The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-12-05
How TO Keep sunday.

Men differ rs to their ways of spending
Sunday. Some look on ii us the legitimate
successor of the Ola Testament Sabbath,
and feel bound to observe il rs day of
rest from labor OF UNMARRIED religious oc-
oupation. and entire absteution from secu-
lar pleasures. The New England Puntans
were exaggerated examples Of this sort
Their error-a kind Of error common to
those days Of religious dcspotism-was IN
making laws to compel everybody TO OBJ
serve their sabbath just As they did,
whether they were of like mind in regard
10 the proper observance OF the day or not.
The result was that they drove some OBJ
stinate men into opposition to Chris tianity
Itself, and harassod the lives of other good
people who had Less ascctic views rs to
what was right or wrong 10 do on Sunday.
There is another class Of devout Chris
tians, rs the Roman Catholics, who hold
that Sunday is a feast day of the church,
enthusiastically established. and that while
II Is incumbent on all to attend SUNDAY re-
hgious services the character OF the day
does not forbid innocent pleasures. To
them Sunday is both n day for religious
occupations and n holiday for recreation
of them are found among the Germans.
have put aside as supcrstitious the rcli-
gious character Of sunday, and they make
II altogether day Of rest, diversion, and
pleasure 80 long Is they oh. erve the dav as
their conscicnccs advise them without dis
turbing the peace or in any manner inter-
fsring with the quiet and reasonable hap
piness OF their ncighbOrs we infringe on
their liberty when we try to force them TO
keep Sunday in our way II we think
they violate thu divine co.nmlnds in re-
gard to sabbath Observance, we should re-
sort 70 argument ana not to physical force,
In order to lead them into what We may
think the right way.
Into these three classes the community
Of orderly people is divided. They may
all live together and keep their sunday in
such radically different ways and yet pub
Ito tranquility will not suffer, morality
need not be disregarded, and religion can
roceive its due respect and exercise its
benign influence. Cool men and law
abiding citizens considerate neighbors,
and conscientious thinkers, may be found
In all rs in any one, ana all have a right to
enjoy the protection OF the law and of
public opinion IN their manner OF life on
Sunday.
There is however, large class who use
Sunday in way TO injure both themselves
and their neighbors. They are those I'M
happy men who have learned so little from
civilization that they cannot enjoy the let
mp from labor for n day without relapsinS
into the uncontrol OF barbarism. This
GLASS furnishes the Sunday brawlers and
drunkards who appear 80 regularly at the
police courts on Monday morning Unable
or unwilling TO put themselves under the
dominion of their reason, they become
slaves to their lower appetites, aud the law
b obliged to step in to furnish the re-
uraints which their own good sense ought
10 have supplied. We pity this class, for
many of them, through long habit OF self
Indulgence, have almost lost the power of
hslf-control Upon them the ministers OF
Christianity need to spend their most solic-
Hons care to awaken their dormant moral
nature and stimulate in them the germs of
conscience and moral aud religious obliga-
lions.
Outside OF all these is q great class OF
men, many of them young, and who re-
gard themselves AS altogether deserving OF
respect and beyond the need OF evangel-
hing influences, who spend their Sundays
Ike fools. Even II they do not go to
church, but use Sunday simply rs day OF
recreation, yet they need not spend its
hours OF exemption from labor in such a
way as to make them actually injurious t.
health and character rather than restora-
tive OF the strength exhausted by the Ia
bors OF the week. Such men would be
better OF If they worked all the time They
begin on Saturday night, ana until Mon
day morning they are drinking, smoking
crowded in barrooms, or frequentlng worse
places. Such temperance as their week
day duties enforce, they disregard on Sun.
day. The result is that when Monday
comes, so far from having gained strength
Tor the new weeks work, they are SCI
back. and the day OF rest has been to them
sday OF positive damage. There are thou,