New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-26
roR ~ HONEST SUNDAY.

At least let US have an honest Sunday Con-
corning the desirability of that there can be no
question. Upon other points men may differ.
Some sincere and intelligent men favor making
the first day of the week Mosaic or Puritan
Sabbath Others. equally sincere and intelli-
gent would make it Continental" holiday.
Between the two it is not the present purpose
to Judge, further than to suggest that many
other men, no less sincere and intelligent. re-
gard the best observance Of the day as lying
I'm a golden mean somewhere between the two
extremes. What IS 10 be said. however, is this:
That no man whose opinion is worth consider
ing favors making Sunday a day Of lying and
false pretences. Yet nothing in the whole situ-
alton is more obvious than that that is just what
the day is being made, and indeed has already
largely been made.
The theatres. for example Nominally. thea
tres are closed in New-York on Sundays. Actu-
ally, large proportion Of them are open and
doing business Just as other days. There IS
q pretence that the performances are sacred
concerts" 1t is an absolutely false pretence.
The performances are variety shows, and moth
ing else Baseball affords another example, as
it has been played in Brooklyn for the last two
Sundays To avoid legal complications. there
is pretence that no entrance fee is charged.
NOminally, that is true. Actually, It is q false
pretence, because every one who attends the
game is required to buy a programme"
paying %, 30 80 cents for il, according to the
seat he wishes 10 occupy. Such devices as
these may serve 10 appease the technical re
quirements Of the law. They do not satisfy the
demands OF honesty and decency. but rather
cause offence 10 all concerned. To the strict
Sabbatarian they add insult TO injury To the
advocate Of lax and open Sunday they also
offer the insult OF making him enjoy his diver
sions under lying pretence.
II ,zIl ba xSalI foo 10 10 avvov Will, opa otbo,
bit Of hypOcrisy-na namely. the pretence that all
these Sunday reyelries are for the sake Of those
who have no other opportunity for outings or
entertainment. There is little truth in that
The audiences at the Sunday theatres are COM
posed Of the same persons who attend theatres
during the week. Probably not one IN a hun
bred OF them has on Sunday his or her sole op-
portunity of theatregoing. Nor IS the case much
different at the bah games. A glance ut the
crowds at Washington Park on Sundays shows
them 10 be chiefly made up OF the same root
ers' who go 10 the games on other days. We
know there are hundreds Of thousands OF peo-
PIE in this city who have on Sundays their only
time for recreation. The parks, the museums
the sea beaches and other places are tbropged
with them But they are not TO any great ex-
tent the people who fill the theatres and the ball
grounds.
Let us be honest about it, then. and admit
business on Sundays. not at all for.the sake Of
philanthropy, but solely for the sake OF gain, i'm
hard cash, for the proprietors. The managers
Of those concerns think they can make more
money in seven days than in six and therefore
they open their establishments on Sunday inst
the same as on other days; or with only this
difference, that on week days they tell the truth
about the performances, and SUNDAYS they
tell untruths. Perhaps they ought 10 be freely
permitted by law TO do business seven DAYS n
week. That is not the point we are now dis
cussing. The present point is that we ought to
have an honest Sunday, and, IL these and other
places are 10 be open on that day, they should
be open without any false pretences concerning
either the character of the performances or the
purpose for which they are given 4 sacred
concert for the enjoyment OF people who have
mo other time for concert going sounds very
sweet and noble; but &c is an untruth "a va
''riety show for putting more money into the
pockets Of the managers and ticket SPECTATORS
who are not satisfied with six days profits
week" may sound sordid. but IL IS the exact
truth; and we believe in the truth on Sunday
a well as on every other day.