The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-08
Gke9nte4i4euters

fEo. KILL

Editors lntelnscnoCS CT
The running OF street cars on the saD,
h0,h any further than may be necessary
y, DH' 1nrni;h facilities to church goers, is an
"osn nubllc, violation OF the Sabbath, and
.Pe"rr Inc less so on account OF It's being
I,ne m the responsibility Of q corpora'
tion, Al we'll might any individual IN
the community claim the right to pursue
,rSatSyer secular employment he may be
SnCoyrd in, and thus the quiet OF q com
m9uE,y be broken up by the din OF every
worldly pursuit.. The running Of stree
ezra Il a violation OF the right which
every Christian has to a quiet Sabbath, e
all who are so situated as TO be exposed
TO the noise; and requires the ignoring OF
The right which each and every emPlIoye
Of the company has to the rest Of me sa AZ
bath. and 10 employ the day as uGu ~. IT,
ouires, It Is also q violation OF tne i
rights OF the horses and mules e1 .En ~,
in their transportation, Tor even 'ne cav
lie arc included in the beneAcen' proves
ions of the commandments
The object for which il is done, IS sim.
,,,, tn .oo"SiSry gain. Gods law is set at
m9 lr%t Thai large dividends may be de-
n "HuS%' Spdby whom is this done2 These
c odHr are largely based on capital be-
longing to men who are members OF our
various churches, and christians by pro-
lesion, To them the question Of the
savior, What shall it profit man II he
shall gain the whole world and lose his
own soul? does not appear to have in 1t
any meaning. Now it will one day appear,
hat individual responsibility cannot be
hid behind the impeFsonality Of n corpora
lion. Indeed it Is largely due to the in
llucnce and example OF protesting chris
tiaus that the dissertation OF the Sabbath
d so common. How few amongst the
church members. and church goers Of the
present day, realizing that the use OF the
day for social enjoyment, and for mere
amusement, is dissertation OF the Sab
bath. will venture the assertion that
II all who arc church members, and chris
tians by profession, should cease to buy
and read what are called Sunday" pa.
pers, that there is not one such published
that could survive for month. And why
should they not cease at once to patron.
izc these papcrs2 No one can claim that
there il any necessity for newspapers to
be published on the Sabbath. On the part
Of their proprietors, the only object is
pecuniary gain. Neither do think it
can be claimed by their readers that they
find it profitable 10 read them. Certainly
Christian people find little in them that
is helpful to their devotion, while they
lind much to dissipate their thoughts and
turn them to worldly and triaing objects.
Are they not largely filed with mere idle
gossip, and items in relation to purely
worldly affairs and amusements? Is not
their whole influence and tendency un-
favorable to making tho Sabbath day
OF spiritual growth and profit TO the
soul? Why then should any church
member give his means and his influence
to sustain such business?
When We see these notable public desc
crations OF the Sabbath to which refer
ence has been made, and when We see
Christian people finding their own pleas.
urc on Gods holy day, make it day OF
mere rest from labor that the time may
be employed in rccreations, amuscmcnts
and social enjoyment; when we see young
ladies belonging to Christian families,
and some of them members OF the church,
receiving company on Sabbath afternoons
and evenings, and the sons Of Chris.
tian parents gathering in little
knots on the street corners, and openly
the Sabbath by idle CONVEX
.atiOn, aud boistcrous mirth, We may
we'll deplorc the low state OF religion in
our minds, the want OF spirituality and
zeal on the part OF Gods protesting peo-
pie. We need not wonder at the deplora-
Bic tendency to infdeIity which We find
on every hand, and we can only look to
the future with the graveSt forebodings.
God will only honor those who honor
him. How often were His ancient peo.
pic sold into captivity, on account Of
their idolatory, and their failure to keep
His holy Sabbath.
But israel's God is our God, and He
Changeth not. Hc has ever the same
Jealous regard for His law. And we
think it strange then, in view Of our de:
linquencies, and our growing disregard
Of the Sabbath, that we find the church
to-day in low state, and the enemies Of
the Lord bold, defiant and aggressive.
With these we see an organized and de-
termined purpose to blot out the Sabbath;
to deny lis authority, and convert it into
day Of recreation and dissipation. In
view Of all these things, | said in my
first article that it is time we look to our
ways in this mattel; and now as l am
about to close, l will say that we should
lay these truths 10 heart, and each one for
himself, correct whatever is wrong in his
ways. II we had true health OF soul, as
Christians, there. would DO no Sunday"
newspapers. Street.cars would only be
run for the accommodation OF church
goers, parents would at once correct the
habits Of their sons, aye! and Of their
daughters too, in 80 far as they now dis
regard tho Sabbath, and then could we
go to the throne Of our Heavenly Father
with clean hands, and hope for . gracious
answer to our prayers, and for time OF
refreshing from His presence. Then
would not Christian parents be so often
called upon TO mourn over blighted
hopes for their children and find them
selves without the power to arrest them
on their Journey down to ruin. 1t is one
Of tho chief offices Of the Sabbath to keep
alive in us tho right knowledge OF the
true God; which being lost, we at once
lapse into heathenism. And that this
would be tho result OF the abrogation
Of the Sabbath will at once be
apparent il we look at the condition OF
that numerous class in all our large
cities that know no Sabbath. It will
then appear that we are all deeply inter-
ested, not only as Christians, but as pa
triots aud philanthropists, in maintain
ing the sacrcdness Of the day inviolate;
but this can be done etiectually only by
its conscientious observance.
will now close. In so far as have
uttered mere opinions OF my own, have
no right to claim for them consideration,
much less authority; but in SO far as l
may have been able to give faithful ex'
position OF the Scriptures on this subject,
| have come to my readers in the name
and with the authority Of God. May He
incline all our hearts to hear His words
and to keep His commandments, His
statutes and His laws. IL.