The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-06-20
SUNDAY ElGPLoYlaEHTg,


will make this Sunday privilege profit
or delight. Nobody is compelled to
go to meeting or to sing psalms, or to
learn oasechism, or to read sermons to
I'LL up bis time. Its of no use to OBJ
ject to Sunday IS a Puritan Sunday,
for the law makes i, a free day, and
forbids work so that it shall be tres.
1t is somewhat singular fact, that
with this chance Of a free day so many
can find nothing better to do than to
DO business aud work just as on other
days, as if we did not all work hard
enough from Monday morning to Sat-
urday night. 1t is also something of
commentary on the capacity of many
people for improvement and enjoyment
that after little extra scrubbbiug and
dressing is finished on Sunday morn
ing, they don't know what to do with
themselves for the rest of the Gay, and
only consent to go to church be-
cause it is little less stupid than to
sit at home and cape at their own dull
ness instead Of preachers. Some
try a cigar and a novel, others q big
dinner and nap, others sitting around
a big stove and splitting at it. But .af-
ter all these resources have failed the
only th ing lett is to wish for Monday
and go to bed very early.
We wish to suggest some things
which can be done, to add interest to
the Sunday Of those who find its free.
dom dull. Take an hour Sunday
morning and sit down alone, and think
what you have done during the past
week, and agitate the question wheth-
er you have done just as you really
think is best, and mean to keep on
doing. Have you told any lies the
past week? Count them on your
fingers, if you can, and seriously con-
sider whether you always mean to be
a liar ?
Have you abused your neighbor,
run down your competitor in other
stores, slandered other politicians or
hurt any body's reputation the past
week? These things are unspeakably
mean you knew they are. God be
thanked if you haven done them But
somebody does them. ask that some
body wheather he always intends to be
a mean fellow?
Have you cheated anybody IN the
last ten days! Have you deceived
any employer or kept back the just
pay of any workman? Have you ad.
vertised deception of any kind? Does
any money stick to you, which belongs
to anybody else? Are you going to
make permanent cheat Of yourself?
Are you not smoking too many
cigars-running up debts which you
don't know how to pay making .
larger swell than your capital justifes
and getting ready for smash and
run? We hope not. But all these
things happen, and it any one is over
doing himself in these days, ought he
not to know it, and settle whether his
course is best?
Take another hour on Sunday to do
somebody some good for which you
haven't the time on any other day.
Write a letter to the mother, or broth.
or, or sister, whom you have forgotten
for long time. Hunt out friend who
has disappeared from your interest,
and renew cordial acquaintance.
Find out somebody who is suffering,
and carry fresh cheers to him OF her.
Go to see the folks who would be glad
to see you, but whom you are not
always glad to see. Help to put
some kind Of home feeling into every
body who is homeless. There are plen-
ty of good acts, which are not common
and on SUNDAYS. you want to 90 some-
thing uncommon. That is what the
day IS made for. I'm talking to peo-
pie who find Sunday dull and the
church unmeanipg, aud do not care to
pay religion much attention. l do
not want to drive you where you do
not want to 60. But we ought, all Of
US, to make Of Sunday a finer day
than the rest Of days, because we have
the chance. Our daily toll makes US
dull. Sunday ought to wake Us up.
Our daily temptation make Us deceit
full, hard and selfish. Sunday ought
to loosen out the chords of affection
aud humanity and give US hearts Of
flesh. The daily life of men is bur-
dened with sin and ugliness-streaked
with deceit, foulei with lust and ap.
petite. It deserves to be improved.
Sunday is improvement time. I be-
lieve that when any one begins to i'm
prove his time, he will soon find what
a good church Sunday will do, and the
value of religion, Friends, try my
advice little while Rev. j. II.
Smith, in Grand Rapids Democrat.
"A curious case Of assault and bat
terry was lately brought before the po-
lice tribunal at Marseilles. It appears
that diver, engaged in investigating
the wreck of a vessel sunk in the port
of :bat city, discovered an object Of
some value, which he put aside in q
corner of rock for future disposition