Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-14

are by no means too strict, that they
 do not safeguard too carefully the good
 order and decency of the community,
 that they do not secure too great prlV-
 ileges for those who toll, that they do
 not protect too sacredly the rights or
 those who in accordance with long eS-
 abolished precedent would devote the
 first day of the week, or some part oL
 it, to religious services. and would se-
 cure peace and quiet necessary tnefeto' Especially do we believe that the
 game of football played on Sunday anu
 bringing together crowds numbering
 thousands to witness it, is not only violation of the law of the state and or | our city ordinances but is a violation so gross of the traditional customs ana beliefs of the people of New Englah
 that it must necessarily grieve anu scandalize the more stable element III | the community and give our city Dad name in the eyes of Christian people l everywhere When we consider what a mixed multitude our population has 1 become, how utterly ulldiscipllned-to 1 judge from the occurrences Of the past | year or two-the younger element ol | that population seems to be- ana no"
 many thousands there are among us
 who have come to our shores Wlthout l the training that. fits them for cltlzen-, | ship in a republic, the training that ue-
 veIops self control and guarantees goou
 order, courtesy and peace, We feel lhat
 the education our city needs is some l thing very different from that WHICH l is imparted to assembled thousands 1py 1 inc snectacle Of Sunday football. Such ! a spectacle is reminder too wildly 10
 be agreeable of the crowds and the comIbats of the ampitheater i'll ancleht 1 pagan Rome. when Christians, on de- l mand were '"butchered to make
 l Roman holiday" l As regards Sunday traffic, we do not undertake to decide how much is COW 1 cred or how much ruled out by the phrase of the statute, works of neces- | sity and mercy,'' but fact that m l presses us and weighs upon Us qulte as much as the spectacle of sunday
 amusements, is the steady encroach
 ment, made in obedience to the ue- l mands of a tyrannica1 and dominating | secIIarism upon the rest day or the l workingman It is certainly a growing l danger; it threatens our American
 civilization, and we feel that II the I workingman is himself 1ndlHerent to it. his interests should be regarded ana protected by those who look ftlrthef I into the future than he, and nave
 learned from their study Of the past
 how grievous loss is involved for all
 the people in the complete seculaflza-
 ton of Sunday
 In regard to sparring exhibitions ana
 prize fights. we are relieved. from the necessity of any special deliverance by the course of. events, by the actlon ol ofr legislature at it's last session. we
 hone we shall never have occasion
 again to fight such a battle as some ol ne for the sake of common decency' became involved ill within year pr two. But there are other evils lylhs ! within the moral domain bespdes prl1e fighting and besides Sunday a1nuse- ments and Sunday traffic, to when tue
 attention of honest citizens ought 10 pe II persistently, called. We refer to ganl, hing prostitution. lotteries, disguised OF undisguised, cruelty 10 ahlllals. III, 5 discriminate charity officially bestowed and m,1ch besides. in regard to which ] e,,.oa+' laxity is certainly allowed by : those who have charge of the puoll( 5 morals These, indeed, are among lhe l +bings that we ''have with us alWays' r and this may be partial expianalloh : al+bo11gh never an excuse. for the pre- va1an+ indifference concerning tnetn : Rut we would have it fully understooo tha+ however helDless we, Wno are 5 xyi+ho,1+ official authority in such mat @ +ors may he. we are not blind to thess f ari1e o, asleep. or thoughtless, or Wltn l o,,+ anxiety. We feel tha t +bar concern us deeply, Ho h only as ministers, but as cltlhens e ana wa call for united af1ael V ,I1on them that the city which we loy' e nav be puroed and made Wholesoli' y and spiritually beautified. IT,, n IT will be granted by all that tn l. soId wa have thus opened to view y one of profound importance. ln tll Il statement of ours we are not ahA'ou l. to incur the accusation of pfe;l'h .ns l. hut we can not forget, or relralh Llon W
 ron,indinp our fellowmen, that now e ever great our life as a colhlhltr t :. if cannot be safely disregardeo' AI 10 no+ enough that we should escape LII 1t shameful municipal corfup'loh Lo It which so many American cllleS n"N v hecome notorious; we must uo Alol IT than insist upon negallNe tlsn'0o..s e N.E a naes. we must hold up before ou T. mixed population q h1gh ~ slanu'i1u 1 , f. oood order. decency, courtesy and Toy 70 s1t,T +o 1sv.We cannot habitually vic o- into the ordinances of the city ana tn IT. laws of the state without sufferln nI in our good name and our self-respec' " and more than this, mourning gfea in risks in regard to our city's future.
 d Tn our Monday meeting some of tn h. ministers expressed. the fear that at public statement, such as this, just q is this i,lncture in our history as con
 munity. might be considered unt'm"l1 te But we certainly have no mtento C. neither of saying an ungracious gooc o- lbye to the outgoing administration 70 of dictating or even suggesting DO " icy for the administration that is 500 ,i- to come into power As we said at III ,i- beginning, our action herein IS the r n suit of certain special occurrences, an ar we simply make use of the occasion sa lpmnhasize what all men ought 1
 +I,a+ as loyal citizens who's