The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-01
Sunday and the Blue Laws.

Inc generally accepted duty or gov
ernments In respect of Sunday laws
has been plain since the time of Con-
sTANTINE. That duty Is not to direct
men, but to make them free to do
what they wish to do within the law.
The State of New York has no re-
ligion, but the State of New York
recognizes that most OF its citizens
are followers of one or another re-
ligion. In order to make most Of its
citizens free to follow their individual
Ideas of the manner In which Sunday
should be spent, the State prohibits,
In general, all unnecessary labor.
+ A man may not keep his packing
he use open on Sunday because it Is
obvious that all the work OF factory
may be done In the six weekdays; but
sold may be operated on Sunday be-
cause Ii Is obvious that the public
cannot eat enough In six days to sus-
tain them on the seventh day.
Formerly, in this State, ~all public
sports and shows were forbidden. Re-
Gently the Legislature, In response to
Il wide demand, has left to local option
the matters Of Sunday baseball and
the Sunday exhibition of motion pic
lures, but in both cases the lawnak-
ers prevented the games and shows
| from being played until 2 o'clock in
the afternoon. Here was freedom ex-
tended in two directions. The hired
baseball player and the motion pic
ture operator had Sunday morning
fer themselves, to 60 to church il
they wished. The people who like
baseball and motion pictures found
themselves free to see them on Sun
day. This was not violation of the
spirit of f original law. which read
that the trst day Of the week was
"set apart for rest and religious uses.
A great many persons find more rest
In baseball game or screen play
than they would find loafing about
lie mousse OF Walking.
If the hackers of the new blue law
movement have their way, these con-
cessions to an amusement loving pub
lie would disappear. More than that.
this city would go back to fate
harsher than that of old New Eng
land. The Puritan did not miss much
by being kept at home on Sunday.
There were no baseball games or
motor cars in his day. But man
sitting on Sunday in his house and
wishing he was out on the road was
In no more pious mood than a modern
New Yorker sitting on Sunday in the
bleachers of the ball park.
Certain of the ancients were de-
scribed by MAcAULAY as objecting to
bear batting, mot because it gave pain
to the bear, but because it gave pleas
ure to the spectators" There are
doubtless a few minds of the same
cast to-day. Other hackers of the pro-
posed blue laws are honest in their
belief that closed Sunday would re-
suit in greater piety; yet we have
never heard of man going to the
devil because New York permitted
delicatessen shops to he opened on
Sundays. There is a small third class
of blue law a9itators who make
living out of crusades of this ma
ture. They will be for the blue laws
until the campaign is over and then
they will turn their paid talents to
something else.
Already the blue law movement is
producing reaction. Last Sunday 1t
drew disapproval from DIR. MANNING,
On Episcopalian, and from Father
DUFFY, a Roman Catholic, both gen.
tlemen of the cloth who added to
their understanding of the human
race by service as army chaplains
What they said about blue laws Is
pretty good indication OF what will
happen IL the closed Sunday advo-
Gates succeed in making State or
national issue of their plans. And
what will happen will be nothing less
han religious war over political
issue. There are millions of church
members who are determined that
Sunday shall not be made by law
cay Of gloom.