The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-01-29
THE SABBATH.

A True Friend Of the Woodworking La
boring Mantle Mischief Wrought by
the Infraction of the Bible Law Relating
to Sunday Observance-The Duty Of
Christians.
A fact has been stated by DIR. Everts
in his addresses at various State meet
ings which is significant. 1t seems that
Socialists and Communists in Europe,
and perhaps also to some extent in this
country, are beginning to agitate. at
their own point of view, in favor of
that Sabbatical institution which they
have hitherto done so much to bring
into disrepute. This they do, of course,
not with any religious motive, but
solely in the interest of laboring men,
who need the day as q day of rest.
This is a most important concession in
q quarter where, in one respect, It
might indeed be well looked for, but
in which some of us had never ex-
pected to find it. The Woodworking
1aboring man has no truer friend in
the world than the Christian Sabbath.
This is point which needs no argu-
ment. Least of all for the man who
comes wearied to Saturday night, yet
looks forward to the Sunday as day
of toll just like all the other days of
the week. Little as he may esteem
the ordinances of religion, and little in
clined as he would be, even if
Sunday were allowed to him for
his own uses, to turn his steps
toward any place of prayer, no one
can feel more keenly than he what
a scene of slavery life becomes when
the taskmaster's call rouses him from
the slumber of tired man on Sunday
morning, as it has done every day from
Monday to Saturday. He does not
think of the Good Being who thought
of him so many thousands of years ago,
in the very morning of history, while
as yet there was mo man to till the
ground" and who in foresight of the
needs of just such as he, Himself
crested on the seventh day and hall
lowed it." Quite as little does he
think of that command in the Deca-
logue: Remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy" or if he does, yields
probably to the habit of lifetime in
regarding this as one of those institu-
tons of religion which for him are all
alike impositions of priestcraft. In
deed, If the truth were to come home
to him that the Sabbath was really in
stituted by God, and that its observance
is made one of those laws of God which
are for universal application, that
thought alone. so has he been edu-
Gated, would very likely set him
against it. Nevertheless, when with
whatever motive he comes into the line
of wise and kind Divine appointment,
there is hope for him that he may re-
consider his lifelong theory that
religious institution is to be condemned
exactly because it is religious.
God has many ways of justifying His
own administration of this worlds af-
fairs. One is that of allowing evil of
whatever sort, to demonstrate its own
perniciousness, and SO convince men
what gigantic folly it is when any one
shall say: EVIL, be thou my good"
Men are so dull of moral apprehen-
sion that Divine institution, however
salutary in itself, is not at all sure of
being welcomed by them, either be-
cause it is Divine or because it is sal
utary. II it crosses inclination, or inn
poses unwelcome restraint, they have
. most disastrous facility in making
themselves blind to every appeal in
its behalf. God often lets them 60 to
their own bad way; suffers generation
after generation, perhaps, to go the
wrong road, while evil multiplies and
misery grows. At last, on the brink
of actual perdition, the blind multi
tudes pause, and in the yawning hor-
rors of the gulf before them read the
vindication of that Divine law they
have all this while been trampling
under their feet.
Few of these attractions Of law have
wrought such mischief as this of the
Sabbath law. The evil of such infrac-
ton has q double form. It is positive
Generalization, alike of the individual
and the community, while negatively
it prevents all the good that would fol-
low from such an observance of the
Sabbath as God requires. It is not too
much to say that were this day of rest
and worship to be altogether annihilat-
ed, so that there should be neither rest
nor worship for men, it is doubtful If
society itself could be preserved from
moral chaos Even heather worship
operates with certain restraint.
What if there were not even so much
as this? Facts open to the vision of
every observing person show plainly
enough. Take any European city
where for such thousands on thousands
there is no Sabbath. Take any Of these
American cities which are so rapidly
becoming worse still. Is there any day
OF the week when drunkenness, vice
and crime run riot so shamefully? And
does not Sunday become in conse-
quence, instead Of q fountain Of healing
for weekday disorder, foul sink Of
inhpurity, poisoning all the rest of the
week? To stop work and spend the day
in riot is hot the way to turn the day
to good use, and this the Communists
will themselves find out, some day.
To spend Sunday in debauch. and on
Monday morning have neither brain
nor muscle for work, is no way to real
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