p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 5. (1/31/1906)

A NEW SUNDAY BILL.

By Editor

WE are indebted to Pastor W. A. Colcord, of Washington, for a copy of the following Sunday Bill. It will be considered later on its merits. The number of the bill is H. R. 10,510.

In the House of Representatives.

January 5, 1906.

Mr. Allen, of Maine, introduced the following bill; which was referred to the committee on the District of Columbia, and ordered to be printed.

A BILL

To further protect the first day of the week as a day of rest in the District of Columbia.

Whereas there has recently been an increase, not only of traffic, but also of hard labor on Sunday in the national capital, including the public filling and driving of dirt carts, to the great offense of Christian and humane citizens; and—

Whereas the President has been appealed to by philanthropic societies of the city to suppress this Sunday toil ordered by contractors for government work, and others, and has regrettably said that there is no law that would enable him to do so; and—

Whereas the following bill has been twice approved in previous Congresses by the commissioners of the District of Columbia: Therefore—

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall not be lawful for any person to keep open any place of business or maintain a stand for the sale of any article or articles of profit during Sunday, excepting vendors of books and newspapers, and apothecaries for the dispensing of medicines, and undertakers for the purpose of providing for the dead, or others for the purpose of charity or necessity; nor shall any public playing of football or baseball or any other kind of playing, sports, pastimes, or diversions disturbing the peace and quiet of the day, be practised by any person or persons within the District of Columbia on Sunday; nor shall any building operations or work upon railroad construction be lawful upon said day; and for any violation of this Act the person offending shall for each offense be liable to a fine of not less than five dollars nor more than fifty dollars, and in the case of corporations there shall be a like fine for every person employed in violation of this Act laid upon the corporation offending.

Sec. 2. That it shall be a sufficient defense to a prosecution for labor on the first day of the week that the defendant uniformly keeps another day of the week as a day of rest, and that the labor complained of was done in such a manner as not to interrupt or disturb other persons in observing the first day of the week as a day of rest. This Act shall not be construed to prevent the sale of refreshments other than malt or spirituous liquors, or to prevent the sale of malt and spirituous liquors as now provided by the law, or tobacco, cigars, railroad and steamboat tickets, or the collection and delivery of baggage.

The Federation’s Church-State Danger

By Editor

The cartoon on the first page is not our conception, nor did we solicit it. It was a gift from the artist himself who saw that very danger in the Federation. We believe that there are thousands of others in the great churches who will so see it, too. There is but one power with which God has panoplied the Christian church—His Holy Spirit. That Spirit brings in its train all other blessings. All things which lead the church to ally itself to the state lead to death.

Our Experience Meeting

By Editor

"Testimonies" for "Our Experience Meeting" must be short. If they are so written that they can not be shortened, we fear they will never find place. It is not that we want long stories of what others have done, are doing, or ought to do; but personal testimonies of what God has done, is doing, for us. Let the sentiment of every testimony be: "Come, and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul."

A New Springfield Republican Calendar

By Editor

We return thanks for the new calendar of the Springfield Republican. It is like the paper itself, neat, plain, practical, and reliable.

Summary Judgment.—

By Editor

The Last Day publishes this item:

Consternation reigns in the little town of Allen, in southern Maryland, over the strange death of Walter H. Whitney, a pronounced atheist, but one of the most popular residents of the place. Whitney was conversing with some friends, when he suddenly exclaimed: "I defy the Almighty to strike me dead!" Instantly Whitney fell to the floor, and when those about him picked him up he was dead.

If there are any of our readers in the vicinity who know of the matter, we hope they will verify it. If they know it to be untrue, kindly inform us of that.

Fiction and Character

The Navy Department is said to be buying $15,000 worth of books to furnish and replenish libraries for the crews of war-vessels. In this connection, especially concerning the need of replenishing, it is said that "on the training-ship Pensacola, at San Francisco, many books, notably those of fiction, have been so worn by constant handling as to be out of issue; so it has been decided to replenish." It is a serious question, How much of growing unreliability in all branches of society is due to the inordinate reading of fiction? This report from the naval training-ship is only an instance. The same principle prevails elsewhere, and fiction food produces fictitious men and women.