, 1872-12-30

SUNDAY LAWS AND SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.
Bishop Armitage, Of Wisconsin, distin-
guished prelate Of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, recently read an essay before the WIS
consin Academy Of Sciences, giving general
review Of the origin and existing status of the
various modes Of observing Sunday prevailing
among different Christian countries. It was g
notable concession for churchman to maintain
that the Sabbath day and Sunday arc two dis
tinct and separate institutions, s,-the one of Jew
ish origin imposing religious obligations, and
the other day voluntarily set apart for rest and
worship, imposing no obligations upon non
worshipers except that OF sobriety and good
neighborhood. The essay is timely, and tho
authors effort to conciliate the opposing ele-
ments Of our population in regard to observing
Sunday, and to cause them to exercise patience
and liberation. is worthy Of all praise.
There are three distinctive customs in observ-
ing sunday,-the Continental, the English, and
the American or Puritan. The European Gus
tom is that which prevails, with notifications
according to the tastes Of the various peoples
all over the Continent Of Europe, and which re-
CARDS Sunday as day of recreation and social
amusement, With or without religious worship.
The American custom, in its purity, is to devote
the day to church-going and prayer, and not
simply to refrain from doing any work. but also
from enjoying pastimes which are regarded as
harmless On other days OF the week. The
English custom is a sort Of compromise between
tho license Of tho day as it is construed in
France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and the
Puritan rigor Of observing it as religious day,
to bo devoted to holy uses exclusively.
The origin ct these different Sunday customs
as traced by Bishop Armitage, is curious and in
teresting. It will surprise many good people to
learn that the European custom, which they are
in the habit Of regarding as icentious and sacri-
legious, is direct outgrowth Of the Reforma-
tion, as organized and led by Luther and Calvin.
These old Reformers, disgusted with the excess
Of form and pomp in the Roman Church, MAIN
tanned that it was absurd to hold that one day
could be holier than another. It was Luther's
idea that if q Papist insisted upon this fa1lacy
his followers should make the day particularly
merry, and thus show their contempt for the old
superstition. (Bishop Armitage, it should be re-
marked, does not concur with Luther as to this.)
Calvin did not go so far as this,
but still maintained the general principle that
Sunday could not be hoier than Monday or
Wednesday. Thus it was that the Reformers
became responsible for the European idea Of
Sunday. The people came to regard the day as
thor holiday, on which they might indulge
themselves in hearing music, visiting each
other, drinking wine and beer, and generally
giving themselves up to anusernents for which
they could not spare the time during the week.
The popular belief among Americans, that these
Sunday habits come from the infde1ity Of Ger
many, is, therefore, entirely incorrect. The
Lutherans Of Northern Germany and the Catho-
lies OF Southern Germany spend Sunday in pre-
cisely the same way that the infdels observe it,
With the difference that they 60 to
church in the morning. The beer-gardcns Of
Berlin, With their symphony or military concerts,
are visited By the best Protestant German fami-
Lies, who see 10 wrong in passing their Sunday
afternoon in this way. Sunday night is the gala
night ut the royal opera and theatre, and the day
has the characteristics of holiday among all
classes OF people. The prevalence Of the Puri-
tan Sunday in America WAS, Bishop Armitage
thinks, d result of the English victories over
the French in the early provincial wars before
the American Revolution. He thinks that, II
the French has been victorious in these
struggles, their ideas would have got the
mastery, and they would have been hand
ed down through succeeding generations,
30 that sthe American Sunday to-day
would not have been materially different from
that which is observed by the French Of Lover
Cansda. But the English having been yictc-
rious, and the Puritan element having beon in
the ascendant among them, their notions Of
Sunday prevailed and spread over the continent.
The extreme rigor OF these Pruitan ideas, OK
tending even to the domestic comforts, natur-
ally brought almost 3 reaction (Which Bishop
Arnitage regards unfortunately; but the charac-
teristio devotion Of the day to religious
purposes as Divine command has
been retained. The English view OF Sunday
is the most conservative OF 81. While recog-
nizinx certain holiness a. the spirit Of tho day.