The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-06-20
SUNDAY BASE
BALLSCOREOBY
Mr.. PENDLETON
PASTOR OF THE FIRST BAPTIST
CHURCH GOES AFTER LEeIsLA-
TURE, CITY COUNCIL, NEWsPA-
PERs, AND SUNDAY BASEBALL
ADVOCATES - WARM SERMON
SUNDAY MORNING.


the First Baptist church, went after
the state legislature, the city council,
the newspapers, (The Journal particu-
larly,) and the Sunday baseball people
in his morning discourse Sunday. Mr.
Pendleton said:
Should Sunday be Holy Day or a
Holiday?
Text: And the next Sabbath al
most the whole city was gathered to-
gether to hear the word Of God"
(Acts 13:4D.
The recent lineup on Sunday base
ball and the library question has been
a surprise to many of us and shows us
whittier our Florida coast city is tend
ing, and what we may expect from the
city fathers and the mentors of Pen
sacola. Florida has been considered
hard for preachers and reformers, and
just such a course as this last act sig
mites will keep away and drive away
people who are not willing to rear
families in an atmosphere of irreligion.
1t will also have the tendency to shut
our gates against that desirable ele
ment of people who read books and
thrive thereby, and who desire ITO
breathe a purer air than the political
atmosphere of the last Florida legisla-
ture, and who look somewhat higher
than the Pensacola city council and
the state senate for mental and
spiritual guidance.
One of the greatest surprises con-
nected with the recent denouement In
city affairs was the morning Journals
attitude. My high opinion of the chief
editor, and my deep sense of apprecia-
ton of his numerous courtesies to
new pastor, makes 1t somewhat painful
for me to differ with him, but Convic-
ton requires plain speech. That paper
made. in my opinion, what is consid-
cred in congress worse than a crime,
namely, a blunder, a double blunder.
I cannot believe, that Editor Mayes was
expressing the, best in him when he
Chimed in with Sunday baseball and
broke with the library at the same
time. That argument in a recent edi-
torial opposing a library did not sound
like him. It read as If Mayes had been
under certain Pensacola influences so
long that he was tired of resisting and
had meekly surrendered his best con-
victions and ideals. Surely when The
Journal says we need Sunday ball and
concerts more than we do libraries 1t
is catering to that element in Pensa-
cola which needs no coaching. If there
is a city anywhere more bent upon
pleasure and skilled in finding it than
Pensacola is already we have not re-
Gently heard Of It.
And then, good DR.. Anderson, be-
meath the stern exterior of man OF
few words, has such tender qualms in
his heart for the crippled and manned
as to rise up in Indignation against
library whilst the suffering were in
need of a hospital, naturally moved
upon the sympathetic Christian hearts
of many who voted that way, not stop
ping to think that this issue was not
drawn The hospital was not involved
in it except in DR.. Anderson's article.
This famous "juggernaut" argument of
the doctors sounded quite 'vtllagy.
We have heard something like 1t in
towns of two or three thousand, now,
we can have waterworks or lights, but
not both; which will you choose"
This was the Pensac cola of DR.. An
derson's youth speaking, and not the
Pensa cola Of the real estate mems
dreams of today and tomorrow.
With all this stir. the city council,
obedient servants of the people, sweet
souls who want to do what they are
sent up to do, vote in baseball and let
the library proposition go over until
more convenient season, blissfully
happy in the thought that they are
doing something good and making a
happy populace, and because a few
gallery gods are present to hurran,
they perhaps imagine that they are
heroes who have emancipated the peo-
pie from long string of Sundays" on
which they must go to church. sit up
and look pious. The fly on the chariot
wheel says, Behold what a dust
create!
1 suppose that these honorable gen
tlemen who were in such haste as not
to give the people any chance to ex-
press themselves will admit a few facts
and a little bit of logic.
For one thing the whole action Of
the charter which allowed Sunday
baseball was engineered through in
some peculiar way, some sleight of
hand known only to legislators, and
without giving the representatives of
Florida a chance to discuss It. Per
haps few of them knew that Sunday
baseball was in II. The promoters Of
that scheme feel no doubt that they
made a big stroke for their constitu-
ency, whereas in fact they struck
blow at their state and injected
question which will be a snare and
trouble for years to come. 1t is not
the sentiment of the state, and it is
even contrary to the law Of the state.
This is a most understandable blum
der 1t always produces trouble.
Then when the charter comes to
Pensac cola, the city council, before they
have been installed good and know how
to fit themselves to the new seats, rail-
road through the baseball measure
without giving any consideration to
the citizens of the town. Because
few hot-headed and inconsiderate boys
and some men who have no spiritual
tastes and who do not discern well the