Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-20
Beer Selling on Sunday.
. Of The Evening Star:

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
noticed in your issue of the 18th instant a
copy of letter purporting to have come
from the Rev. j. r. Matthews, pastor of
ST. Cyprian's Church, and addressed to
Chairman Curtis of the House District COM
mittec, calling attention TO the question OF
beer selling on Sunday. 1t appears from
the close of the letter that the Rev. Mat
thewz is not actuated by temperance mo-
tiyes for he states that he does not wish
to be regarded as fanatic on the temper
ance question" But the question of i'm
portance" is the matter of selling kegs of
beer on Sunday" The evil to his mind, APP
pears to lie in the Sunday sale l would
like to ask the Rev Matthews why he alb
hors an "eviP' because it Is practced on
Sunday? Is a sin increased to greater eX-
tent because it IS Gone on sunday! is not
beer selling, by its very nature, wrong and
demoraiZing on all days? Then why place
so much stress on Sunday? He noticed
hundreds of kegs of beer carried through
the streets of East Washington on two
particular Sundays. do hope that his eyes
are not closed to the sight presented on
other days of the week-hundreds of wagons
and possibly thousands of kegs of beer
carried through the streets.
The more our attention becomes. fixed
upon the assumed sanctity of Sunday the
more tendency is there to see in the desc
Grafton of the day a greater offense than
ecrated until the main evil of gambling and
liquor selling will seem to lie not so much
in the demoralzing nature of such prac-
tees as. in the fact that they are conducted
tend really to strengthen the hold these
evils nave acquired upon public tolerance.
The effort that should be directed toward
their entire. suppression on all days is
largely expended in making them conform
to the requirements of the Sunday law;
and, ha wing conformed to its requirements.
they by that very thing acquire degree of
responsibility in the public view which
otherwise would not be possible.
Cannot those who desire good city gov
eminent see the danger which lies in this
diversion of Ithe force OF public sentiment
from the evil thing itself to its dissertation
of Sunday? If they cannot, 1t is not be-
cause the danger is not real and consplc-
CouS. ID
To suppress liquor selling on Sunday only
is to tacitly assent to the traffic on other
DAYS of the week Behind such law the
evil traffic can take refuge, and hold up It's
monster head without fear as a iaW,apld-
ing institution" But do lovers of good gov
eminent want such a condition of things
to exist? Let all such arouse to the danger
of the movement which would oppose these
evils by suppressing them on sunday we
cannot advance in the direction of good
government by way of sunday laws.
They are a decention and snare. To Sc
cure good government an evil must be OPP
posed because it is such in its nature, and
not because it is connected with what may
or may not be wrong according to the
truth or falsity of theological tenets. With
such conditions civil government can have
nothing to do. Whether Sunday desecra-
ton is right or wrong is question with
which the chief of police of any city, or
any other civil officer, as such. has
Germ whatever. 1t is question to be set
tied by Scripture. and the truth of Scrip
ture can be settled for an individual only
by the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
NJ. C. STRACHAN
1914 New Hampshire avenue
Januars Is, 1850.