Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-01-03
SABBATH LAWS
PROPOSED WILL
BEOBSTRUCTED
Meetings Held in Gotham to
Register Protest Against
Reform Movement.
PASTORS OPPOSE CHARGE


day law, which was explained from the
Washington viewpoint in this column a
few days ago, is the center of a real
emotional disturbance here in New York.
And here again the excitement seems to
have obscured the facts.
NelghbOrhood meetings are being calico
in all parts of the city and surrounding
suburbs to protest against the resurrcc-
ton of the blua laws; local chapters Of
the American Legion are organizing to
fight them; the Erect thinkers Society ls
threatening opposition to all kinds of re
formers, and the theater and moving pic
ture Industries are preparing TO fight to
keep the subject of the Sabbath out of
our ever growing book Of national laws.
or course, all of us have been more
or less prepared for further reforms ever
since the successful ratification Of the
eighteenth amendment, but It is doubtful
# any one expected them to come so
soon, or SO many OF them at once &c
casionally, we heard that an attack
against tobacco was om1uously imminent,
hut that the -efOrmers were sharpeuir.
their tumah2Wks for an attack on ali
forms OF sunday recreation. healthful or
otherwise, was scarcely suspected until
the Lords Day Alliance announced its
belliGerent intentions.
Even now. some people are of the
opinion that the alliance cannot be sin
cere in what 1t says-that there is some
"jinx" about the thing somewhere For
instance, the other night, the following
conversation between two business men
on the subway, filtered up to the report
er's ears
Il believe it's all trumped-up scheme
on the part Of the Republican party"
said the business man sagely. They
may have given these old boys little
encoura gemeut, just to throw them over
I'm the end. For even feeble minded
person can see that the people are not
going to submit to any more restric-
lions en- Sunday. It's bad enough to
get through as it Is. Well, then, whas
would make q better impression on the
people than for the Republicans to squash
the blue law agitation Just as soon as
they get into office. what would win the
public's confidence Quicker7'
HIM m, that's 81 pretty theory" said
the second business man. but. remem-
ber that everybody thought that pro-
hibition was n joke until the supreme
Court declared 70 wasn't. The first thing
you know Wen all he dragged out OF
he'd on Sunday morning by probation Of
fcers employed by the community 10
see that We go TO church"
NEW YORK TAKING
CASE SERIOUSLY
on the whole, New York Is inclined
to treat the Sunless Sunday movement
very seriously. and any one who has
heard the Rev Henry L. Howlby, gen
eraI secretary Of the Lords Day Alliance,
end leader Of the movement, state his
4.
encc means what Il says Mr. Bowlhy is
short Of stature and has short thick.
energetic hands. His eyes are small and
shruwd. his mouth a th!n, determined
limo above a stubborn chin. In Altoona.
Pa. wher, he was formerly n minister %
the gospel, he was known az an excel
lent Field pastor" rather than an tIo-
quent preacher In other words. he IS an
extremely efficient eXecutive-the very
type one would expect 70 find presiding
over the crowded busIness-like offices OF
the alliance in the Presbyterian building
on Fifth avenue
When being interviewed. Mr.. Bowlby
Is self-coniident, but cautious. He is
careful not 20 say anything on his own
authority. but quotes elaborately from
the pamphlets Of the alliance. while one
Of the officials Of that organization
usually his attorney. sits watchfully at
his elbow.
when asked II the reported aims Of
the alliance were true, the other day,
the reverend executive asserted that he.
personally, hac been continuously mis-
quoted by the newspapers. but would be
glad to rehea7se the program and pur-
pose OK the o. sanitation.
"Our organization IS backed by six
Ing nh except the Roman Catholics. tia
Jews. the seventh Day AdIentists ana
the Unitarians. We are well financed.
our lobby at Washington will be a
strong and effective one. We shall work
In every congressional district in every
state. We shall advocate and spread
propaganda and cause voters to write
increasingly to their Representatives in
Congress until no Congressman who
cares to stay in Congress win dare re
fuse to vote for our measures. These
were the methods used by the Anti-Sa-
loon League. and they were effective.
I'VE propose to pass no blue laws
There are no such things as blue laws
and never were, so far as l know. We
don't propose to legislate people into
church. We do propose to secure legis-
latlon which viii make it easier for peo-
pie to so to church. In other words we
shall try to close the baseball parks. the
golf links the motion picture and other
theaters, the concert halls, the amuse-
ment parks, the tennis courts and the
bathing beaches. We shall fight all
amusemenrs where an admission fec is
charged We shall oppose golf baseball
tennis, football and other sports even II
purely amateur or devoid Of financial
\ H.
because they set bad examples for chill
dren who otherwise might be content to
go to sunday school.
PROGRAM OF
LORDS DAY ALLIANCE.
1--WE shall seek to restrict the sale OF
gasoline for pleasure automobiles and
urge other measures that will stop Sun
day automObiling and joy riding. This
VIII not bring the old fashioned horse
and buggy back, because we believe that
the Lords day should be day Of rest
for man and beast
Excursion steamer rides on Sunday
will be opposed by us on the grounds
| that they are unnecessary to the moral
welfare of America. We also see no rea-
son why the public libraries or art gal
leries should remain open on Sunday.
And Sunday papers are certainly unneces-
sary"
When pressed for his opinion of some
thing that people could do on Sunday be
sides go to church, Mr.. Bowlby declared
that there would be no objection to them
walking in the fields or parks or at
tending the beaches. Provided they do
not go IN bathing"
1t has been stated several times in the
newspapers that the program of the
Lords Day Alliance is strongly backed
by the Anti Saloon League, bui the Anti