Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-12-11
THE SEVENTH DAY.
FAors AND REFLsUTIUNs TBERkUN
BYAIsgr LAIMAN.
How the DAY Is wasted and uscd Hy Americans
and the strong Contrast ot Foreign Gus
toms with oar uwn-SundAy In thc
Gay French capital

undoubted fact that day OF rest j. physlc-
ally necessary, IL all sufficient to insure it,
observance \ large majority OF the better |
sex pay all due Difference to religious mat
ters ON the seventh day, and small minority |
OF men make it day Of devotion as wei. As |
rest but the strong, all peIyadiuE idea with |
regard TO il is rest
We are an orderly and quiet people, but |
the order and quiet OF our sabbath is most
probably due to the traditions surviving
from the days OF the Reformation, huu bAe
tendency appears to be towards the gradua. |
combining OF recreation with rest The
greater attention given to the music o!
church services Is conc asslon III TINS dtreC-
ton.
For the people active in religious matters
Sunday is a day OF labor, for uetwoen sun
day school, church services and household
cares the women have no time, aut the men
but little. Their ideal Sunday is
"unIy free
Prom hours OF prayer tor hours OF charity.
such A. the jews from servl.c to-. rveasvd.
W here WORKS OF mercy were d l-Lt OF rest.
To observe the day properly according 70
modern religious notions one must breaN the
| commandment against work on the sabbath,
| This many good people refuse 10 do, In spite
OF the maxim that IL i lawful 10 do good on
| the Sabbath day
The average citizen reliEiOuslv gets up late
| every sunday morning, takes plenty OF time
| for breakfast takes up the morning pauer
| Win Ine remark tDAL kltSS SUNDAY papers
| are too large for comfort and composed OF
| trash. Then he reads trash until church
| time, and with his head full Of the details Ci
| the latest sensational trial, or the eternal
European crises. he trsmPs solemnly TO
| chuICh-a plOus fraud from the head waters
| The Sunday school teacher has been hard at
| work for an hour. He goes through the ser
| vices with more or less sincerity and then
sits patiently through the sermon. lfhe has
| any brains in working order he does not hear
| much OF the sermon, unless II should be an
| exceptionally good one, for the average Citl-
zen in these days don't have much time for
| reelection, and when he finds himself seated
| quietly with nothing TO do but think, his
| thoughts travel faster and farther than the
| words Of the speaker. He may get a general
idea of the sermon between thoughts, but il
takes a man OF eloquence and strength OF
mind to hold the attention Of a congregation
from text to PerOratiOr.
RESULTS OF DISTRACTIONS
Many speech and many poem has been
built in the mind OF devotee whose outer
aspect of rspt attention charmed and encour.
aged theIpreacher Burns poem to a louise
on lady's bonnet in church Is only one OF a
legion OF masterpieces inspired toy the aver.
age sermon, and a vast mass OF trash must
have come from the same source. The ciIi
zen who does not go TO church is meanw lille
reading sunday papers, or better, some book
, | OF value or II he is not so inclined, he l.
| ssuntertng along the streets, or better, doing
| nothing in particular al home.
| Then comes the procession LOUewArd,
when every one wears hslf-suppressed,
{ | self.sstisted grin, and his best clothes.
Dinner may either be the great event Of the
I day, or plain, cold lunch. Many Of the
| most "reiigiOus' PEOPLE insist upon the
! | former, while those who believe In a day OF
rest are careful 10 cause ss little work as pos
D | slble. The sunday school teacher goes &
work again before long bat other people are
careful 10 do nothing Of any consequence
until supper time,
The evening service Is attended bv many
people who missed the morning exercises
and we're consumed with envy at the placid
! aspect OF returning church people. They a.
feel more or less solemn over the thought O
beginning work in the morning, and gen
eral air Of melancholy Is pCeva. eut. An hour
/ | or So and It IS time TO sleep. How short tht
day has been Wherever and however
p | PASSED this same thought IS sure % follow
Sunday.
a \ PARIS ~TNuAf.
The traveller has told OF a sunday II
France when the empire OF Napoleon III
WAS III is glory. At nine O'Clock a cup O
6 hot cOftee aud roll Of bread are brought L
your room. These are too mugh for tle laZ
. lest OF men, and he must rise a. once and
dress for the day. He takes lis regular
, breakfast the "deieuner "a iourchette' n
j noon most elaborate and iDrIa. dinner q
| Fix o'clock.
The natives 90 10 mass IN the early morn
yhSk d. sD'tu y AtLbl ~. 20 III ALI4tI4tA
and all religiOusly disposed went 10 Churct
in the morning at ten. Al tour o'clock In
g the afternoon al the world and his wife Wen
out for walk. The streets were filled with
| cheerful well-dressed crowd composed O.
people Of all ages and conditions, talking and
laughing Lnerrily, and moving steadily
: | towards the famous Champs E!ysees. The
crowd Is made up largely Of family group,
p and there are many children. We sweep OF
past the Madelaine, noble copy OF GreclsE
T | architecture, Iast a corner where a mOrDst
EngIishnan stands handing little pink
; | paper books to the passeTs by. They glance
al them and smile, but do not throw then
away as Americans would do. They set
i | that 1t is only a tract with fOTUlddiug title
all about desecratIon OF the sabbath, bu
know II Is vel! meant, and 80 pretend 70 &C
cept it
& As We reach the Place de la Concorde tht
| noise becomes confusing and the crowd
| enormous This was the ground OF the gull
| lotine in the "reign OF terror" and wusrt
! the grand old Obeiisk stands " ith a splendid
| fountain flashing in the sun on either side
there has been in other days great bronze
statue OF one of the greatest kings OF France
and after 1t plaster model OF the republic
The entrance to the broad avenue OF the
Champs Elysees is guarded by the two splen
did statues Of horses held by men that have
been extensively copied.
As we drift up the avenue the scene be
comes more and more gay and noisy. Flying
horses and Punch and Judy shows attract
not only the children, but their parents, and
all kinds OF games are in progress while the
dealers in candy, toy balloons and jumping
Jacks drive a thriving trade. The games and
SHOWS are among the treas OF the park which
extend the entire length OF the avenue, and
there are many restaurants wide open, while
the band pavllliOns at regular intervals are
occupied by wel!-traIned military bands
The broad avenue Is iull OF handsome Ger.
rlages and spirited horses People are turn.
ing 70 look at something. A street 'gamin"
shouts " Nlve L Emperor" Two lIyeTied
outriders on powerful horses, four-in- hand
OF splendid blacks driven by tall Coachman
with guard beside him. Back OF them,
alone in the open barouche sits the emperor.
Two tootmen sit with folded arms behind
hlm, and another pair Of outriders
follow. They travel Ike the wind, his
cries "vive Emperor" gentleman ad.
| dresses us in the French.
| You are Americans -
| Yes bow did you guess 1t ?'
You are too cheerful Tor Engiishmeu on
Sunday ~
the emperor drives rapidly Is that his
custom ?"
In a low voice, " 1t is, because he fears as
sassnstiOn."
AS we draw near 10 the famous Arc de Tri.
oLnphe, which ends the Champs Eiysees we
are Impressed with it's vast proportions and
elaborate ornament We climb to the top
and look back along the broad avenue "A mile
| to the oDelisk at the other end. From the
| great height the men and women look like
| adds volume to the subdued murmur rising
| frnf ha oh, "a