“Is Tobogganing Noisy? City Solicitor Asked To Submit A Report,” Toronto Star. January 16, 1912. Page 1.
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A Hundred Citizens Were in Delegation Which Waited Upon the Board of Control To-Day, and They Became So Noisy That Major Geary Had to Ask Them to Calm Down
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VARIOUS VIEWS EXPRESSED, SOME EXCUSED CLERGYMEN OF INTOLERANCE
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Rev. Wm. Rochester: “The city has provided work for the police where there was no necessity of it, and this may touch the Lord’s Day Act. This is absolutely a question of public policy.’
‘King George sets a good example by refusing to travel on Sunday.
‘The city in conducting three slides, enters into competition with three of the greatest educational influences, the churches, the Sunday schools, and the homes.’
Rev. A. L. Geggie: ‘I suppose you call preaching a noisy game.’ (laughter) ‘and that’s why it is not allowed in the parks.’
Mayor Geary: ‘If you can have the Legislature include tobogganing with baseball and skittles, as noisy games to be prohibited on Sundays, you have solved the situation.’
Rev. Dr. Speer: ‘It is a bad ad for Toronto when you build slides for use on Sunday.’
‘You might as well run a picture show, free of charge, in the park on Sunday.’
Rev. Canon Bryan: ‘Parents are alarmed because their children are going to the slides wen they are supposed to be at the Sunday schools.’
Rev. Mr. Braithwaite: ‘I think you will admit that the ministers represent a large section of the better sentiment of Toronto.’
J. W. Livingston - “you ministers should have been born 200 years ago.’
Mr. J. M. Macdonald: ‘Moral degradation must follow the secularization of the Lord’s Day.
J. A. Paterson, K.C. - ‘This is a noisy game, and the city should do everything possible to stop it.’
J. G. O’Donoghue - ‘There are many workers who want to slide on Sunday, but we would forgeo Sunday, but we would forego Sunday mornings in order to let te people who want to, go to church.’
J. Enoch Thompson - ‘These people got a law passed against Sunday fishing, and a Methodist preacher was the first to get pinched for it.’
‘These men should resign as preachers and join the police force.’
D’Arcy Hinds - ‘Talk about clericalism in France - we have it worse in Toronto.’
‘You talk about building slides - the Lord made slides in Riverdale, and why can’t we praise God while we slide on them?’
Mayor Geary - ‘Calm yourself.’
Edward Meek, barrister - ‘It is not illegal to slide on Sunday, and the Council cannot stop it.’
‘You are making a pretence of strength you haven’t got, and you can’t beat down or bulldoze this Council to do your will.’
Mayor Geary - ‘That is unncessary, Mr. Meek. No suggestion of that was made.’
Mr. Meek - ‘Personal liberty is far greater than Sabbath observance.’
A Voice - ‘We couldn’t regulate the time of our birth.’
Lined up in battle array on each side of the Board of Control table, rival deputations disputed for almost two hours on the question of Sunday tobogganing this morning, and the frenzied battle was waged so fiercely that the Mayor had difficulty in keeping order. Several times he rebuked the auditors for laughter and applause.
At least a hundred citizens crowded into the room, about evenly divided in numbers on the rival sides. At times the war of words waxed warm, and once D’Arcy Hinds got so excited that the Mayor quietly suggested - ‘Calm Yourself.’
Those Who Were There
On the Lord’s Day Alliance deputation were Rev. W. M. Rochester, Rev. Dr. Speer, Rev. Dr. R. N. Burns, Rev. Dr. Hazlewood, Ald. Wanless, Rev. A. L. Geggie, J. K. Macdonald, J. N. Beattie, J. A. Paterson, K.C. Rev, Dr. Braithwaite, Ald. Hilton, E. S. Casinell, Arthur Howe, Evelyn Macrae, Rev. Canon Byran.
On the other side were ranged representatives of the National Sunday League, including J. Enoch Thompson, Edward Meek, D’Arcy Hinds, J. G. O’Donoghue, Louis Gurofsky, and Aubrey Bond.
The final outcome was that the matter was referred to the city solicitor for a report as to the city’s legal standing.
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