The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-03-13
THE SUNDAY CLOSING

Grenada was a closed town last Sunday. For GU part we give
our most cordial Endorsement to the action of the city authorities
who brought it about. Perhaps the letter of Rev. l. P. Trotter. pas
tor of the First Baptist church, was the immediate cause OF the
matter coming up before the city council. When it was proposed to
pass some regulation looking to closing, it was very properly sug-
geSed by one member OF the council that "thete is already law
enough on the statute books if we will enforce it,"
No good citizen can justly object to the enforcement of the law.
In truth and in fact, if there were eight days in the week instead Of
seven, some people would want to sc the eighth day. There can
be no good reason assigned for keeping any mercantile business
open on the Sabbath. 1t will be remembered that only a few years
back the barber shops were kept open and the BARRIERS were kept
busy for more than half of Sunday, and when it was first proposed
that all shaving and hair cutting must be dore on Saturday, it was
thought almost impossible, yet we have adjusted ourselves to the
Sunday closed barber shop and all is we'll. There is no reason why
the same rule will not apply to every other business. Nobody
would hold that the sick should not be provided for on Sunday; that
the druggist should not fill prescriptions Or that any absolutely es-
senhaI thing should be estopped. There must be reason and sanity
about all things and it too often happens that officers who under
take to enforce Sunday closing, insist upon nonessentials for the
very purpose of making Sunday closing obnoxious. We hope this
will not be the case in Grenada. And right on this point we insist
that there is a distinction between a hotel that sells cigars to its
guests on Sunday and the mercantile business that keeps its doors
open to invite trade; yes, there is a physical and a moral distinction.
To many the use of tobacco is almost a necessity. SO that to insist
that the hotel can not sell cigars and tobacco to its guests on the
Sabbath is harsplittng.
We need to cultivate the spirit of law enforcement turnout the
land. There is too little respect for constituted authority. An Off
Ger has no election as to what laws he will enforce. Whatever laws
are on our statute books should be enforced; if the laws are inimical
to the public could, if they no longer serve any good purpose,
they should be repealed. This will apply not only to Grenada but
to every community. People can buy their groceries or other goods
on Saturday or Monday, and if every store is closed, certainly the
merchant can lose nothing, Tor what he fails to sell on Saturday the
customer will necessarily buy on Monday.
The enforcement of the law hurts NJ good citizen, and we re-
peat that there can be no good reason assigned for keeping any
mercantile business in Grenada open on Sunday.
BY this it is not to be understood that Sunday business in Gren-
ada is notorious. We have an orderly town and we dare say that
there is as little Sunday business a in any place of its size in the
state, but whatever there is, is in violation of law, we are therefore
ready to give the officers u aid to uphold the dignity of the law.
But let's have no hairspltting.