Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-21
a HASKIN LETTER
SUNLESS SUNDAY"
By Frederic j.. Haskin

York. And here again the excite
ment seems to have obscured the
facts.
Neiehborhood meetings are being
called in all parts of the city n
surrounding suburbs to protest
against the resurrection OF the blue
laws; local chapters of the Ameri-
can Legion are organizing to hght
them; the F~reethinkers' Society IS
threatening opposition to all KINDS
of reformers, and n a n
moving picture industries are pre-
pairing to fight to keep the subject
~ the Sabbath out of our ever
growing book of national laws.
OF course, all of us have been
more or less prepared for further
reforms ever since the successful
| ratification of the eighteenth
amendment, but 1t Is doubtful II
anyone expected them to come SO
soon. or so nary of them at once.
| Occasionally, we heard that an at
tack against tobacco was ominously
| Imminent, but that the reformers
were sharpening their tomahawks
for an attack on all forms OF sun
| dav recreation, healthful or other
wise. was scarcely suspected until
| the Lords Day Alliance announced
its belligerent intentions.
Even now. some people are of
the opinion that the Alliance cannot
he sincere in what it says-that
there is some "jinx" about the thing
somewhere. For instance. the other
| night. the following conversation
| between W business men on the
subway, filtered up to the reporters
ears:
"I believe it's all a trumped-up
| scheme on the part of the Republic
can party" said the first business
man sagely. '"rhey may have given
these old boys a little encourage
ment, just to throw them over In
| the end. For even a feeble-minded
! person can see that the people are
| not going to submit to any more
restrictions ON Sunday. It's a
enough to get through as II Is.
| Well, then. what would make a bet
ter impression on the people tnan
for the Repubs. to quash the blue
law agitation just as soon as they
get into office. What would win
the public's confidence quicker.
Hmm, that's a pretty theory, y
said the second business man. but
remember that everybody. thought
| that prohibition was a joke until
the supreme court declared it was
MT. The first thing you know Wen
all be dragged out of bed Sunday
morning by probation officers en-
| ployed by the community to see
that we go to church.
A Blue Law Advocate.
On the whole, New York is in
| clined TO treat the Sunless Sunday
movement very seriously, and any
one who has heard the Rev. Henry
l.. Bowlby, general secretary of the
Lords Day Alliance and leader OF
the movement, state his case can
be perfectly sure that the Alliance
mean what it says. MIR. Bowlpy Is
short of stature and has short, thick
energetic hands. His eyes are small
and shrewd- his mouth a thin, de-
termined line above a stubborn
chin In Altoona, Pa, where ne
was formerly a minister OF the gos-
pei, he was known as an excellent
''6eld pastor rather than an elo-
ouent preacher. In other words. he
is an extremely efficient executive
| the very type one would expect to
| find presiding over the crowded,
! business like Offices of the Alliance
in the Presbyterian building on
Fifth emu
When interviewed, MI. Bowlby
Is sef-confident. but cautious. He
is careful not to say anything on his
own authority, but quotes elabo-
rately from the pamphlets OF the
Alliance, while one of the ofhcials
of that Organization, usually his at
torney, sits watchfully at his elbow.
When asked If the reported aims
of the Alliance were true. the other
day, the reverend executive asserted
that he, personally, had been con-
| tinually misquoted by the newspa-
pers. but would be glad to rehearse
the program and purpose OF the
organization. :.
"Our organization is backed by
sixteen denominations" he began
Including all except the Roman
| Catholics, the Jews, the seventh
Day Adventists and h nitarians
We are we'll financed. Our lobby a,
Washington will be a strong ano
effective one. We shall work in ev-
ery congressional district in every
state. We shall advocate ane
spread propaganda and cause vot'
ers to write Increasingly to theii
representatives in Congress until ne
congressman who cares to stay II
Congress will dare refuse to vote
for our MEASURE These were tn
methods used by the Anti-SalooI
League and they we're effective.
I'VE propose to pass no blu
laws. There r no such thing
as blue laws and never were, SO Ia
as 1 know. We don't propose t
Ieeislate people into church. We d.
propose to secure legislation which
will make it easier for people to 81
to church. In other words. we shal
try to close baseball parks. the gol
links; the motion picture AM
other theatres; the concert halls
the amusement parks; n TENN
courts and the bathing beache
We shall fight all amusement
where an admission fee Is cnargeo
We shall oppose golf, baseball ten
mis- football! and other sports ever
if purely amateur or deVoia Oh n
Iancial cost to those watching. o.
taking part. because they set bat
examples for children who other
wise might be content to go to sun
day school.
I'VE shall seek to restrict IN
sale of gasoline for pleasure auto
mobiles and urge other measures
that will stop Sunday automobilint
and ioy riding. This will not brint
the old-fashioned horse and busg.
hack because we believe that tn
Lords Day should be a day of res
for man and beast.
Excursion steamer rides on sun
day will be opposed by us on tn
grounds that they are -unnecessar!
to the moral welfare OF America
We also see no reason why the pub
lie libraries or art galleries shoul'
remain open on Sunday. And Sun
day newspapers are certainly un
necessary"
When pressed for his opinion o
couethtnr that the people could d.