Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-03
THE SUNDAY LAWS.

1
A bill la pending before the legisla
ture that ought to be entitled, "a Bill
For an Act to Serve tho Moving Pic
ture Business"
The Republicans inclination in all
matters Is towards liberality. and II
does not believe In the old fashioned,
silent Sabbath keeping. There is
righteousness in amusements and
wicke1ness In some ways OF religious
observance. The real test is the effect
upon the people individually and col
lectively.
So far as the state Is concerned. II Is
not q question Of religious observance
|. of any day. II Is = question Of permit
! ting the people to have reasonable lib-
erty of action up 10 the point OF the
rights of all concerned. There was a
time when II was Illegal to Ash on
Sunday, but the code Of 1897 dropped
fishing from the Sunday laws,
But what harm is there to either the
fisherman or the public for man TO
fish, or for his family to fish, on lake
or on the banks Of a river, on Sunday?
But when II comes 10 shows, horse
racing. dancing. shooting matches,
there enter the rights OF those who do
not spend their Sundays in connection
with such sports, nor do they care to
have the open temptation placed before
their children.
In the first place II IL we'll to have
something sacred. something the peo-
pie respect, something they can enjoy,
II YOU please. within their own rights,
and without infringing upon the rights
% Tt d. sxrlx. X,tast M INf
enjoyment. but it becomes one 'nrolv-
ing the best interests of the children Of
the state, family that spends Its
Sundays frivolously without thought Of
enjoyment of the wonders OF nature or
in the reading Of something helpful. is
IN a way 70 become of little use or par
pose m life There are some old fash
sored enough 10 go To church and 10
take their children 10 church, and
while comparatively they are not nu
merous. they have certain rights N the
cons liberation OF these questions. There
arc others who Ike TO take the fine
DAYS and SO 10 the woods and dig wild
plants, gather fossils from the rocks.
nd study the birds and the flowers. In
DONG so they are improving them
selves and harming nobody. s.
But when Il comes to screerhing,
yelling. hootins and bowling at races
ard games. me persons thinking they
are enjoying themselves are weakening
their mentality, debasing their higher
sensibilities and becoming weaker NOR
ally. One such liberty leads to an
other. The moving pictures are not SO
objectionable. II Of the proper sort.
but they often rank with the cheapest
sort OF novel reading. II nothing worse.
but here In Iowa City, often on Sun
day, we have moving pictures, present
ed under the guise of Offering some
great moral lesson, that are SO nasty
that decen; people would shun them.
To these and ths cheapest Diamond
Dick affairs. the children flock, .. 4
People do not discriminate, or more
often do not know or seemingly care.
where their children go on Sundays.
and possibly the state laws, 4s they
now stand or arn enforced. are notsvery
halpful in such cases. but in many
towns and especially in the villages and
rural communities. SUNDAYS are OBJ
served to the satisfaction of reasonable
people and il may he hest To lei things
go on as they now are.
Some have said that, a person who
goes out on a Sunday ride In a buggy
nr IN an auto, must concede the right
OF the public theater and other forms OF
public attractions. But there Is a wide
difference, The man who gpes sor a
ride with his family Is not engaged in
trade FOR profit. The man who opens
his theater or moving picture show on
Sunday Is doing It for gain. He Is aft
er the profits coming from the people
who pay and who in turn may or may
not be benefited.
Moderin conditions make impossible
a Sunday absolutely without some sort
Of trade connected with public enjoy
ment This includes soda fountains.