The New York herald., 1921-05-22
DEEP BLUE SUNDAY
DEMAND OF BOWLBY
PresbyterlanS viii BE Asked
to Put Ban on All Sorts
of Diversions.
VICTORIES RECOUNTED
Winona Assembly Is Told
What Has Been Done in
New York State.

wINoNA LAKE, Ind. May 21.--Aboh-
tion of Sunday baseball, Sunday movies,
Sunday theatres and unnecessary sun
day business is advocated in the an
nual report of DR.. II. l.. Bowlby, gem
eral secretary of the Presbyterian Com
mittee on Sabbath Observance. In his
message to the General Assembly DIR.
Bowlby says:
The Presbyterian Committee on Sab
bath Observance struck out on its sec
ond year soon to hit upon paths that
were not laid by builders Of the Re
public who dotted early New England
with little white churches and little red
school houses paths of organized Sab
bath desecration which led not to church
nor to Bible school on the Lords Day.
but to the commercial movie, vaudeville
and theatre, baseball and amusement
parks, the dance hall. sporting club. open
business houses. loafing parlors constant
temptations to multitudes Of youth and
adults. to sell their Sabbath birthright
for this red pottage.
Among the victories of the year as
won by the Lords Day Alliance of the
United States and 1t auxiliary and af-
filiated societies and in which the Pres
byterian Permanent Committee in
number of instances had a cooperative
part. are the following:
Victories in New York.
''In New York the double defeat of the
Dickstein Sunday business bill and
eighteen other bills which attacked the
American Sunday Is significant. Excel
lent progress was also made on bills
10 close all grocery stores and barber
shops on Sunday. Aid was given the
censorship bill. which was passed.
In New Jersey the motion picture
forces and the commercial sporting ad-
vocates were held in check.
In Pennsylvania an obnoxious Sun
day business bill was defeated by an
overwhelming vote In the Assembly and
other proposed anti-Sunday legislation
was killed in committee
In Ohio the Taylor Sunday movie
bill was defeated.
I'm Wisconsin an advantage for more
rest days for policemen was won A
crist of anti-Sabbath bills is being held
back ..'ft
Splendid results may also be re-
ported for New England, Maryland, some
of the midwest and Pacific coast States,
the South, where last July organized
work was undertaken by the alliance,
and in the District of Columbia.
THE committee would lay stress on a
nationwide propaganda for wide open
Sunday which was started at Washing
ton. November %. through the generous
help of the daily press, and back of
which were powerful amusement and
sporting organizations.
This propaganda was used as a
smoke screen to hide their real purpose
OF commercial Sunday and by misrep-
resentations, exaggerations and a string
of lies published through the press and
-, - s,.ta
vertising. extensive efforts We're made
to fool the people and make good the
former threat of 'wiping out every ves-
tige OF laws protecting Sunday from the
statute books of every State in the
United States
Warns Against Foes.
although the attack was made di-
rectly against the Lords Day Alliance
of the United States, your committee
saw that the real issue was interroga-
lively stated Shall the American Chris
tan Sabbath be abolished?' COM
was shaped up by the secre-
tary of the committee and sent out to
strategic centres warning Aresgyterian
pastors and leading ministers of this
movement. a more dangerous than which
has not been attempted against the
American Sunday In the last fifty years.
with so many OlJmpan obstacles
placed in the way of the church, the
Bible school and the home. and no
adequate machinery at hand to remove
them, we believe the church should
promptly adopt the slogan of the late
Lord Kitchener. who, on arriving at his
headquarters, tersely asked. 'is there
a bed here?' And on receiving the
answer No. replied Get one
Unless some approximate solution Is
found for this problem many of our
churches will fall upon dissolution.
THE committee believes that Go 70
Church Sundays are good and helpful,
but that there would be no urgent need
of them If we had proper observance
of the Lords Day. II the people prop
erly observe the Sabbath they will be
found in the house OF God on that day.
Remove these counter attractions
and distra ctions of the day and II will
prove a far easier matter to WOO and
win pack a multitude OF young people
who have lost the way to the Bible
school and the church. Close up the
SUNDAY movie and theatre. shut the
gates of the baseball parks. lock the
doors of many open places of business,
make more attractive but none the less
spiritual the meetings of the church and
this paramount problem of the churches
will be well on the way to definite