Evening journal., 1919-02-12
CHURCH RECTOR FOR.
SAEBATHPLEASURES.
Rev. F. NJ. Kirkus Thinks
Baseball and Golf Are
Innocent hmusemets
SEES SU3ltRFUGE
In MuLVENA BILL


laws many harmless amusemenis are
penalized.
Or. Kirkus' statement follows:
my attention has been specifically
called to the proposed repeal OF a law
concerning Sabbath-breaking, (Chapter
i53 Of the Revised Code OF the State OF
Delaware, 47s4, Section a.. and the sub
stitute therefor OF a new section.
FIRST let me say quite frankly that
I think the law which II Is proposed to
repeal Is a bad law, in that II employs
lhe term "Sabbath-day" without max
ing ~ clear that what is meant Is Sun
day. or the Lords Day." and also be-
cause Of certain harmless and innocent
occupations 1t belongs to that class OF
enactments known as "blue-laws,"
which wherever they exist are in
large measure disregarded. a condition
which tends to a contempt for the law
and a general habit OF .law-hreaking.
The measure provides that whoever
shall perform any worldly employment,
labor, or business on the Sabbath Day
works OF necessity and charity except
ed) shall be fined four dollars. &C." II
then goes on TO specify among the
things forbidden The driving OF any
public stage or carriage" which would
certainly apply 10 the use Of taxicabs
and trolley-cars on Sunday, In which
respect the law Is VIGOROUSLY broken
every week. II further provides that IF
any number OF persons shall assemble
10 game, play, or dance on the Sabbath
day. and shall engage or assist In any
such game. play or dance. every sucn
)erson shall be fned four dollars. &C.
Under this provision Of the law |
would come the much mooted question
IF Sunday baseball and other pastimes J
. Of a similar character on sunday, ana
in this respect again engaging IN busi- !
less on the Lords Day Is, In my opin- ]
on, a good law, quite apart from any !
eligious significance IL may have. Ma |
.iure demands a certain amount Of rest /
from toll and the cessation Of ordinary |
on one day in every seven not |
only has the sanction Of a divine au-
ihOrity, but its value as an economic /
measure has stood the test Of thousands /
Il years experience. The law In this re- I
spect should be made more strict rather I
than less. The penalty imposed for Nlo-
lation, by a law one hundred years OLD,
Is so trivial as TO be negligible in these
days OF big business" o" Il ought TO be |
enlarged many fold. II should certainly |
apply TO exhibition games and enter
tainments OF every kind. when involving
professional engagements. the receipt OF /
admission fees and the Ike.
"But when It is applied TO pastimes
Of a recreative nature, in which small
group OF people engage for their own /,
refreshment and enjoyment, II seems 70 l
me 10 pass the bounds Of reason. Per
sonaily feel that great mistake is
made when people allow such pastimes /
to interfere with their religious exer-
cises on Sunday. l so further than
that, in feeling that those Of our good
citizens who are non-church goes would !
do well TO discountenance such pas
times during the hours which the ma
iority IN a Christian community devote
10 public worship.
Il should like TO see the Country Club
for instance), OF which | am an en-
thusiastic member, close its gates on
Sunday until o'clock, as a recognition
on the part OF its governors OF the re-
spect In which they ho.d the religious
convictions Of the community, and the
prevailing custom OF attending public
worship on Sunday morning.
. But 10 control such matter by legal
enactment Is in my judgment mistake
We cannot make people religious Dy
law. much less by laws which penalize
pastim IS. which are perfect, innocent IN
themselves, whether on weekdays OF ]
Sundays. Nobody nowadays would con- /
tend that there is anything sinful
about playing golf or baseball, and any Il
form Of coercion which would seem TO
imply that there is will never tend TO
deepen the religion Of anybody The
only harm they can do on Sunday IS by
supplanting the habit Of church-golng,
which Is equally done by staying at
home in bed OF sitting In an easy chair
reading the Sunday newspaper.
so much for my conviction that the
law in question might well be revised 4
or as 10 some Of It's provisions, repealed.
But what about the substitute proposed
by Representative Mulvena?
The proposal reads as follows:
whoever shall be guilty Of fishing
fOwling, horse-racing, cock-1ghting, II
hunting game, operating theatres, con
Quoting places Of amusement, or the I
sale OF goods, wares and merchandise
on the Sabbath Day, shall be fined four 4
dollars, and on failure TO pay such fine
and costs shall be imprisoned not ex-
ceeding twenty-four hours"
Now this provision would seem to 4
me like 2 reflection upon the sincerity
and intelligence Of the people Of this II
State. Il removes altogether the gen. lI
eral restriction against the conduct Of II
ordinary business, as well as against
those, measure Of public convenience
now considered essential, and against
the pastimes which ! personally con
slider innocent And it creates a vir-
tually new law specifying a few occu-
patiens 10 which the old law shall still
be applied, with the trivial and anti
quated penalty which a hundred years
ago was effective as a deterrent
e. While stu purporting 10 be a law
against Sabbath-breaking. this proposed
enactment would be in effect a measure
10 license the very things t prteends
TO FORBID. To impose aaltry fine OF
four dollars, for example, for opening
a moving-picture theatre on Sunday,
would serve as an invitation for a wide
open town every Sunday evening. IL Is
granting permission at a very
triling cost, to do something contrary
10 the law.
II should like to see our bIue-laws
modified or repealed on a square and
honest basis, but not by a subterfuge
which puts the whole subject in
lynocrtical light, and opens the wsy
10 a sort OF "Sabbath-breaklng" which
every community where Il
S permitted. Apart from any religious
Z ~ he cath - n.tr