2438                                          LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [Ch. 711

9.

The following days in each and every year, namely
the first day of January, commonly called "New Years'
Day"; the 12th day of February, known as "Lincoln's
Birthday"; the third Monday in February, known as
"Washington's Birthday"; the 25th day of March known as
"Maryland Day"; "Good Friday"; the first Monday in
September, commonly called "Labor Day"; the last Monday
in May, commonly called "Memorial Day"; the 4th day of
July, called "Independence Day"; the 12th day of
September, known as "Defenders' Day"; the [second Monday
in] 12TH DAY OF October, known as "Columbus Day"; the
fourth Monday in October, known as "Veterans' Day"; the
fourth Thursday in November, known as "Thanksgiving Day";
the 25th day of December, called "Christmas Day"; and all
days of general and congressional elections throughout
the State and all special days that may be appointed or
recommended by the State and on all special days that say
be appointed or recommended by the Governor of this State
or the President of the United States, as days of
thanksgiving or fasting and prayer, or other religious
observance or for the general cessation of business,
shall be regarded as legal holidays, and shall foe duly
observed as such, and shall for all purposes whatsoever
as regards the presenting for payment or acceptance and
of the protesting and giving notice of dishonor of bills
of exchange, bank checks, drafts and promissory notes, to
be treated and considered as the first day of the week,
commonly called Sunday, and all [such] bills, drafts,
checks, and notes presented for payment or acceptance on
these [said] days, shall be deemed to be presented for
acceptance or payment on the secular or business day next
succeeding [such] THE holiday. The 15th day of January
of each and every year shall be proclaimed by the
Governor as "Martin Luther King Day" and shall be a day
of prayer in honor of Martin Luther King. The 13th day
of April of each and every year shall be proclaimed by
the Governor as "John Hanson's Birthday" and be dedicated
to the memory of the statesman, John Hanson. The
Governor of this State [shall have] HAS the power by
proclamation to appoint a day or days for the general
cessation of business in any one or sore of the political
subdivisions of the State, in case of emergency from
fire, flood or otherwise, with the same legal
consequences as hereinabove provided. In case of
emergency from fire, flood, storm, snow, robbery, riot,
or other cause of any kind whatsoever in any part of the
State, the Governor [shall have] HAS the further power by
proclamation to appoint a day or days during which
banking institutions (as defined in Article 11 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland) within the area or areas
designated in the proclamation may remain closed, in