A Work That Belongs to the Middle Ages — Protestant Ministers Are Pushing It — A Catholic Priest Denounces Them
By S. B. HORTON
THERE is a very interesting situation developing in the state of Pennsylvania, at the present time, in connection with the enforcement of the Sunday blue law. Two cities of the Keystone State, Norristown and Altoona, are treated to a system of espionage that would be in keeping with medievalism or the celebrated "holy" Inquisition of the Dark Ages. Norristown is noted as the largest "burg" in the United States, having a population of thirty thousand, and yet unincorporated as a municipal commonwealth.
FINED FOR WORKING ON SUNDAY
At the behest of the "Welfare League," the burgess of Norristown, who is the committing magistrate of that community, was called upon to arraign four business men before the public as criminals, the charge against them being violation of the Sunday law, the celebrated "blue law" of 1794. Of these, two were obliged to pay fines and the costs of prosecution, one was discharged, and one was held to await a further hearing.
The vice-president of the "Welfare League," a prominent church worker, appeared as the prosecutor in all of the cases; and Mr. William F. Dannehower, a local attorney, represented the defendants.
The first case was against Peter Nemphos and his employees, who conduct a candy store. The star witness testified that while looking into the store owned by the defendant, on the Sunday night preceding, he saw a man purchase some candy. Upon cross-examination, the witness admitted that he was taking a walk for the purpose of seeing who was violating the Sunday law. Another witness testified that he had gone into the defendant's store for the purpose of buying chocolates. While there, he saw a young woman purchase a drink of something. He had later purchased five cents worth of candy.
WITNESS HAD BROKEN SAME LAW
The witness, in response to a question from the attorney for the defense, said that he did not expect to be paid for his work of securing evidence. Asked by the attorney whether he did not think he was violating the law by making a purchase on Sunday, the witness said: "I was violating the law. I do not expect to be fined for so doing. By saying that I was violating the law, I mean I was violating the law of God."
The burgess adjudged the storekeeper guilty, and imposed a fine of $4.00 and costs, $3.95. The attorney for the defense charged the burgess with acting illegally, saying: "As burgess, you have no jurisdiction whatever in such prosecutions. That has been decided in 1888 by the Court of Common Pleas. Judge Newman directed that a 'burgess has no jurisdiction in such cases,' and his decision has never been questioned."
The burgess replied, "And I will give notice now that if these stores are kept open next Sunday, the charge against the offenders will not be 'violating the Sunday law,' but will be that of conspiracy to evade the law."
The other case adjudged guilty was that of a druggist. The star witness, the aforesaid vice-president of the "Welfare League," testified that while standing in front of the defendant's store, "before going to church Sunday evening," he had seen two men purchase cigars, and had seen the clerk take the cash.
Attorney Dannehower called the magistrate of the fourth ward to the stand. He showed by his docket that the defendant had been arraigned before him the previous forenoon on the charge of violating the Sunday law, and had pleaded guilty. The burgess asked the witness, "What did you do with the case?" The magistrate replied, "I fined the defendant $4.00, and remitted the costs." This caused the burgess to remark, "Even a magistrate can help people evade the law." Quick as a flash came back from Magistrate Clarke the remark, "Go as far as you like, Mr. Burgess."
The third case was against the keeper of a store who sold ice-cream. The chief witness testified that he had entered the store and asked a clerk whether or not the store was open for business. Upon receiving a reply in the affirmative, the witness, he himself testified, had "preached a little sermon to the man." The witness testified that another man and a clergyman — naming them — had accompanied him to the store, and he said the visit had been made "after church services."
EARNED HIS MONEY, BUT REFUSED OTHERS THE RIGHT
Attorney Dannehower turned to the witness, and asked, "You sing in a church choir on Sundays, and you get paid for it, do you not?"
The witness replied: "I do. The court has decided that it is not a violation of the law to do so. That is considered a necessity."
The attorney said: "That is very true. Then you admit that after you have earned your money on a Sunday, you go around spying on other people trying to earn a living, for the purpose of getting them into difficulty."
The witness said, "That has nothing to do with this case."
The attorney replied, "Nothing, absolutely nothing; but I want the court to know just what kind of a man you are."
The witness became angry, and retorted loudly, "Your wife sings in a church choir on Sunday."
Smilingly the attorney said: "Yes, I am proud to say she sings in a choir, but she does not go around spying upon other people. She is not selfish. Then again, she attends to her own business."
A great deal of feeling has been engendered because of the fact that the burgess has discriminated in prosecutions for Sunday law violations, having said on one occasion, "I am the burgess, and I will use my own judgment as to who shall be prosecuted and who shall not be." The Business Men's Association is interesting itself, and further developments are expected in the near future.
THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS AN ISSUE
Following a meeting of the Altoona ministerial association, a crusade against so-called Sunday law violators has been begun. The ministers' association is seeking to make Altoona a newspaperless center. The news agents are preparing to defeat the work of the ministerial association. Officials of all the Philadelphia and New York newspapers, as well as the Pittsburgh papers, previously informed the local news agents that they would assist in fighting the preachers if their business were molested; and once the fight is taken up, these men declare, they will remain in the thick of it until the ministers are made ridiculous throughout the country.5Several court decisions have been handed down setting forth that Sunday newspapers (Continued on page 8)
Enforcing a Religious Law
(Continued from page 4)
are not luxuries; but an attorney has informed the local ministers that the blue laws, if enforced, will prohibit the sale of the papers. The ministers have also decided to get after the oil dealers who sell gasoline and oil on Sunday.
Photograph by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOINS THE FIGHT
It is reported that the Chamber of Commerce is considering an effort to devise ways and means of quieting the ministers. Lately Altoona has gained considerable unsavory advertising out of the activities of the preachers; and as a result, many traveling men who formerly spent Saturday and Sunday in this city, go to other cities, where some tolerance is shown.
CATHOLIC PRIEST DENOUNCES IT
The rector of St. John's Catholic Church is evidently not in sympathy with the Altoona ministerial effort to have a blue law Sunday. He took occasion recently to denounce the activities of the ministers who spend a portion of Sunday scouring the city to find hapless violators of the archaic "blue laws."
He took issue with the ministers on two points: He declared, first, that the first day of the week, Sunday, was never divinely ordained as the Sabbath, and, as a matter of fact, was first designated as the rest day by the Catholic Church; second, that the Scriptures designate the Sabbath as a day of rest, and that rest does not imply the rest found in a graveyard, but rather a healthful and stimulating rest, which does not interfere with the rights and liberty of others.
He pointed out that "under the old Hebraic law, the seventh day of the week was set aside as Sabbath; but that early in its history, the Catholic Church, on account of many leading events in the life of Christ that occurred on the first day of the week, made the first day Sunday, and that this has since been followed by the Christian world."
The rector maintained that it was not the prerogative of any clique of men to dictate to individuals the day they should observe as the Sabbath, and that any individual would have the same right to designate a day in the middle of the week as his Sabbath, as the ministers have to say that the city shall close up tight on the first day of the week.
He also declared that the very word "Sabbath," which is derived from the Hebrew, indicates the uses to which the day should not be put. He declared that it was far from right that the "healthy, red-blooded man of to-day, who toils for an existence six days in the week, should be compelled to spend his only day of leisure in the rest of the graveyard."
This Catholic priest's comments are certainly to the point, and we would commend them to the careful consideration of all who believe that the Bible teaches that Sunday is the Sabbath for Christians.
