The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-05-20
Sunday and Gods Poor.

y y 4 r Il
tits curious to think how the world
stands still on Sunday. Sunday signifies
peace, symbol of the Saints rest, the
peace that passeth understanding.
"Peace IN the busy marts-
Peace, God of heaven, in all our hearts,"
runs the poets invocation. And like "a
bell with solemn, sweet vibrations" the
spirit of the Sabbath day breathps the
blessed benediction-peace on earth, good
will TO man. It is disppnsation broad as
the Christian world The weary sinews Of
the week may be at rest. the work-people
go abroad; the cares of penury even seem
fora time suspended Poverty halls Sun
day. and forgets that it is poor. All the
world drinks il the sweet oblivion of care
in the stiffness ard serenity Of Sunday
True, the awakening comes with the grad
ual coming ofthe next days dawn. Think
of a perpetual Sabbath day! Looking
over the restless misery of the world. well
may the prayer ascend for this perpetual
Sabbath peace in oil our hearts.
Ofall Sunday rainy one brings out the
peculiar feeling of the dog. Generations
ofmen and women have grown up to rainy
Sundays, to that rainy .Sundayish feeling
everybody knows. Sick persons and yoang
children know it. The bachelor in cham
bers looks across the sweet securi y of
streets as the nurse is tossing baby in the
window opposite, while the rain-drops
beat against the pane, ard itseems as if
."The rain rain'd everywhere"
And so on rainy Sundays the pecnliar
solitude Of the day comes out; we feel alone
and look into ourselves and how we stand
| in the world. But society, the aggregate.
drives solitude away when it can, and gets
to church on Sunday. And then comes
home to talk about the thousand liah. and
transient things soclety's life is made Of
each part moving in an orbit, like insert
life, that losses away momentary existence
in rays of light. a m t
Society, says the graceIess disciple Of
satire goes to church, because. God save
! usl church isa booth in Vanity Fair. So
ciety must come home from church on Sun
day discuss the tints, not of cloud and sky,
hut of its outer c|othen yestment that
spreads dear delnsion over these perisha-
ble bodies. The world must have its Cos.
sip, and society, though marked for its
| amenities, mot so uncertain token Of
real natural kindness after all,l is yet, re.
gardine Sunday, largely Of the earth, earthly
society's Sunday. let us sorrowfully con.
fess, is mostly Of this world. Dear heads
that bow to the confession Of faith tremble
and hutter with artificial flowers. The
flowers, by the way, are not bad sign
they are an instinct OF the beautiful Think
of flowers that bloom in the wilderness
deeply buried from human eyss"-the
waving wastes of plain and wood, all the
fine things nature has put1on to worship
God in! Let US not imagine all flowers
bloom to please the eye of man or woman
they kiss the sunlight with the incense
of alteration. because the earth is glad, the
hounteous mother of us all! The instinc,
of beauty in the worlds raiment is copied
in art out of nature, and has followed the
worlds wave since the first pair left the
gates of Eden and wandered forth clad into
Jewy. Tn women especially the fancy FOL
adornment is good-a touch Of that tender
orace and chastpr soul fair women have
! Literally translated. this is an instinct mat
uraland beautiful. Human vanity DEGRADE;
the instinct and lowers the tone Off its ex
preston. The desire for fine clothes is t.
be seen of men, wherein lies nine-ten,hl
of all human motive. This motive walks
/ in feurative purple and fine linen. 1t cul
tivates white chokers. makes money, build
fine houses, sets up in carriage, sells
daughters. makes society artificial, cult
Yates morality and religion, and goes tt
church on Sunday Bsg.s s8
But the humble and the poor being on
Of sight Of the worlds way, know compar
atively little of this feeling. THERE'S NOR
peace in their hearts and light in thpi
spirits. that they need not to put on ant
eff the daily mask. Wherever nature is
there is spiritual health 1.-The milk Of hu
man kindness. Not that thu penalty o
which elegy makes mention brings always
these blessings with it, but that there i
among the moderate poor certain native
disregard of the'puny motives that keel
polite society on tiptoe, and make it march
its minuet through life. The moderated,
poor may go to church in plain clothes, 81
in the back pews, and honestly listen Il
the preacher. As Tor the poor, God hell
them! who can't 60 to church; may TIL
spirit of the Nazarpne descend upon then
and thejoy Of Lazarus be theirs! But the.
may get breath Of fresh air an Sunday
and feel the warmth of Gods sunlieh
which shines for them especially the wor't
overall this, and look neither to right 0
| left, nor care to be seen Of men, nor be ar
rayed in purple and fine linen. So mnc'
is theirs in this life. In Gods world the,
are Gods people. and Sunday is His 70
themselves and their heirs forever Balti
more Leader.
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