St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-04-02

a few. years ago, when it created four
new annual holidays, for no reason
whatever but to secure much-needed
rest for the people. In such legislation
there would be no violation of either
liberty or the rights of conscience.
But if that be the principle on which
Sabbath legislation is to he maintained,
Christians must see-and this is the
point at which all along we have been
aiming-that the responsibility for the
preservation of the day of rest is thrown
entirely upon them. So soon as they
become careless about it, the one rea-
son for the selection of the first day of
the week by a civil legislature, for pc
riodic rest, will disappear and, there
fore, they must look to their own OBJ
servance of it. Their conduct here will
do more than their words. Nor is this
caution unneeded. For in the assertion
of Christian liberty in regard to the
Sabbath, many have degenerated into
license, and from the sober, serious,
and, perhaps, somewhat stern method
in which our fathers kept the Lords
Day, there has been a reaction into
what is fast becoming the extreme in
the opposite direction. But against
this we ought to be earnestly on our
guard, for if we Christians cease to re-
gard the day, we cannot wonder if 9th
ers shall ignore it. Why should bust
nsss men travelling between New York
and Chicago, so habitually contrive to
sandwich the Sabbath between the two
nights which they spend upon the rail-
way ? Why should merchants generally
make just as little of leaving the city
on Sunday evening by train, as they
would on another night in the week
And is there no medium between the
keeping of the day indoors, with the
windows carefully blinded, and the
spending of its hours in driving for
amusement We judge no man here.
We acknowledge that the New Testa
ment has left in this matter. space for
the free play of individual conscience.
But we do say that if the current which
has set IN so strongly in this direction,
in the case even of those who are true
Christians, is allowed to Use and grow,
the end will be the secularization of the
day throughout the land. We are in the
ThermopylR, here, and if we yield, we
shall have, ere long, Continental Sun
day, with all its denominations.
1t was little matter that the New
York Tribune lately began to publish
Sunday issue. But it was a straw that
shows how strongly the current of
mammon and pleasure is running, and
how much it is doing to undermine the
foundations of our best institutions.
Let it go on long enough and become
strong enough, and the Sabbath will
become like every other day, and we
shall then perhaps begin to compre-
bend the value of that which we have
lost. There is not Il city in England or
Scotland to-day where newspapers of
the standing of the New York Times,
the New York Tribune, and the World,
publish Sunday issues; and if Chris
tians in London can do without their
Times and Daily News for one day in
the week, why should not the Chris
tians in New York do without their dali
liesP There was none of this thing
among us before the warmly should
it continue now7
But l forbear. The Sabbath will be
among us what our Christian people |
are content to make it. The RESPONSE
bility of its preservation is with them,
and neither public meetings nor legis- |
lation will save it., unless we are our
selves conspicuous in hOnOring it. If it |
is little more to us than an ordinary |
day, how can we expect that it will be
in any way regarded by others. Chris
tiaR at Work.