The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-05-30
THE SUNDAY QUESTION.


many OF the leading diYines Of the
city, the matter being the Sunday
question. 1t is remarkable how
nearly these clergymen's views CO.
incide with the practices of the peo-
pie whom they are supposed to
teach, which goes to prove that after
all the people are very nearly right
in their general habits and customs.
The substance of Bishop Potter
contribution is that there is a ten
dency to the secularizatiOn of the
Sunday, and he attributes this to
the heterogeneous character Of the
people. The Sunday is different in
different countries, and in great
city like New York, made pOf peo-
pie from all lands, the tendency
naturally is to make a common Sum
day, one in which as many of the
inoffensiYe characteristics as possible
of the various Sabbaths can be
found. Rev. DR.. Collyer realizes
that it is impossible that a city like
New York should think of Sunday
in the old-fashioned quiet American
way. He urges that all work should
be stopped that can be stopped, in
order to let toilers rest; and that
wholesome recreation be provided.
Nothing could be nearer the popular
idea and practice than this. Rev.
DR.. Howard Crosby, one Of the most
straight-laced members of the
cloth, would personally like the
Sunday of the Puritans, with all its !
rigors and outward show of piety !; |
but he realizes that this cannot be.
and as a compromise he urges that |
we insist upon Sunday rest for the
physical as well as the spiritual
good of the laboring man. and upon
quiet Sunday, for the sake of
1ecency and courtesy to the pre-
Vailing religion. Rev. DR.. VIM. NJ
Taylor, it strikes us, entertains the
'eally sensible view of the question.
However much he may like the
rue Sunday rs it exists in theory
md in Christianity, he has no faith
n legislation for creating or main
aiming such a Sunday. He urges
hat the Sunday is to be conserved,
lot by legal enactments, but
y the character, example, in.
Iuence and evangelical activity
f church members Nothing is
carer the truth than them that
avs cannot make a Christian Sab
,ath. The history of Utah demon
trates this fact quite forcibly. We
ave strict laws concerning Sun
ay, but they have little effect upon
he day. The Sunday is maintained /,
nd preserved solely by the charac-
er, example and influence of the
,eople. From one end of the terri
DRY to the other the first day of the
week is the true Sunday, with the
of some of the mining
amps, where every man creates or
lnds his own Sunday without re-
,ard to law. Legislative enact
nents could not restrain a man
N Sunday any more than on Satur-
lay. There must be about him a
public sentiment Or controlling pop
liar influence that will make him
Keep the day as Sunday in
is true sense. We believe that were
here no laws here On the subject,
he Sunday in Utah, generally
would be the same as it is now.
Rev. DR.. 0rmiston, of New York,
lakes a rather philosophic view Of
the question. He says it is apparent
that many will not spend the day
in work or worship, and he believes
the best thing for this class is that
they spend a part of the day in the
open air in cheerful and innocent |
compan1onship. Rev. Dr.. Tiffany
thinks that all should seek to OBJ
serve the day in a manner not to
interfere with the comfort or right |
Of others. Rev. Dr.. Armitage says
that our population cannot be legis-
lated into churches OF compelled to
remain indoors on Sunday, but it
is still his opinion that "the Sab
bath and the republic stand firmly,
neither of them endangered because
they have changed some of their
features since their foundation