The Newark journal. (Newark, Ark.) 1901-1959, 1904-04-01
Arkansas State News
Supreme Court on Sabbath Breaking.

A syllabus of Arkansas state laws
and supreme court decisions on the
subject of Sabbath breaking has
been prepared, and is being circu-
lated by the Womans Christian
Temperance Union as follows:
"The statutes Of the state and the
decisions of the supreme court upon
the question OF Sabbath breaking
are very clear. There can be no
installing the intention Of the leg
islature, nor the language of the
court upon the point. They have
called spade a spade, in point
ing out the duties Of citizens, so
that the most ignorant cannot be in
the dark as to what the law is.
'Scetion 1891, Of Sandels &
Hills digest. provides: Every per-
son who shall, on Sunday, keep
open any store or retail any goods,
wares and merchandise, or keep
open any dram shop or grocery. or
who shall keep the doors Of the
same 50 as to afford ingress and
egress, or retail any spirits or wine,
shall, on conviction thereof, be fined
in any sum not less than $25 nor
more than $100.'
"Section 1888 provides: Every
apprentice or servant compelled to
labor on Sunday shall be deemed a
separate offense Of the master.
'In the case Of the State vs.. Golf.
20 Ark, $50, the supreme court
said: The defendant was poor:
had no implements Of his own with
which to cut his wheat, which was
wasting from over-ripcncss; could
borrow none until Saturday even
ing; snapped work with his neigh
bors during the week hired a negro
and cut his own wheat on Sunday.
Held, that, even under these cir
cumstances, he was not justified in
breaking the Sabbath
In Shower vs.. The State, 10
Ark, 259, the court said: Keeping
a grocery door open on the Sabbath
IS temptation 10 vice, and there
fore criminal. 81 + :. ANY person
who has control of grocery may
be indicted for keeping It open on
Sunday, whether he be owner or
not.
1T was held in Petty vs.. State,
IS Ark, I, that: 'Kesping a butch
er shop open and selling meats and
vegetables from it on Sunday is a
violation of section 1901 of Sandels
& Hills digest, imposing a fine on
every person who shall on Sunday
keep open any store OF retail any
goods, wares and merchandise To
commit the offense of Sabbath
breaking by keeping g store door
open on Sunday, it is rot necessary
to keep it so opened as to induce
customers to open and trade. 1t is
sufficient if the door is partially
open, or intentionally left unlocked
so that any person may enter as
readily as if left open. Or, if it is
opened to the knocking Of a strang-
er and he be admitted or invited in,
this Is keeping open, within the
prohibition of the state. The fore
going is from the opinion Of the
supreme court IN the case Of Seelig
VS.. The State, in 43 Ark, SO. And
it is to be remembered that each day
such store is 50 kept open consti-
tutes a separate offense, for which
the offender can be indicted and
made to pay a separate fine; ant
this, whether it IS kept open by
himself, his clerk, or anyone else
for him.
S'The law upon this question is
very broad, embracing in its terms
every department Of business or la
Dor, and every line Of their daily
conduct, and it will be quite impos
sible to escape conviction for a yio-
lation Of any one of its many pro-
visions"
DR.. o. T. Watkins.
DR.. 0. T. Watkins, a pioneer citi-