The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-07-06
c HURCH leaders
URGE ENFORCEMENT
OF SUNDAY CLOSING
PASS RESOLUTIONS INSISTING
| THAT ALL DRUG STORES BE
CLOSED IN SUNDAY.
ALL CONGREGATIONS join
In CONCERTED EFFORT
Believed Proprietors Of Soft Drink E.
tabIishments Will Cooperate in OBJ
serving sabbath-states Laws Cow
ering Such Matters Quoted In Reso-
iutions.

A concerted movement looking to tho
closing of Hattiesburg's drug stores on
Sunday was formally launched by the
membership of nearly all the churches
of the city yesterday. =.
The congregations of the Main street
Methodist, the Main Street Baptist, the
First Baptist, the First Presbyterian,
the Court Street Methodist, the Fifth
Avenue Baptist, the Emmanuel Baptist
and the Broad Street Methodist
churches adopted resolutions urging a
strict enforcement of the Sunday clos
ing laws and inviting drug store pro-
prietors to meet with the churchmen
and talk over the matter. This meet
ing will be held tomorrow afternoon at
. o'clock.
The movement had it's origin in the
older mems bible class at the Main
Street Methodist church Sunday
week ago, when a committee composed
of John A. Mcleod, H. S. Stevens and
R. c. Hauenstein was appointed to in
vite the other churches of the city to
appoint like committees to cooperate
in the movement.
The next day a meeting was held in
the office of Stevens & Cook, attended
by fifteen or sixteen leaders in various
churches of the city. 1t was agreed
that congregation in the city be given
an opportunity to vote its sentiments
on the resolution.
Want Cooperation.
The church leaders believe the drug
store men will cooperate with them in
the movement Sentiment at the meet
ing was not directed against the drug
stores but against the people general.
ly whose demands for Sunday drinks.
ice cream and cigars were regarded as
responsible for the drug stores remain
ing open.
The resolutions which were adopted
at the committee meeting and at the
congregational meetings yesterday are
as follows:
Whereas, The Christian Sabbath
lies at the very foundation of our Chris.
tian civilization and its observance is
generally recognized by all Christian
countries as absolutely essential to any
well regulated community, and
Whereas, The statute laws of our
state, solely adopted by the people
through their lawmaking body. have,
since the organization of the state
government, prohibited in plain terms
the carrying on of ordinary business
on the Sabbath and the doing of cer-
tain things, such as buying and selling,
on that day, and
Whereas, We, as law-abiding peo.
pie, interested in the welfare of all
the people and charged with the SOL
emn duty Of inculcating and preserving
a wholesome regard for the law and
for the vital principles and policies of
our Christian civilization, have observ.
ed with profound regret the constant
practice of certain local business con-
Germs of our city to ignore the Sunday
laws, and the tendency of the law Of
ficers to overlook certain forms of
Sunday law violation in our midst upon
the mistaken idea that the people ap-
prove these violations,
Now, Therefore, in order that out
positive convictions upon this import.
ant subject may be thoroughly under.
stood by all men and especially By
those of our fellow citizens and neigh
bors whose conduct in this matter falle
under the condemnation Of our views
| and of the law,
BE 1t Resolved:
"1st.-That we favor the strict en-
forcement Of the Sunday laws Of oul
state.
"2nd.-That we insist that the of
ficers of the law do their plain duts
looking to such enforcement OF I'll
law.
"3rd.-That we especially condemI
| Continued on Pags Threo).