The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-30
GOLFERS ON SUNDAY LAWS.
To play or Not Question of Individ.
uaI Choice.
t(N. Y. SUM-

i gum
Attempts to stop Sunday golf playing
have been made at different times on
Staten Island, at Englewood, Meadow
brook. Greenwich and elsewhere by in
voking the aid of some old blue law, but
SO far without any share Of success.
Whenever such case has gone before
local Justice it has been shtwn that RolI
was quiet, orderly recreation, prea King
the peace of the Sabbath not nearly so
much as pleasure driving, riding or olcy-
cling, and the charges too contrary enect
have been dismissed.
AS an organization, the U. .. U. "A
has never discussed the subject OF Sunday
golf. The attitude of the average players
on the issue was expressed yesterday by
two of the U. S. g. A leaders. r. Bage
Kerr, the Secretary, and John Reid OF the
Board of Governors.
81 believe in the right Of every citizen
to pass his Sunday as he pleases." said
Secretary Kerr, providing he observes
the day in an orderly way. There Is no
recreation more h,althful to mind and
body than golf, and, especially If that is
the only time he can devote to the recrea-
ton, it would SAVIOR of puritanical rerse-
cution and narrow miudedness to arb1-
trarily forbid any Individual to pursue his
fayorite recreation on Sunday. Whether
club uses lis links on that day or not
should depend entirely on the opinions
and inclinations of Its members. o
"It is most emphatically the right OF
every man to play golf on Sunday shout
he SO DESIRE" was John Reid's comment.
land the men who uphold the game most
earnestly as a rule are too busy to play
on other days. OF course well-bred per-
sons will always show respect for the
opinions of their neighbors, even when
they do not agree with them. and when a
course is closely surrounded with dwell
ing houses and churches it might be bet
ter not to play. This, I believe, is the
6 situation at Morristown, where there is
no Sunday golfing. But when links are
so situated that. unless persons go out OF
their way to find them. the golfers are
quite secluded, consider it an unseemly
act to charge them with any breach of
law or decorum
J. B. Thomas, President of the St. An
drew S Golf Club, was earnest in declar-
ing that the Conscience of the individual
should alone determine whether he should
play golf or not on Sunday, but wheth-
er the members chuose to play or not he
considered that every golf club had the
same legal right to use its links on sun
day that householder had to light his
kitchen fires, which, he added, was re-
CARRIED as an ungOdly act in early New
england A similar estimate OF lndly1u-
ual and club rights was held by W. II.
Sands of the Golf Committee OF the
Country Club of Westchester.
In August, 1895, the Greenwich Giti-
zens' Association, of which the Rev.
Josiah Strong of the Evangelical Alliance
and the pastors of the local churches are
conspicuous members, made an attempt
to stop Sunday gulfDg on the links OF
the Fairfield County Coli CLUB, which,
like the Wee burn Club, is member OF
the q. S. g. A. A petition was at that
time sent to the club. signed by the Rev.
Russell Hall, President, and b. Malllng
How ard, Secretary of the Greenwich Citi-
Gems Association, and by a number OF
ohters. The relocated golfers aid not
pay any attention to the protest, except
to state that in consistency the Citizens
Association should have taken steps 10
stop pleasure driving and bicycling. Inc
outcome was that those who opposed
Sunday golf brought bill before the
Legislature in the autumn in which golf
was specifically forbidden on that day.
It was referred to the Judiciary Com
mittee. which ordered public hearing
on the bill, held in the rooms OF the SUI
preme Court at Hartford. What occurred
there is of interest in connection with the
Wee Burn incident. One OF the specta
tors was George f. Sheldon, a prominent
member Of the Fairneid County Club,
who was in Hartford on the day in ques-
ton.
sit was an interesting session, attend
ed by some 30U persons, said MIR. Shell.
don yesterday ss1hose who supported
the bill were mostly ministers connected
with the Citizens Association. The first
sensation was caused by a clergyman who
took the opposite ground from the others
and who mentioned various instances OF
the pernicious effects of sumptuary laws
on minor matters that had occuri ed in
Ohio and elSewhe in support OF his
opinion that in such matters public SEN
timent alone could control and legislation
would not protact A minister represent
ing the Seventh Day BapSisus then spoke
to learn where his sect would come in ii
the law passed. Ii gol WAS to be forbid
den on the day helu sacred by the other
denominations. why not on the day of
worship of his church, Next formal
protest against the bill WAS made Ky George
Gum, who went into the matter very
thoroughly.
Zone quotation from the speech that
made marked IMPRESSION" continued
Mr.. Sheldon, twas when Gum, to bling
out the dogmatic attitude of the bills
friends, saiu: Two centuries ago the
blue law said go to our church or pay a
| SIS fine; a century ago the law said go to
some church or pay 500 tine; today some
ministers ask for law STIMULATING that
| if men do not go to church on Sunday
they shall do nothing else on that day.
| Capital against the bill was also made by
the fact that among the sports to be ban
shed with golf no mention was made of
bicycling, it was asserted. from fear OF
| offending the l.. A. w. The strongest
| light against the prohi bitions of Sunday
| golf however, was on the ground that it
was a recreation and not sport in the
ordinary acceptation of the tie m "
| The bill did not pass. and Iator in the
session the friends of golf had the word
recreation" stricken out of the old Law
forbid hing all sports and recreatiouS on