Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-08-11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For Sunday Reading. !
= All Sorts Of Opinions. !.
neutrality-suspicious.
New Sunday Laws for France and

4 countries. in France the object aim
/ ed at in this new legislation is to Sc
cure "a weekly day of rest" and to
! bring about that end both labor unions
and clercals have been united Tho
the law was a part of the general pro-
gram Of the government for the i'm
! provement of the condition of the
/ working classes, objection arose in
some quarters on the ground that the
I choice of Sunday as the day of rest
seemed to show a return to the old
union of church and state. The In
! dependent (New York; is of the opin-
/ ion that the French law will be used
! as model for legislation on the sub
| ject in other countries We quote
the summary it gives of the main pro-
/ visions of the new law:
NO Industrial or commercial eStab-
lishment of any kind, whether public
or private. lay or religious. even of
! those for education or benevoence, is
| permitted 10 work an employe more
! than six days a week. The weekly per-
! iod of rest should be twenty-four con-
/ secutive hours. 1t should be on Sum
| day. Wherever the complete closing
! of an establishment on Sunday would
! be prejudicial to the interests of the
public, the weekly rest may be given
| for part or all of the year in one of
| the following ways: % On some
other day of the week for the whole
| personnel of the establishment, t2)
from Sunday noon to Monday noon,
| 60 Sunday afternoon with compen-
satory holiday by rotation every fort
night, or 90 by shifts in rotation or
part or all the employees These ex-
| ceptions can only be made by direct
| authorization of the government. Ihe
day of rest by rotation CD is permit
| ted only to the following establish
| ments: Hotels and restaurants; shops
for sale OF tobacco and fresh hoWers'
| hospitals. asylums, and drug stores
baths; newspapers. museums, theatefs'
and libraries: water works. gas WORKS
and power plants: transportation other
| than railroads: and Industries deallhs
with perishable material or products
In the case of public works OF an urg-
emf nature. such as the prevention or
1 repair of accidents. the weekly day OF
rest may be suspended for the work
man needed. Railroads and steamships
| arc nroyiied for in another law.
Decidedly more drastic are the laws
nlaced on the statute books of Canada
! by the parliament just adjourned. The
/ act was promoted by the Lords Day
| Alliance and aimed at securing bet
ter observance of the Sabbath. Hither-
to the matter OF Sabbath observance
has been left to the regulation of the
provincial legislatures. but results nave
been unsatisfactory. The organization
st,SN CT nd
ing this legislation is said to be nom
sectarian in its sentiment and mem
bership. but the work which 1T has
achieved may possibly challenge com
parison with the old "blue laws when
gave Connecticut in its early days
reputation for drastic Sunday over
sight A lay view Of the Canadian
law, from an American STANDPOINT,
may be seen in the following summary
and running comment in the Philadel-
phia Inquirer
Sweeping, indeed, are the provls-
ions, comprehensive the scope, ana
stringent the penalties of this new ana
rather remarkable measure. ALI Sun
day trading is positively prohibited,
together with all remunerated service
| of whatever kind, excepting only IN the
| case of works of necessity and mercy.
Railroad companies must not run ex-
| cursion trains, or handle either incom-
| ing or outgoing freight, or do any work
( except such as can not be done at any
| other time and is essential to the safe
I tv of the public. Theatrical entertain
/ ments and public games, all kinds OF
/ sports or amusements for gain or prize
or reward are placed under the ban.
SO is the Sunday newspaper. 1t must
neither be published at home nor i'm
/ ported from abroad-meaning the I'm
| tied States-and it's sale or distribution
is forbidden. Whether this prohibi-
| ton extends to the Monday paper,
which, as every one knows, is in large
part the product of Sunday labor, is
not stated but logically it ought to, If
it doesn't.
Its penal provisions are mode ex-
pressly applicable to corporations ana
employers Under the previous prac-
tice the. penalty for Sabbath breaking
was only imposed upon the actual per-
petrator of the breach. He is not now
permitted to escape, but is liable to
fine graded up from 81 to $40; but for
the employer the punishment is more
severe. He may be fined from $50 to
$500. or from $50 to $500 in the case of
a corporation. What is regarded as
merit i'm the law is it's impartiality. 1t
exempts no one. The barber must NOT
shave. the professional man must not
persist in his profession, the farmer
must not take advantage of fine day
to get in his crop in anticipation OF
threatened rain, at least it would seem
that he must not, altho POSSIBLY TINS
would be declared allowable under the
clause exempting works of necessity
and mercy 1t is true that maple SUI
gar may be manufactured in the grove.
but this is such a small violation of the
principle at stake that it may be over
looked"
The Inquirer remarks that if the act
expresses the sentiment of the country
| it can be made effective; but ii II does
not. and unless a demand for its en-
forcenent is urgent and persistent, it
is likely to remain a good deal of a
dead letter.