St. Paul daily globe., 1886-06-14
ONE DAY In EVERY SEVEN
Is Necessary for Rest, Says the Rev.
DR.. S. G. Smith.
He Believes That Everybody Should
Get One Day OF.

DR.. S. G, Smith, pastor of the of the
First M. E. church, preached to large
congregation last evening on the question.
''Shall We Work on Sunday9" The bar
bers of the city had been invited to be pres
ent and about twenty of them were in the
audience. DR.. Smith read the verse from
the Bible in which occurs the words: is
1t lawful on the Sabbath day to do good, or
to do evil," and stated that he approached
the Sunday question not from mere theo-
logical standpoint. He spoke substantially
as follows.
We are a nation and what shall we do with
our Sabbath? Is the Sabbath mere institu-
ton of society? l do not speak of the work
that Christ orders done, visiting the sick etc.,
or work OF necessity. will not 1rttter away
time on ordinary questions on this subJect,
put treat the subject broadly. ought men
and women to put away ordinary work on this
day? l think this is next to the temperance
question: and on its solution depends the
question of whether our civilization shall
stand. Not only must the souls OF men be
saved, but Christ came, bled and
died, that their bodies might be
saved. Man for his physical best must
have one day in seven. Fifty years
ago they demonstrated that horse could do
more work in six days than he can in seven.
So can man, and there is no scientific fact
which stands on a tirmer basis than this.
There are those who want fairs and public in
stitutions open on Sunday that the poor,
dear workingmen,'' may be accommodated.
But when you trace these things up, the
reason is found in the pocket Of some greedy
director, and not with the laboring men, and
it MAX es me skeptical. The greatest BRAIN
workers of to-day must have it. Sometimes
business man thinks it is nice to
GO DOWN TO THE OFFICE
he
turbed. During the next week he will make
more mistakes than will fritter away all that
Sunday work. Nobody makes SO many
mistakes as the Overworl,ed man.
Overwork does not affect a mains caution, or
his greed for money, but it will always affect
his memory and judgment: Here is where
the man who is too pious to go to his business
gets in his work. Even Hume said that the
best yard Of cloth could not be made in a
community where ethics were disregarded.
Society depends on moral order. Nineteen
twentiethS OF your men are not kept straight
by reason OF police force and city hall.
There is no police force equal to the
churches. Society rests together in its
safety on its moral supports, and when this
or any other city, in its public works, breaks
down our Sunday and tramples it in the mud,
they can in one summer do more harm than
whole centuries of sheriifs and
the purity of the family relation,
the training of children depends on the OBJ
servance OF the Sabbath. Now, we have In
this city the BARRIERS struggle for day OF
rest. These men have homes and wives and
children. They are kept at work fourteen
hours day. When does the barber get ac-
quainted with his children anyway, il it is
not Sunday? Every man, whether in the
church or not should hope to see them win,
and they will win if they only have the pluck.
The great trouble is that too many men are
towards. Once get over that and right will
win. Then there is this question Of Sunday
with corporations. Do you know the reason
that they began to
BURN THINGS IN ST. LOUIS 81
during the strike? 1t was because Sunday
has been going out of the railroad business of
late years. l affirm that to those men who
work seven days, the gospel comes as saliva
tion. 1t is extra pay on Sunday only
for few weeks, then the wages are pared
down and man works seven days for six
days pay. Even the socialists and German
intidels are joining in New York for a better
Sunday. l do not believe this country is
going to the devil, but [ do believe it is going
down far enough to smell sulphur. Every
man who strikes a blow at Sunday, strikes q
blow against his home against every form of
social splendor and wealth. Personal liberty
is the catchword Of fools. A free man is not
a creature who is allowed to waste the dregs
of his life in vice, but free man is he who is
surrounded by q social order that gives him
strength. / want a Sunday given to every
man, whether he wants it or not, just as a
wise mother gives the medicine to a child
whether he kicks and struggles or not. Just
so will the mother state administer medicine
to these kicking and struggling enemies Of
the Sabbath; and I affirm solemnly as the
conclusion of this discussion that the enemy
of the Sabbath is the enemy Of man.
Dr.. Smith gave notice that on next Sab
bath evening he would discuss another
phase of the same subject, in relation to
amusements on the Sabbath.