The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1909-03-19
CONGREGATIONAL
MINISTER'S FOR
OPEN SUNDAY
Sunday Baseball not Commercially Play.
ed is UnebiectionabIe.
Rev. Gerald II. Beard Against Enforced
Religious Observance.

Was Member of Committee of State Con-
ference Which Drafted Resolutions for
Liberal Sabbath-Views of Professor
Bacon Interpreting Views of Congrega.
tional Body.
1t becomes increasingly evident that
the laws restricting reasonable sports
on Sunday are soon to become a thing
of the past. The tendency of the
church organizations is toward a more
liberal view. The churches of Bridge
port are no exception to the rule, al
though Bridgeport pastors take as
group, ground less advanced than that
occupied by Mayor Hooker of Hart
ford, who is a lineal descendant of
Tohmas Hooker, founder of Connecti-
cut. and author and designer of the
first written constitution providing
free government for a free people.
The historic attitude of the Congre-
gational ministry is distinctly LIBERAL
lied in a direction away from the Pu-
rftan Sabbath of the forefathers. Rev.
Gerald H. Beard. pastor of Park street
congregational church, gave to the
Farmer, this morning, a copy of the
resolutions adopted by the State Con-
ference of Congregational Churches
held in Rockville in October.
ministers, professional and business
men representing the Congregational
churches of Connecticut, are earnestly
in favor of all laws that aim to pro-
tect Sunday as a day of worship and
freedom from commercial business and
unnecessary work"
1t continues: THAT we are as ear
nestly against laws that would seek to
day, or dictate the recreations of the
people when free from commercial en-
croachments."
And the concluding paragraph con-
tinueS: I'm accordance with these prin-
cipleS, we instruct our Committee on
Sunday Observance and Moral Legis-
lation to work with labor organiZa-
lions and committees similar to ours in
other denominations for the mainten-
ance of those Connecticut statutes
that forbid cOn1mercialization of Sun
day through such things as manufac-
turing, trade. professional ball games,
money making entertainments, or un-
necessary. transportation
Mr.. Beard said: 'These resolutions
indicate my views upon the question
of Sunday observance. I was chair
man of the committee that prepared
were in substantial
agreement with those of Prof. Bacon,
who was also a member of the COM
mittee.
Rev. Benjamin w. Bacon is profess
Sor of New Test ament Criticism and
Interpretation at Yale. 1t was Prof.
Bacon who appeared before the legis-
lative CommitteeSon Judiciary in Hart
ford, Thursday, to state the views OF
the conference
The views of Prof. Bacon were stat
ed as follows:
SUNDAY, he said is day of privil-
ege for the benefit of humanity"
cit is the duty of the state,'' he add
ed, ito protect every man in his own
way to make the most of that privil-
eye. 1t is the duty of the church to
teach him how to make the highest
use of the same privilege that he can
and therefore the laws should be pro-
tective instead of restrictive.
Yesterday I called the attention of
the committee to the difference in the
laws of Connecticut and Massachusetts
and those of the French. I asked that
our laws be amended to conform with
the more modern laws and to give us
a free Sunday. I believe every man
has a right to use his day of rest in
eral privilege than he has now do not
believe he will abuse that day. MY
idea of Sunday is that it is a day of
rest and recreation and while I may
take my way of enjoying it it may not
be the way a man working all the 9TH
er six days each week would prObab b.
ly like I do not think therefore that
because he and should differ on our
methods that he should be made to do
as I do
Before the committee Professor Ba-
con related the case of Yale student
who had gone to him and stated that
there were 300 young men using the
Lowell institute in New Haven who
had nothing to do Sundays but to hang
around and shoot craps and do other
things of like nature, Pm going to
take those fellows out Sunday after
moons and play baseball with them, he
said, ''unless the police stop u.s." The
professor stated that while he didn't
tell the young men so, he was ready
and actually DESTROYS of going out
with the boys and if the police stopped
the game he wanted to be one of the
first arrested. He thought it was
matter of principle.
In his talk Professor Bacon stated
that while the prevailing opinion was
that the Sabbath laws had come down
from the early days of Christianity and
therefore were not to be disturbed,
they were instead of a very modern
He quoted how Calvin
was found on Sunday afternoons play
ing bowls and that then Sunday was a
day of relaxation from the workday
duties The origin of the Sunday re-
striction he placed in a Scotch Puri-
tan and stated that until about 1880
nothing was ever attempted in prof1ib
iting a man from using the day as he
chose He was very earnest in his
EXPRESSIONS that a more liberal Sunday
would he permitted and hoped that