Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-16

conscience regulated by the word of God.
The Sabbath should be a quiet day-the
law specifies that, and in addition to the
public worship of God, deeds of charity,
acts of kindness and attractive, cheerful
family associations are becoming to the
Lords day. Labor that will benefit the
moral and spiritual nature of man and
cannot be done on any other day is legit'
ever, it requires seven days in week to
perform it, it will be injurious even
though it be OF extreme necessity because
Of the unlawful strain upon nature.
DR.. Farrer, of London, distinguished
physician, once said, II have found il
essential to my own well being as ply
stefan, to abridge my labors on the Sab
bath to what was actually necessary,
and that he had advised many clergymen
in lieu of their Sabbath labor to rest their
bodies and minds the next day.
We have the testimony of many physi>
clans, the pastor asserted, who say that
those who labor seven days in week are
not as healthy aud do not live ordinarily
as long as those who work but six days and
rest one. Doctor Alden, prominent ply
stefan, once said that the Sabbath holds
the same relation to the week that night
does to the day, and unnecessary labor
on that day is a physical ain, to which a
penalty is attached-a penalty that can
not be averted The Sabbath days rest
does not only promote health but those
who rest upon that day can do more and
better work than those who work seven
days in week. The experiment was
made in England with two thousand
working men The men had been in the
habit of working seven days in the week
it was decided to change to six days
labor and a Sabbath of rest. After a
| years experiment the men were found to
be healthier in body, better in morals and
more able for work, accomplishing more
through the year by the six days of labor
| and Sabbath of rest than they could
| have accomplished by continued labor
every day. The greatest evil resulting
from Sabbath desecration is on the heart,
| Man is moral as well as an intellectual
| being. His excellence, usefulness and
happiness depend chiefly upon his charac>
ter To the right formation and proper
culture OF this, the Sabbath is essential q.
Without the Sabbath day all other means
toward cultivating mans moral nature
will to great extent fail
Again the Sabbath Is the time that God
has reserved for himself. He created all
the days and gave us six of them; we
have no right to touch the other. A man
will never be the gamer by stealing Gods
time. l like the advice of the woman to
her husband when the railroad company
demanded that he work on the Sabbath
or lose his situation, replied: Husband,
we can afford to be poor but cant afford
to break Gods laws" 1t is burning
shame and an awful sin for great oorpor-
ations to arrange their business so
as to keep whole armies of men EN- =
ployed on the holy Sabbath. Taking
away their God given rights of quiet
Sabbath and the privilege of going with
| their families to the house of God, the
sacred rights of conscience. The great
Sabbath breaking, God defying COM
panies. With impunity they transgress
the law of God, insult the christian senti.
ment Of the land and are terribly OUT
ragged when the people do not rise up in
their defense when their rights are
trampled upon. The whole railroad sys-
tenn of America could keep the Sabbath,
at profit if they were so disposed.
Then our own government joins with
these corporations in defying Gods au-
thorty by breaking his holy Sabbath.
Government officials and employees are
kept at work on the Sabbath in direct
violation of Gods commands. The car
rying and delivering of mails on the Sab
bath is neither a work of mercy nor ne.
cessity.
Why is it, the speaker inquired, that
| saloons, beer gardens, theatres, barber
| shops, meat markets and livery stables
| are allowed to run when other places of
business close? Mr.. Cue termed sports
| and other amusements on Sunday as
Sabbath dissertation of serious nature.
If working men spend their Sundays in
amusement, it gives corporations the
excuse to take away the only day of rest.
They will argue by and by that you do
not need it as a day of rest and as you
have no conscience in regard to the Sab.
bath as holy day, they will demand, as
many are now doing. all your time.
What effect do you suppose, the desc
Grafton of the Sabbath on the part of
business men, have upon conscious chris
tian men, who are looking oyer our city
with a view of investing money in prop
erty and business2
If we begrudge the holy time from our
business and spend the day in Questiona>
BILE recreation, we need not be surprised
to see it lightly esteemed by non>pro-
Tossing public. If you will examine your
own hearts you will find your christian
experience in proportion to your faithful,
ness in keeping the Sabbath. The first
step in backslider's career is indiffer-