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Fishing on Sunday

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 4, 1910

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 87, No. 31.

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Fishing on Sunday

By C. E. H.

It is when Sunday laws are put into operation, and men begin to feel the hand of oppression, that the evil character of religious legislation is more fully disclosed. Pennsylvania has a law against fishing on Sunday. At a recent meeting of the United Sportsmen of that State, Commissioner of Fisheries William E. Meehan spoke strongly in favor of repealing this anti-Sunday fishing law. As reported in the Washington Star of June 6, he said:—
The Sabbath, according to the Scriptures, is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. It is not a question of whether or not Sunday fishing is prohibited by the Bible, but a case of being practical, and providing recreation and legitimate rest on the day set aside for that purpose. We can not afford to restrict these men, who toil six days a week, from this good which might be theirs on the sabbath. Fish were not given to our streams alone for the well-to-do anglers, who can afford to journey whenever they wish, but they were given to the poor man also. We are throwing aside the best means of bettering our citizenship, and then some of us complain because the laboring men of our cities are not abler and better men. I sincerely trust that at the next meeting of the legislature this anti-Sunday fishing law will be crossed off the code, and I trust that our United Sportsmen of Pennsylvania will do all in their power to bring this about.
These statements of Commissioner Meehan are a good illustration of the difficulties produced by mixing religious and civil affairs. Sunday fishing is not prohibited by the Bible; and if it were, there would be no reason for placing the prohibition upon the law-books of the nation. We agree with Commissioner Meehan that this law ought to be “crossed off the code.” To make either work or play a crime on one day of the week only, is manifestly wrong, and can only be done from a religious view-point. C. E. H.