The Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1870-1871, 1871-03-05
THE SUNDAY QUESTION.

and therefore We would not chose text;
but the words, The Sabbath was made
for man, and not man for, the Sabbath,"
have such seminal force,--they 80 unfold,
comprehend, and define the whole sub
ect,-that it is impossible to resist their
citation at the outset. We may suppose,
indeed, that all other institutions. wheth-
er of devine appointment or not, were
adjusted to mans wants. and character;
but. in the case of the Sabbath, it may
be well presumed that the power OF au-
thority, Of tradition, of religious associ-
atoms was foresecn to be SO liable to
warp the inst uses Of the day that the
words we have quoted were put on re-
cord as a permanent touchstone OF all
true observance. The Sunday of every
community was to be that dictated by its
own conditions, and not that of the Jews,
of the early Christians, Of Luther and
Calvin, nor of the Pilgrim Fathers OF
America. The sanctions remain the same;
the benefits are the same; the details
of observance vary. With regard to these
sanctions and the whole circle of moral
obligations clustering about the day, it is
surely not necessary, in a Christian com
munity, to say anything farther; nor Is
there any need of dwelling upon its ethi-
cal, social, and sanitary benefits. With
regard to the question of observance,
what we have to say will naturally fall
under two heads.
First, Employment. 1t is well under
stood that "works of necessity" us they
have been called, may be pursued on
Sunday, but it is not SO well understood
how the progress of society modities the
list of these works. The good deacon OF
1.-THE rural districts rightly enough thinks
! it no harm to harness his hoIse to ride to
church. But when he sells his horse anu
other rural possessions, and moves to thu
city, he relucts at the idea of riding III
the street cars and carrying on secular
, business by the payment OF six cents
He forgets that the new mode OF convey
, .Mce has only taken the place OF his Ole
one, and that all its features are merei,
: incidental to the change. Ifhe is shocked
s ut the number of men and animals EN-
a ployed, he has only to remember that, Il
G carrying the same number of persons t
e church, the country way OF doingit woui
s really require the services OF more me
n and horses and would consume muc
Is more time than the city way. The des
= cons wife, Ilso, has been accustomed
g. take her Sunday morning brown brea
le and baked beans smoking hot out Of tt
D. oven. But in the city there are who
10 streets without any Oven,-ln other wore
sy the oven is at the bakers In orde
Sc therefore, to have the same breakfast, {
g. amount of Sunday work has to be don
,e which was never thought Of when it W
i'd hidden in the bosoms Of a hundred Sc
at arate families. These illustrations, HON
en- ly as they are, answer for most OF tho
as Instances which distinguish Sunday el
ployment in the city from that in t
country. The principle lis, that the CO
:. ditions of society having changed, t
" formal Observance CT the day must chan
: accordingly, otherwise man would ha
been made for the Sabbath. How dc
VI the good sca-captain, midway on ]
es' voyage across the ocean meet his Su
nc day? He has his religious services. /
eu he takes special pains to exact the LEI
'o- amount of work from his hands cons
Nc tent with the condition Of keeping
.sa ship going on. Precisely SO the ship
l'e of state is to be kept going steadily +
es' ward and whatsoever is absolutely nee
I'VE sary to that end-and ordinarily no MI
nss should be the extent of business e
% ployment during the hours Of Sunday
DC Secondly, Recreation. Under this ht
AAho we include not only much that is synol
:" nous with amuscments, but more str
'en ly intellectual, social, and physical
Use freshment. Here the question to be
''o piled is. what recreation do the vari'
:, classes Of people really need ON Sund
'io and how shall they get it? 1t will be s.
~ at once that we have again the rule
w be drawn from diversities of conditi
VIII The man devoted TO intellectual purs,
, ho rH ...+te -. = :