Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-25
MINISTERS OPPOSED
TO open" SUNDAY
Tendency Toward Worldly
AmusementS on Sabbath Crit
icised From Local PuIpits.
BASE BALL CLUB HEADS
COMMENDED FOR ACTION
Thomas Culhane. at Central Citizens
Association Meeting, Takes OPP
posite View, However.

Ministers of many Washington churches
demonstrated from their pulpits
against the rapidly increasing tendency
toward open" Sunday, Sunday base ball
games. Sunday theaters and other forms
of worldly amusements to which people
are turning. AT several of the churches
Clark Griffith, manager of the Washing
ton base ball club. an dthe club officials
were praised for their action in declining
to play games Sunday. despite the ruling
of Justice Gould last Friday which opened
the way for such gaines.
Speaking at the Ninth Street Chris
tan Church yesterday. Rev. Clarence A.
Vincent pastor of Mount Pleasant Con-
gregational Church. declared that the
playing of base ball games Sunday would
be unfair to thousands of Washington
base ball enthusiasts who are opposed. on
religious grounds. to such contests. Rev.
George A. Miller. pastor of the Ninth
Street Christian Church, who occupied
Rev. Vincent's pulpit, deplored what he
styled the growing tendency toward des-
ecration of the Sabbath"
At the Church of the Epiphany the rec
tor. Rev Randolph H. Mckim, preached
against dissertation of the Lords day,
voicing vigorous denunciation of the
present day tendency to take Sunday as a
day for general amusements rather than
for the contemplation of serious matters
and devotion to the Almighty.
Would Boycott Team.
Rev c. Ernest Smith. rector of St.
Thomas Episcopal Church; Rev. John
c. Ensor. pastor of Calvary NJ. E.
Church; Rev. D. H. Martin. pastor OF
Dumbarton Avenue NJ. E. Church. and
Rev. II. E. Brundage, pastor of Eek
ington Presbyterian Church. also discuss
ed the subject.
in favor of boycotting the American
League games on week days If the club
should decide to play games on Sunday
saying that SO far as he was concerned
he would not attend weekday games if
contests should be played on Sundays
Restrictive laws, however, could not rem
edy such conditions. he said, public Chris
tan sentiment manifested by the people
of Washington being the proper remedy
"All movements of broad character.
he said, ARE controlled. not by laws
which fail, but by public sentiment and
education. If any one desecrates the
Sabbath let US avoid him. If they play
base ball on Sunday let us not attend
the games on Monday or any other week
day.
Mass Meetings at Other Churches.
Besides the meetings at the Mount
Pleasant Congregational and the Ninth
Street Christian churches other mass
meetings under the auspices of the Dis
frin af al, rhric
Union were held at the First Congrega-
tional Church. the Luther Memorial
Church, Foundry NJ. 2. Church, North
Carolina M. P. Church and at the Church
of the Ascension. Speakers at all of the
meetings denounced the Sunday theater,
Sunday base ball games and other forms
of Sunday amusements and made vigor-
Gus pleas for a more religious observance
Of Sunday.
Several of the speakers commented
caustically on the presentation of the
opera of Carmen" at a local theatei
last night declaring that grand opera
performances Sunday were merely anoth-
err step toward the Misrepresentation" OF
the American Sunday.
Views Of Rev. DIR. Wood.
Rev. DR.. Charles Wood, preaching yes
terday at the Church of the Covenant on
that Christ had reconsecrated the day to
humanity.
Man is to get all the good he can out
of it, DR.. Wood declared. for body,
mind and soul. He is to do all the good
he can with it in the family. the church,
the community and the world.
1.-The attempts to enlarge, expand and
liberalize the day here in Washington APP
pear at times on the verge of extinguish-
ing in it the possibilities for humanity
that made it dear to Christ's heart.
While those who use the day altogether
for selfish and secular purposes are not
necessarily on their way to state prison
or the scaffold-as perhaps in our
like Samson's. They will be so blinded
that the invisible things will cease to ex-
list for them and they will be forced to
grind in the prison house of the Phif1s-
tines
THE sudden attack last week on what
is left of Sunday in the District of CO.
lumbia staggered us like the unexpected
blow of a friend. There are few, if any.
places where the national game is more
popular than in the National Capital.
Those strange people who play base ball.
as Bishop Brooks once called them. are
strange to us only because of their skill,
endurance and self-control Each man
on the team is an object lesson, teaching
temperance, self-restraint and abstinence
more effectively than many tracts or ser
mons"
Praises Ball Players.
1t means much to the big-eyed boys
who adore these heroes of the bat and
ball to understand that even an ounce
of alcohol a day would be sufficient to
but any one of them temporarily or even
on the side lines. These
popular idols and preachers of good
habits are about to knock Sunday over
the fence and out Of sight altogether, so
the news ran, by playing games on every
day of the week. 1t is frankly confessed
that they were not without excuse IN
making such threat. for a rival Or
ganization had already been permitted
this profitable privilege.
The last announcement from the man
a ger of the team is little less alarming.
The park will only be opened in response
to an enthusiastic demand for Sunday
Games Against such capitalizing ana
commercialiZing of the day made for
man for the benefit Of any one class.
however numerous. We protest. first. IN
the interests of the players themselves.
they need one-seventh Of their time for
tho intellectual, moral and spiritual just
&C much as any other men, second.
IN the interests of all the employees at
RI. mark. from the ticket sellers to the
usbers and mascots; third. III the
Of the reporters, trolley car