They don't
want to sit in the house, for the houses on
the east side are not generally attractive.
They are not allowed to play ball and such
games, so what is the RESULT They hide
themselves In the back of candy stores and
play craps and cards. gambling all the
hours away They must have some fun,
you know, for boys have got to employ
their energies in a harmless way or else
get into mischief
1T is so easy for the rich people to lay
down laws which are made to suit their
conditions In life and not ours. They can
exercise all the week If they please We
cannot We have only one day In seven,
and that is fenced about in such manner
that it does not afford us much benefit.
1--WE seldom try to play any outdoor
games now on Sunday, for the boys always
say: What's the user Well be chased
1--WE went up to Bronx park not long
ago and began playing ball. We only be-
gan, for policeman on horseback imme.
diately went for us. He was clever enough,
for he told us he sympathized with u.s.
though he had to do his duty and keep the
law from being violated.
about three weeks ago a crowd of us
fellows went up to Central park and be.
gan pitching tiny rubber ball from one
to the other. We were not trespassing on
forbidden ground, but simply on account
of that little ball policeman rushed up to
us and made an awful row. About that
time runaway occurred near us and in
stead of attending to that, which was i'm
portaDt the policeman stood rowing about
that little bit Of a rubber ball. The whole
affair set us to thinking and made me de-
termine to try to get law passed which
would afford more justice than is now ac-
corded to us.
II don't want all day sports on Sunday,
because / do not believe the boys should
have temptations thrown in their way to
keep them from attending church. We are
only going to ask that we may play after
/ o clock on that day.
II believe that we need exercise and
fresh air and that we will be made better
instead of worse if we are allowed to OBJ
tain both by indulging in harmless sports.
"We have been carrying the petitions
around to the night schools lately, and if
you could see the faces of the boys bright
ening up as they sign their names you
would realize just how much they long for
US to succeed in this movement.
Emil Fuchs wishes it understood that
bis efforts in the work he represents are in
no way connected with the Hamburger bill,
which wishes to open theaters on Sunday
and allow professional baseball. The pc
tition which is being circulated reads:
1--WE, the undersigned, working boys of
the city of New York, being employed dur
ing the six working days of the week, do
hereby respectfully petition the authorities
of the city and state of New York to grant
permission to the general public for in
diligence in all sports and nonprofessional
games which are legal on other days of the
week upon Sunday after p. M, and at
such places where said sports and games
are permitted on the other days
A thousand signatures have already been
affixed to these petitions. The appeal will
be presented at Albany about the middle
of February by some responsible person
not yet selected The movement has caused
much comment, and young Fuchs Is being
stormed by all kinds of letters for and
against it.
Among the many letters received by the
young leader are notes from Bishop Pot.
ter. the Rev DIR. Lyman Abbott, the Rev
DIR. Parkhurst. Seth Low, the Rev. DR.
Rainsford and the Rev. NJ. j. Savage
Bishop Potter's letter says:
II will gladly sign petition for holt
day on Sunday after p m, but cannot
see that what you propose would not in
! volve an enormous invasion OF the Sunday
rights to the Sunday rest of great mul.
| titude of people,
Here is what DR.. Lyman Abbott says:
IL should want to know more about the
| proposed law before signing the petition
| for 1t and approving it. ! am strongly op.
| posed to the opening Of Sunday theaters,
concert halls, etc., but 1 should also be OPP
| posed to any interference by law with such
| innocent games as were carried on with
| out disturbance Of that quiet of the day
which is essential to its value for such as
wish to use it as a day Of both rest and
| worship. They are entitled to adequate
| protection So are the workers whose
rights to a Sunday rest can be adequately
secured only by law This being secured,
each individual should be left free to use
his quiet in such way as his own judg
ment, inclination and conscience may die.
| tate
| DIR Parkhurst is rather caustic In his
letter he says
| II have too much respect for the Sab.