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September 1, 2002
Riley's Farm Closed for Business on
Sundays
After much
discussion and after many years of thinking this over,
we have decided to close for business on
Sundays. This runs
contrary to conventional logic for businesses such as
ours, since most retail sales occur
on the
weekend, but our farm is dedicated to preserving
our country's best traditions, and, certainly, the
tradition of the early American Sabbath is one of those
traditions. (It was often said the
Yankees could tell who were British spies prior to the
Revolution by watching whether they traveled on
Sunday; the New England countryside was that
quiet.) As the following 1796 newspaper
account put it:
A person who had lately a just occasion to pass on
Tonsfield road, on the Lord's day, after service, could not refrain from
observations upon the careful observance of it by all classes of people. In the
space of eight miles after five in the afternoon, he did not see one person
abroad, or a single person of either sex gazing through the windows. ... An enlightened people, under the influence of
social and long established institutions of religion, associated with hours of
meditation, sober conversation, and devotion, may hope for the best blessings
of heaven..
After seeing thousands of school children
a year and entertaining our guests seven days a week for
fourteen years, we believe we may have learned the hard
way, what our ancestors already knew by virtue of their
piety. We're tired!
We hope that those of you who have enjoyed our farm over the
years will adjust your calendars accordingly and make room for
us on the weekdays and on Saturdays.
We also want to make it clear that we don't speak for all of
those in Oak Glen who operate farms in our neighborhood on
Sunday.
Finally, if anyone would like to visit with us in the afternoons on Sunday for hymn singing, bible study, and worship, drop us a line, and we'll make sure the gate is open!