Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-15

/ III conventions, speak through reaOliItl ms,
and editorials bewail the state Of things
and talk OF the necessity o; more rigid en-.
forcement OF the Sunday laws, No one
heeds such talk, and no law ia enforced
Year by year we drift further away from
a religious regard for Sunday. The most
cogent arguments driven into the public
mind are like q nail driven into the weak
mortar OF thin walls 1t looks we'll till
you attempt TO hang 4 weight upon II,
when II gives way, deepening the sense Of
failure. Hence we say, Us at the begin
ming, either the Suudsy laws are not
grounded In Christianity, or the public
conscience has become wickedly indii-
ferent.
Why ,hus9
The real philosophy OF tho situation is
thisi Sunday laws, coupled with the
false no-Sabbath theories which were de-
yeloped 10 the second century, have de-
PRAYED the public conscience aud pro-
duced the very results over which good
men now mourn. Granted for the sake
OF the argument, that Sunday has right.
fully taken the place of the Sabbath, and
ought TO 90 observed 10 accordance with
q Christian Interpretation OF the fourth
commandment The fact remains that
the civil law, assuming control of relig.
ious actions, places Itself between the
human heart aud God. IL shuts out the
| divine authority. The result In, no con-
science. II, on the other hand, the OBJ.
servance OF the Sunday, or the enforce
ment of the law, be urged upon grounds
Of policy and expediency each mau in
stantlY claims the right TO Judge for him.
self AS to what Is eXpedlent or necessary.
Divine authotity alone can give a Sabbath.
Human authority can give no more than
holiday.
The results which confront us indicate
an underlying philosophy against which
y is useless to fight. They show that the
pagan conception, which makes the state
the source OF authority in religious mat.
ters, the arbter of disputes,or the regun-
tor OF acts, IN not only foreign TO the true
Christian conception, but Is destructive
of 1t. The Christianity OF the fourth cen
fury was widely removed from the Chris
tiagity Of the apostles. No one element
did more TO create this degeneracy than the
interference by the state In matters of re-.
ligion. No form OF interference affected
the lie OF the people more than legiela.
tiOn concerning holy-days and religious
festivals. The effort which Puriianism
made TO lift the whole question TO a
| higher level has failed because II per-
| sisted In the fundamental error that the
state may Justly legislate concerning re-
! ligious duties Religious Sabbatzing Is
duty which men owe TO God alone.
| Civil lawcan make holiday, can instl.
| tute day on which business and labor
will cease; II can never make n Sabbath
any more than IL can make an honest man.
All appeal to civil law concerning Sabbath |
keeping Is necessarily degrading, and OPP |
! posed TO the genius OF CHI istianity The !
10. H.. -. 4.
because men are comparatively more
wicked than before, but because men have |
steadily risen above the pagan conception
which permits the state thus TO Interfere.
lie who complains Of the decline in regard |
for Sunday laws complains Of an unavoid. |
able frnliage which has always appeared
aud always Will appear when the state
interieres with religious matters.
Another result has developed In con
neclion with our Sunday laws whereby |
the vlest and most neiarious business
known 10 our civilization has intrenched |
itself behind them, and at the same time |
d. is them. The enfo.ced leisure which |
the Sunday laws and the customs con
corning Sunday have brought about make
Sunday the great harvest day for the
saloons and their associate evils. The
Sunday laws prohibit many forms Of leg
tlmste business which our Christian civ
iilzpiion has come 10 allow, and any per.
slstent effort 10 enforce the Sunday laws
against the saloon IN met by the saioonist
with the eounter.effort to enforce the
laws against legitimate buslness. In the
absence OF any struggle with the saloon,
nobody thinks OF enforcing the laws
against legitimate business or against
popular amusements, Meanwhile the
rum-trafIic, content TO close the front
door, II that be really insisted upon, goes
forward, and win continue TO 90 forward,
unchecked. Legitimate business cannot
afford 70 be interfered With, and the H.
quor power, holding the club in It's own
hand, says "Permlt me 10 go forward,
through the Aide-door at least, or ] viii
give You endless trouble through the same
law whereby you seek to interfere with
me.n 10 many places, as In our Western
cities, the liquor power IL strong enough
10 openly defy every effort, and 10 push
Us business through the front door, re-
gardless OF law. Between the two
methods, the rum-treiflc has taken full
possession OF Sunday, and the larger half
Of It's profits are gathered In that day.
A still more deplorable evil has CONS
upon the church itself, through reliance
upon tho Sunday law and through the &C.
eeptance Of Sunday, which has neither
scriptural authority nor standing-room on
the law Of God. has ceased 70 appeal
TO the law Of God--except In very weak
way---as tho source Of authority In mat
tiers relative 10 the Sabbath, and has
thereby become ehorn OF all real strength.
Year by year the church drifts further
into the stream Of Sunday desecratlon.
The pulpit talks OF the terrible disregard
for Sunday which prevails, while the pewa
hasten out Monday morning 70 pocket The
profits Of Sunday business and Sunday
reyelry. Thus, dependence on the civil
law and false theories concerning the
Of the Sabbath have turned the .