The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-11
summer Vacation in the Churches
The sabbatarlan Question.


The sabbatarlan Question.
The fact that the fashionable churches of
the city are closed for the hot months and
that their pastors have gone to the mountains,
the seaside or the springs for health and rest,
suggests ON interesting aspect of the sabbath
rian question. We propose to discuss tie
question only as it relates to this metro polls.
The conditions of life, and especially of reli-
gious life, are so different here from what
they are In the interior cities and rural towns
that the same reasoning cannot apply to both.
In the interior the churches are kept open
and the regular pastor is on duty throughout
the year. In the rural towns there is larger
attendance on public worship in summer than
in any other part of the year. Even in cities
like Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and
Buffalo every church OF every denomination
is kept open in summer the pastors so long
as they are in tolerable health, never seeking
nor expecting the vacation of two or three
months which has become the rule IN
the fashionable churches of New York
city. Even here the clergy might continue
their labors with less detriment 10 health than
any other class OF the people. They would
need to be in the city only one day in seven.
Their sermons could be written in cool, rural
retreats on the shores of the Sound or the
ocean or the banks of the Hudson during the
six secular days, and few hours ride on the
cars or steamboats, would bring them to the
city fresh and vigorous for the regular Sunday
service. II the service were limited during
the hot months 10 one sermon instead of the
customary two the clergy would get through
the summer with more comfort than the mass
of their parishioners.
But we have no fault to find with their long
vacations 1t is matter between them and
their congregations. Fully concedIng their
title to desert their focks while the dog star
RACES we only question their right to quarrel
with the innocent Sunday amusements OF the
non-religious public. When the principles of
strict Sabbatarianism are so openly deserted
by the pastors of the religious focks it
comes with an i'll grace from them
to denounce and stigmatize others for making
Sunday day of harmless recreation. The
great body of our people cannot afford to drop
their employments and spend summer in the
country. What shall they do on Sunday
when the churches are closed against them?
If the pastors need seven days of the week for
recreation with what face can they complain
of the people for desiring one? Their strict
Puritanical ideas of the Sabbath cannot long
be maintained against their own example
Such ideas are we'll enough suited to the state
of society in the rural districts; but the broad
discrimination which the city clergy make
between themselves and the shepherds of the
rural focks is significant, practical confess
sion that the same Sabbatarlan rules cannot
be applied to both city and country. 1t is
idle to say that the people whose circum-
Stances compel them to spend the hot season
in the city should attend church on Sunday,
if the churches be notkept open. This remark
applies, indeed, only to the summer; but it
is equally idle to expect the mass of our
city people to be regular attendants on
public worship at other seasons of the
year, for the sufficient reason that all the
churches of the city cannot seat more than
one-fourth of the people. 1t is estimated by
good Judges conversant with this class of
statistics that we have church accommodation
for only two hundred and fifty thousand peo-
pie. But the population of the city is at
least million. and If they were all inclined
to attend church on Sunday, it is physical
impossbility, not IN summer only, when
many churches are closed, but throughout
the year We insert statement of the num-
Der of places of worship possessed by each
religious denomination Of the city, including
the Westminster district lately annexed
Baptist Observation-Disclosures. SO
Congregational. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Frlen0S......
eHish synagogues ....... IS