The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-04

history to be the right one. We
advocate one day Of rest in seven
on the broad ground that no i'm
provement in mems physical or
mental condition has ever proven
permanent unless preceded or at
least accompanied by improved
moral conditions.
And whereas, it is the settled
policy of this city to perform only
such work on Sunday as is abso-
lutely unavoidable, we therefore
resolve to continue such policy
during our term of office and fur
Their resolve that in all future con-
tracts to which the city of Lead
may be a party it is ordered that
said contracts contain clause in
which the contractor agrees to
perform only such work on Sun
day as may be absolutely un-
avoidable. !"
The attitude of the Homestake
Mining Company on the question
of Sunday labor is expressed in
the following quotation from a
letter written by superintendent
Grier to Bishop Busch which was
read at the different Masses in the
Pro-Cathedral on a recent Sun
day:
II advised the mine bosses,
through the employment office,
that no order would be issued
from this Office making Sunday
observance compulsory, but that
they were to continue the prac-
tice observed for so many years,
of allowing all who desired to
work on Sunday to do so, and that
those who wished to lay off on
that day, might also do SO, by
giving notice on Saturday of their
intention to lay off on the follow
ing day.
Bishop Busch, commenting on
this letter, said that he had taken
the matter up with the company
and had been assured that the
men who remained away from
work on Sunday would not lose
favor with the mine owners. He
commended their action in notify
ing the men to this effect and
hoped that it would produce good
results.
Men in other lines of business
have assured the Bishop that they
will strive to minimize as far as
possible the amount of work which
must be done on Sunday and in
this way contribute to a better
observance of the day. The city
garbage contractor has given as
.surance that he will do no work
under his contract on Sunday and
the different coal dealers have also
promised their cooperation to-
wards better Sunday observance
and thus the movement is gradu-
ally spreading.
From the foregoing it is evident
that the work of Bishop Busch
is beginning to bear fruit in the
Black Hills. The conditions
which obtain in that locality make
it difficult to bring about an entire
cessation of Sunday labor. There
are certain kinds Of work in the
mining industry which cannot be
entirely stopped on Sunday with
out great inconvenience and loss
but there is no excuse for the or
binary lines of business ignoring
the Sunday as a day of rest.
The citizens Of Lead owe a debt
OF gratitude to Bishop Busch for
his efforts to bring them to reali-
zation of their duty. It required
no small amount Of courage and
prudence for him to take up the
fight against this traditional dis
regard for the sanctity Of the Sun
day in a community dominated by
a single corporation which, while
is has done much for the physical
and social betterment of it's en-
ployees, has paid little attention
to their spiritual welfare. The
attitude of this company towards
Sunday observance has been
copied by other business concerns,
by city officials, merchants, and.
professional men. It will require
time and patient labor to effect
change in local conditions; but,
no doubt, the religious sense of
the community which has so long
lain dormant will assert itself and
the citizens, as body, will see
how reasonable is the attitude
taken by Bishop Busch and will
cooperate with him in his desire
to ameliorate the conditions that
have made Sunday observance so
difficult in the Black Hills.