The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-07-30
SHOULD MODERATE
THE SUNDAY LAWS
Agitation in Cities for Sunday
Baseball Receives Common
dation From Religious Paper
-Deplores ''Blue Law" Ten
denotes.
From Duluth Herald

From Duluth Herald
Not long ago the Massachusetts
Legislature voted down proposal te
permit amateur baseball playing or
Sunday afternoons between two and
Elk.
After discussing with some amaze
ment the debate on this question
Church aud Home, an Episcopal
publication of Omaha. makes some
reflections on this and kindred top
les that contain so much good sense
that we cannot resist republishine
them here:
The temperate man says mot
the prohibitionist, for he is not tenn
perate): 1t is not wrong to drink
a glass of beer;' and so far We agree
with him. But suppose he says: If
it is not wrong to drink a glass of
beer, it is not wrong to get drunk.
Then we would part company with
him at once.
The question of morals does not
enter into the subject at all. 1t is
not wrong to play ball, or play golf
or lawn tennis on Sunday. or to take
a walk or row a boat; the whole
question hinges on the expediency
of these amusements on the Lords
day. If playing baseball Sunday
afternoon disturbs the peace of a
neighborhood the players had better
. move to some place where they can
have good time without disturbing
anybody. Personally, l enjoy a
good ball game as much on Sunday
as on Monday, but 1 have plenty of
opportunity in week days and do
not feel like going on Sunday. But
have no right to say to the man
who has not the opportunity to see
or play game on week days: You
have no right to see or play game
of ball on Sunday For me it
might be wrong. but on the contrary
it may be absolutely the proper
thing for him to do.
A. Paul Says
As ST. Paul says. All things are
lawful for me, but all things are not
expedieDt.' St. Paul was liberal
Christian, and he laid down the
Christian law of liberty in unmistak-
able terms. Sunday was a mercitul
provision for man and beast. 1t
was to be day of rest. Every man
was to be the Judge of what rest he
needed, and the kind of rest. To
his own Master he stood responsible.
Rest Is the foundation for It's OBJ
servance. and if it rests man who
is confined all the week to go out
into the country. or play ball or ten
mis- on Sunday, he is not breaking
any law of God but rather obeying
it by securing the rest and recreation
that his nature calls for. These
gentlemen of the Massachusetts leg
islature are evidently lineal descend
ants of the old Puritans. who COM
PEELED the people to attend divine
services all day Sunday, sitting in
churches without particle of heat,
and listening to prayers an hour to
three hours in length and services
equally long.
The Old Blue Laws
We are rapidly tending towards
the old Puritan restriction of man
ners aud customs in this country
today, and if we value our personal
liberties would do we'll to watch the
men in our legislatures who at the
behest of fanatics are enacting laws
which are the entering wedge 10 a
condition of affairs similar to the
old Blue Laws of New England"
Laws prohibiting Sunday baseball
drive notwithstanding youth to
viler pleasures.
Laws aimed to compel men 10 be
good by regulating their personal
habits against their will are more
likely to make them bad.
You cannot iegislate humanity
into goodness, any more than you
can legislate humanity into thrift.
This country is plagued by WE'LL
meaning people who, not content
with the bedrock tinality of personal
responsibility. wish to impose their
personal views of human conduct
upon others who do not share them.
The result is dangerous invasion
of personal liberty. deal load OF
unenfOrceable statutes, a reckless
disregard for all law, and no gain
whatever in average human virtue.
PARDONED AND COMMITTED
The pardon board, at its July meeting