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Show "TAKING THE SUN OUT OF SUNDAY" Under the above caption the editor of the Hamilton County Herald, of Chattanooga, Tenn., wrote the following interesting and instructive article, showing up the inconsistency of Sunday law advocates: ad-vocates: "After the legislature has passed the bill prohibiting Sunday 'movies,' it seems usseless the argue the matter further, but there are thoughts in the minds of the people relative to the action of our lawmakers which ought to be expressed by someboby. "A couple of weeks ago a bill was presented to the legislature, seeking to prohibit Sunday baseball. Baseball is a game played in Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga by Southern League teams, to which admission is charged. The argument was made when the bill came up for consideration in the state senate, that playing baseball base-ball on Sunday was a desecration of the Christian Sabbath, and out cf harmony with the teaching of the Bible. Opposing this view, a majority of the senators contended that religion and morals were matters about which lawmakers could not legislate, and that to pass such a bill as that proposed, would be an invasion of the rights and liberties of the people. The bill was defeated. "A little later, another bill came before the legislature, passed the house, and reached the senate. This bill was exactly like the other bill in principle. The only difference was that this one sought to prohibit Sunday 'movies' instead of baseball. The argument argu-ment was made, in favor of the bill, that running motion pictures on Sunday was a desecration of the Christian Sabbath, and out of harmony with the teaching of the Bible. Opposing this measure, one or two senators raised the point that religion and morals were matters about which lawmakers could not legislate, and that to pass such a bill would be an invasion of the rights and liberties of the people. The bill was passed. "In the minds of the thinking people of the State, the senate has stulified itsself completely, and the confidence of its constituents is gone. A lawmaking body which has no more conscience or stability than that, cannot continue to command the respec; o: a liberty-loving people. "The next thought is: Where is this reform business going to end? Are the so-called 'blue law' advocates to keep on till they l ave taken all the joy out of life? Do they hope to make people better by legislating morals down their .throats, like giving a child castor oil? If so, there is every reason to believe that the reaction against this sort of thing is going to be quite different from what the reformers anticipate. "The fact that the church is not able to combat the Sunday Amusements is not the fault of the Sunday amusements. It is the fault of those who are running the churches. The reason people go to baseball and 'movies' on Sunday is because they enjoy those things; and the reason they do not go to church is because they don t fael the same urge. When the ministers and others who conduct the churches make the church as attractive to people as it should be, laws designed to make men and women and children go to church will not be necessary. Let the ministers and others who are now wasting their time on blue laws, work from within the hearts of their people, and quit working from the outside through the skin." |
