American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-25
How to Spend Sunday.

BY law every citizen in this State has
the privilege of MT doing on Sunday
what he is obliged to do ON other DAYS
! The very practical question meets him,
what different things he can do which
will make this Sunday privilege profit
or delight. Nobody is compelled to go
to meeting or to sing psalms, or to learn
catechism, or to read sermons to fill up
his time. Every one can pick out some
new and unlaborious employment. and if
/ he knows how, can have sixteen free and
happy hours on one day in seven. 1t is
of no use to object to Sunday as Puritan
Sunday, for the law makes it a free day,
and forbids work, so that it shaU be free.
| 1t is Il somewhat singular fact, that with
this chance of a free day SO many can
| find nothing better to do than to do bust
ness and work just as on other days, as if
we did not all work hard enough from
Monday morning to Saturday night. 1t is
also something of 4 commentary on the
| capacity of many people for Improvement
and enjoyment, that after a little extra
scrubbing and dressing is finished on Sun
day morning, they don't know what to
do with themselves for the rest of the
/ day, and only consent to 30 to church
because il is Il little less stupid than to
sit at home and cape at their o,on dull
| ness instead of "A preachers. Some try
cigar and a novel, others a big dinner and
l Il nap, Slttlng around II Dig stove
and splitting at it. But after all these re-
sources have failed, the only thing left is
to wish for Monday and go to bed very
early. Happy are those who in such an
emergency have young ladies on whom
they may call.
We wish to suggest some things which
can be done, to add interest to the Sunday
of those VINO find its freedom dull.
Take an hour Sunday morning and sit
down alone hat have
done during the past week, and agitate
| the question whether 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 consider whether you al
ways mean to be "A liar2
Did you get drunk during the past
week, or come near il? Did you talk
/ temperance, and visit the cupboard to
take those new 'bitters?" Did you sell
any poisoned liquor for good, or any poor
home liquor, at II fancy price. under n
foreign brand? Was it well? Do Won al
ways expect to do such things, and when
will you stop:
Have you abused your neighbor. run
/ down your competitor in other stores
| slandered other politicians, or hurt any
woman's reputation the past week? These
things are unspeakably mean; you know
} they are. God be thanked if you havn't
done theml But solaeJ0dy does them.
ask that somebody whether he always
intends to be a mean fellow
Have you gambled or skunk into infa-
nous dens the past week Nobody is
Obliged to tell me. But many do go to
vile places every week, Sundays included
Is it good plan to keep on What Will
twenty years of such practice make Of n
man
Have you cheated anybody in the last
ten days Have you deceived any en-
ployer or kept back the Just pay Of any
workman Have You advertised deccp-
tions of any kind Does any money stick
to you which belongs to anybody else ?
Are you going TO make permanent cheat
, of yoursclfg Do you want TO die rs Il
carpet Dagger What's to hinder it if you
are cheating now?
Did you swear last week Don't you
swear rather more than You used to, when
your mother taught You is there any
particular benefit in it Let us see If you
can stop for n week
Are you not smoking too many cigars
running up debts winch you don't know
how TO pay; making larger swell than
your capital justifes-and getting ready
for smash and ruin We hope not.