The Dickinson press., 1903-07-04
Sunday Sports.

AsAA~ VA q -NoU si1~
oil Our .Am-rican RsIianlic."
He Said in par. AZ follows: i s.
The working people. those who toll for
should favor Sunday dissertation by pub.
lie sports, for the experience of all his
tory is that a Sunday Of carousal and
or two, becomes a Sunday of toll for the
workingmen. who will then have to work
seven days in the week for six days pay,
as is now largely the case in Europe.
The American Sunday, with its oppor-
tunities for rest and religious teaching,
canno be lost in North Dakota, or any,
where else on this continent, without
great and eternal harm and damage.
If public games and sports or Sunday
make for the moral health and puri6ca-
ton Of society, then let US shut up our
churches and all engage in them. But
the law Of North Dakota forbids Sunday
sports, and ordinary work and business
on the first day of the week, enumerating
the following, the doing of any Of which
is Sabbath breaking. Servile labor,
public sports, trades manufactures and
mechanical %employments. public traffic,
serving process, all shooting, sporting.
horse racing, games OF other public
sports. Any person doing any OF these
things is guilty OF a misdemeanor, and
punishable by a fine of not less than one
dollar mol more than ten dollars, at the
discretion of the court, for each offence
Chap. 4 Rev. Code N. D. 1890, Sec
tons 6837, 684o, 6843 and 6847.
These laws making Sunday a day of
rest and forbidding certain things to be
done on this day, were not made by
tyrants and oppressors, and were no in
tended to curtail the freedom of the peo-
pie and injure their health and morals,
but were intended to protect the liber-
ties, health and welfare of the people,
and the man who breaks these laws is
not only a traitor to his country, but is
injuring himself and undermining our
civilization. The man who violates the
law doest not hurt the law-he smites his
own soul. If Sunday laws are bad and
injuring society, they ought to be re-
pealed.
We are all interested in the progress,
civilization and prosperity of North Da-
kota, and if hunting, fishing, driving,
working, playing ball, OF anything else
is the best way to spend Sunday, to up
lift mans moral nature, promote public
health and safeguard civilization, if these
things are blessing men, then those who
protest against them are narrow-minded,
unpatriotic people, who ought to 60 down
on their knees before God, confess their
sins and humbly ask for alliance with
these things that bless the world.
If in opposing Sunday ball games, and
all other illegal Sunday dissertation, we
- o~~~~-~ khA hast sntApAefc nj the
people of Dickinson and North Dakota
we want to admit that we are medieval
prejudiced bigots, and we want to repent
of our ignorance and folly and go and
join the Sunday ball games of patriotic
citizens who are working for the better
ment of society. That is the test. Are
we working for the best interests, health
and welfare of the community and the
nation?
If we can violate Sunday laws and pro
hibition with impunity, why no the law:
against cattle and horse stealing and al
the rest7 These laws for the protection
of the moral and physical health of the
people are as important as these for the
projection of property, for life and
| property will soon be unsafe in a com
munity that tramples upon moral or any
other law.
Where there is no Sunday keeping
there will be no church going, and where
there is no Sunday keeping and nc
church going there will be no religions nt
| where there is no religion there will bt
no God, and where there is no God Their.
is no conscience, and where there is NJ
| conscience there is no respect for thu
| rights of men, and where there is NJ
respect for the rights of men there is nj
security for life and property. Nov
take religion, God, conscience, respec
for the rights of men and protection o
life and property out of the American
republic, and Just how much of what j.
left is worth havlng3
Look around over the map of popular
freedom in the world and you will hne
I that it is not accidental that Switzerland
J and Scotland, England and Canada
| Australia and New Zealand and tn
| United States-the lands where tn
| christian Sunday is best observed-ar,
almost the entire map of safe, popular
government.
The christian Sunday is tho starting
| point of great good in our land and an,
attempt to break down the laws protect
ing it will be a lasting damage to Us ant
our country.
The finest type Of our American mel
are its Sunday keepers, our p%hilanthro
pists, educators, statesmen and presi
dents, like Hayes and Garfield and Har
rison and Mckinley and Roosevelt
The latter in his great swing around thu
circle rested on every Sunday, and ever
went to church. These are the mel
whom the republic delights to honor ant
these Sunday keeping presidents are thu
men who honor the republic.
When De T~ocqueville, the distinguish
ed French statesman, visited America s.
years ago, on being asked which Of GU
institutions seemed to him most charac
teristic, he answered without hesitation
1.-THE American Sabbath" on that day
the hammer lies on the anvil, the fire il
banked in the furnace, the workman Il
resting in his home. This IL a true wit
ness and recognition of one of tho grea
forces in our civilization.
Anglo.American civilization rests en-
the religion of the New Testament. thu
free church, the free school, and thu
observance of one day in seven as a dal
of rest. Whoever Is an enemy of eitheI
one of these, or helps to destroy eitheI
one, il an enemy ofths American Repub
lie.
Unrecognizedi in its workings the Chris
tian Sunday is the force which has
wrought out the choicest and best thing
which our Republic has to show to tn.
world. Largely toll we are indebted TO
juster laws, better schools, happier homsl
greater security of social order, than Cal
be found in any other land. Letus keel
it sacred forever. Let the western enc
of North Dakota fall in line with the tru,
order of our Republic.
AS good citizens let US uphold civic
righteousness, and let US preserve GU
American Sunday, a corner stone of GU
national well-being, and let us refuse Il
support Sunday dissertation and sports
which tend to break down this day
which has worked SO powerfully 70
good in our civilization, the christian
Sunday, the laborer's magma charter, tn
palladium of their rights and liberties.