Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 281, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 November 1916 — WEEK-END HOLIDAY [ARTICLE]

WEEK-END HOLIDAY

MOVEMENT INAUGURATED BY NEW JERSEY BANKER. Would Also Have All Days of Celebration, Except Christmas and New Year's, Observed on Week’s Last Working Day. A holiday that would be celebrated over the entire North American continent north of the Rio Grande is one of the possibilities of the Saturday full holiday national movement that has been started here by Alfred N. Chandler, a banker, says a Montclair (N. J.) dispatch to the New York Sun. The movement is to be of wide scope and headquarters, in charge of Mr. Chandler, are to be opened in, Newark. The object of the movement is to have the present “fixed date” holidays, except Christinas and Newi Year’s days, shifted to specified Saturdays nearest the dates of their present observance, andas an equivalent offset in annual holiday hours thus gained, the adoption of eight Saturday full holidays In the summer time,, Including Independence and Labor days. Whether Washington was born on the twenty-second calendar day of February or on the third Saturday of February ; whether Lincoln was born on the twelfth calendar day of February or on the second Saturday of February ; whether the Declaration of Independence was adopted on the fourth calendar day of July or on the first Saturday of July; whether Columbus discovered the western hemisphere._pn_ the twelfth calendar day of October or on the second Saturday of October—none of these precise dates of. the calendar Is of. paramount importance when compared with the of the event commemorated in the minds of those who are behind the Saturday full holiday national movement. “The business and professional man in these days begins the week’s work on Monday mornings keyed up in spirit for five or five and a half days of continued and uninterrupted effort,” said Mr. Chandler in % sbeaklng of tho movement, “but on tnV average In every sixth week there comes with a bang a legal holiday in the middle of the week. At such times it becomes difficult to throw off the pressure, to relax, to get the holiday spirit. We seem rather, once we have started, to prefer the continuous week’s work and begrudge the time lost, feeling that we are not doing. our duty to ourselves, our families or our business. “This interruption would be materially lessened If the different states would adopt the plan of observing their various legal holidays on specified Saturdays Instead of on fixed calendar dates,” continued Mr. Chandler. “Dominion day Is observed throughout Canada on the first day of July. Should we decide to observe our Independence day annually on the first Saturday in July it is not unlikely that the Canadians would conclude to observe their Dominion day on the same day. Such harmony would be of sentimental benefit and a gain usually of one business day each year In business intercourse between the two peoples.” As showing the tendency upon the part of mercantile business toward a Saturday full holiday, Mr. Chandler pointed out that a leading department store in New York city has for the last 15 years made every Saturday In July' and August a full holiday for Its employees, and during the last two summers the number of stores that have been closed all day Saturday has so rapidly increased. that last year there were 14 prominent retail stores in New York city which were closed all day every Saturday in July and August Mr. Chandler also points out that an average of four and a half days would be added to the school term by having Saturday holidays.