The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-12-18
Sunday Excursions.
burlington News.l

For the life of us we cannot see what
good purpose is subserved by the attempt
at every session OF the legislature TO pass
new and drastic Sunday legislation or to
refuse to cut off the blue laws. How
such seventeenth century legislation will
help the genuine observance OF Sunday
we fail to understand. Last summer an
effort was made in Lamoille county to
prevent the operating OF excursion trains
on Sunday. The encouragement gave an
opinion that such trains could be operat-
ed under the law, which permits the rail
road commission to authorize the running
of such through trains on Sunday, as III
| the opinion of the board, the public ne
cessty and convenience require, having
regard to the due observance of the day.
An attempt is now being made to pro-
hibit excursion trains on Sunday, in a
BILL introduced by Mr.. johnson of
Woodstock. This bill adds the follow
ing clause to the present law; but moth
ing herein shall be so construed as to au-
thorize the running of excursion trains,
through or local, within this state on
Sunday. either by steam or electricity"
So far as the principle goes, so far as
it is question of dshonoring the day,
the operation of regular train is exact
ly as heinous as operating an excursion
train, probably more so. The one car
ries passengers on business errands; the
other carries passengers bent wholly
upon relaxation and recuperation. If the
acts of these passengers differ in any way
in their attitude toward Sabbath observ-
ance, as generally understood, the differ
ence is in favor of the eXcursionist. The
conduct of business on Sunday is severely
frowned upon, but nobody thinks that
it is wrong to go riding on Sunday in
a al,la vol
Gle, nor to become pedestrian in the
interest of relaxation and renewal of
health. This kind of relaxation is pri-
marily no less wrongful than riding on
trains for the same purpose.
We firmly believe that those Phari-
sale persons who are always spying upon
people who are innocently amusing them
selves on Sunday are doing more harm to
the sane and decent and desirable and
lovable observance of that day than all
other offenders put together.
The Sunday laws, as we all know, were |
from time of Puritanic domi-
tically the whole population lived an |
outdoor and rural life. They were all
glad therefore to go to church and rest |
luietly at home in observance of the day.
Nowadays most people are confined in
offices, factories and shops and they wish
% reverse the old and now impossible
Sunday observance to outdoor relaxation.
We do not believe that this reversal of
Methods has done any harm. Indeed we
believe that man may hold reverent at
itude toward the day if he is taking re-
axation on a railroad or a steamboat.
We are sure that he would maintain bet
err health and saner mind.
The Sunday excursions these Pharisees
re aiming to prohibit are those which
ONE to Lake Champlain for healthful
ide on its charming waters. To all but
very few an occasional diversion of this
haracter would be considered moral
nd health-giving excursion in the inter- {
st of many good people whose employ {
tent forbids such indulgence on week {
avs and whose income forbids them to !
ire teams on Sundays. Many moral and !
ell behaved people are embraced in this {
lass and to these the occasional Sunday t
is real benson; and it ought G
OF to be offensive to any being whose q
loughts embrace any more of humanity I
IAN his own person.