504  Sunday  Closing  and  Shorter  Hours.    {asFovS^mq? " 
Until  about  five  years  ago  I  kept  my  store  open  all  day,  but  kept 
my  windows  curtained,  my  show  cases  covered  and  endeavored  to 
sell  only  medicines  and  articles  used  in  the  sick-room.  In  this  way 
I  reduced  my  Sunday  business  to  a  point  where  it  was  not  difficult 
to  close  most  of  the  day.  The  last  five  years  I  have  opened  on 
Sunday  only  from  9  a.m.  to  1  p.m. — four  hours.  I  did  this  without 
issuing  any  notice,  but  merely  hung  a  sign  on  my  store  door  on 
Sundays.  I  found  very  little  objection  among  my  patrons  and  a 
great  many  expressed  their  approval.  I  find  almost  all  of  the  work 
we  do  during  these  four  hours  is  among  one  or  two  dozen  families, 
whom  we  term  our  Sunday  regulars.  Before  the  adoption  of  this 
plan  my  business  had  been  for  several  years  on  a  standstill,  but 
has  since  constantly  increased.  What  we  lose  by  closing  is  more 
than  made  up  in  other  ways. 
Saturday's  renewals  have  increased  and  I  see  a  disposition  among 
my  customers  to  gather  up  everything  they  think  they  may  need  for 
Sunday,  and  many  orders  are  even  held  over  till  Monday.  This  shows 
that  people  can  and  are  willing  to  adjust  themselves  to  conditions 
that  are  reasonable.  Now  that  I  have  done  this  in  the  past  it  would 
be  easy  to  shorten  my  hours  still  further,  and  I  am  sure  that  if  a  few 
of  my  neighboring  druggists  would  follow,  that  the  question  would 
be  solved.  I  would  suggest  that  we  get  an  expression  from  every 
retail  druggist  in  this  city  on  the  subject  and  see  what  the  general 
feeling  is.  I  cannot  see  why  one  should  work  seven  days  a  week  if 
there  is  any  way  out  of  it. 
Let  us  do  this  thing  among  ourselves  and  without  legislation. 
Let  us  get  together  and  set  a  time,  and  let  the  people  know 
that  at  a  certain  time  we  will  close  our  stores  all  day  on  Sundays 
and  that  it  will  be  necessary  for  them  to  prepare  themselves 
for  it.  Don't  wait  for  legislation,  don't  wait  till  every  man  is  con- 
verted to  our  way  of  thinking  but  let  a  few  dozen,  if  not  more,  take 
the  lead  believing  that  others  will  follow.  If  we  should  call  a  meet- 
ing of  all  the  men  in  the  business  to  formulate  a  plan  to  bring  about 
Sunday  closing,  I  for  one  would  be  willing  to  follow  a  plan  adopted 
by  the  majority.  If  the  time  is  not  ripe  for  all  stores  to  be  closed 
all  day  on  Sundays  we  might  by  system  have  it  arranged  for  one 
store  in  a  half  a  dozen  or  more  to  be  open  all  day,  and  each  one  in 
that  section  to  take  his  turn,  and  let  every  man  that  is  closed  indi- 
cate by  a  card  in  his  window  that  Mr.   is  open  for  the  filling  of 
all  prescriptions. 
