The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-01-18

suppose that the mere philosopher would say
that the Sabbath light comes In wave cur
rent, Just like any other light; but 1t does not
seem 30 to me. II seems as IL 1t touched the
eyelids more gently, and threw brighter
glow ON the mantel ornaments, and cast
better cheerfulness on the faces Of the chill
dren, and threw a supernatural glory over
the old family Bible HALL Sabbath light
We rejoice In 1t. Rest comes In through the
window, or it leaps up from the fire, or 1t
rolls out In the old arm chair, or II catches
up the body into ecstasy, and swings open
before the soul tho twelve gates which are
twelve pearls The bar Of the unopened
warehouse, the hinges Of the unfastened store
window, the quiet Of the commercial ware
house seem to say: "This Is the day the Lord
hath made" Rest for the sewing woman,
with weary hands, and aching side, and sick
heart Rest for the overtasked workman In
the mine, or out ON the wall, or in the swelter-
ing factory. Hang up the plane, drop the
adze, slip the band from the wheel, put out
the fire. Rest for the body, for the mind,
and for the soul.
Welcome, sweet day Of rest,
That saw the Lord arisei
Welcome to this reviving breast
And these rejoicing eyes.
HOW PARENTAL LUGUBRIoUsNEss AFFECTS
CHILDREN.
Again remark, we ought to have in the
Sabbath the joy Of domestic reunion and
conservation. There are some very good
parents who have the faculty Of making the
Sabbath great gloom. Their children run
up against the wall Of parental hgubrious-
ness on that day. They are sorry when Sun
day comes and glad when IL goes away.
They think Of everything bad on that day.
It Is the worst day to them, really, In oil the
week. There are persons who, because they
were brought up in Christian families
where there were wrong notions about the
Sabbath, have gone out into dissipa-
ton and win be lost. A man said to me: 81
have perfect disgust for the Sabbath day.
never saw my father smile ON Sunday. 1t
was such q dreadful day to me when was O
boy, never got over 1t, and ! never will"
Those parents did not "call the Sabbath
delights" they made it a gloom. But there
are houses represented here this morning
where the children say through the week:
~ wonder when Sunday will comet" They
are anxious to have 1t come. ! hear their
hosanna In the house; hear their hosanna In
the school God intended the Sabbath to be
especially day for the father. The mother
Is homo all the week. Sabbath day comes,
and God says to the father, who has been
busy from Monday morning to Saturday
night at the store, or away from home:
"This is your day. Sec what you can
do in this little flock In preparing
them for heaven. This day set apart for
you" You know very well that there are
many parents who are mere suttlers Of the
household; they provide the food and raj
ment; once in a while, perhaps, they hear the
child read line or two In the new primer, or
If there be a case Of especial discipline, and
the mother cannot manage 1t, the child Is
brought up in the court martial Of the
fathers discipline and punished That is all
there Is Of 1t. No scrutiny Of that child's Inn
mortal interests, no realization Of the fact that
the child will soon go out in a world where
there are gigantic and overwhelming tempta-
lions that have swamped millions But
In some households 1t Is not that
way; the home, beautiful on ordinary days,
Is more beautiful now that the Sabbath has
dawned. There Is more Joy in the "Good
morning." there Is more tenderness In the
morning prayer. The father looks at the
child and the child looks at the father. The
little one dares now to ask questions without
mel must be OFF to the store" Now the
merely the blue eyes, the arched brow, the
that child q long line Of earthly des-
able eternity. As he touches that child
he says: 81 wonder what will be the
destiny of this little onef' And while this
Christian father is thinking and praying, the
sweet promise flows through his soul; "Of
such Is the kingdom of heaven" And he feels
a joy, not Like that which sounds in the
dance, or Is waited from the froth Of the wine
cup, or that which Is like the cracking of
thorns under pot" but the joy Of domestic
reunion and conservation.
Have been picturing something that Is
merely fanciful, or is it possible for you and
for me to havesuch home as that believe
1t Is possible.
SOME STATISTICS THROWING LIGHT ON TIE
SUBJECT.
have a statistic that would like to give
you. A great many people, you know, say
there is nothing In the Christian discipline of
o household. In New Hampshire there were
two neighborhoods-theo one Of six families,
the other of five families. The six families
disregarded the bapparn. IN rnue, nve On
these families were broken up by the sepsra-
ton Of husbands and wives; the other by the
father becoming q thief. Eight or nine Of
the parents became drunkards, one COM
mitted suicide, and all came to penury. OF
some forty or fifty descendants, about twenty
are known to be drunkards and gamblers
and dissolute. Four or five have been in
state prison. One fell In a duel Some are
In the almshouse. Only one became Chris
tian, and he after first having been outrage
ously dissipated. The other five families that
regarded the Sabbath were all prospered
Eight or ten Of the children are consistent
members Of the church. Some Of them be-
came officers in the church; one is q minister
Of the Gospel; one is q missionary to China.
No poverty among any Of them. The home
stead Is now In the hands Of the third genera
ton. Those who have died have died In the
peace of the Gospel Oh, Is there nothing In
a household that remembers Gods holy dayi
Can 1t be possible that those who disregard
this holy commandment can be prospered for
this life, or have any good hope of the life that
Is to comet
Again, we ought to have in the Sabbath the
joy Of Christian assemblage. Where are all
those people going on the Sabbath You see
them moving up and down the street. Is 1t
o festal day. people might ask. Has there
been some public edict commanding the
people to come forthi No, they are only
worshipers Of God who are going to their
places of religious service. In what delicate
scale shall weigh the Joy Of Christian con-
vocationa It gives brightness to the eye, and
O flush to the cheek, and a pressure to the
hand, and a thrill to the heart. You see the
aged man tottering along on his staff through
the aisle. You see the little child led by
the hand of its mother. You look around
and rejoice that this Is Gods day,
and this the communion of saints. "One
Lord, one faith, one baptism" Some familiar
tune sets all the soul a-quiver and a-quake
with rapture. We plunge into some old
hymn and all our cares and anxieties are
bathed Off. The glorious Gospel transports
us, the Spirit descends, Jesus appears, and
we feel the bounding, spreading, electric joy
of Christian convocation.
look upon the Church Of God as one vast
hosanna. Joy dripping from the baptismal
font, joy glowing In the sacramental cup, JOY
warbling in the anthem, Joy beating against
the gate of heaven with a hallelujah like the
voice Of mighty thunderings Beautiful for
situationl The Joy Of the whole earth is Mount
Zion. 1t is the day and the place where Christ
reviews his troops, bringing them out in com
panies and regiments and battalions, riding
along the line, examining the battle torn flags
Of past combat, and cheering them on to
future victories. Oh, the Joy Of Christian as |
semblagel
remark also, we are to have in this day |
the Joy Of eternal Sabbatism. I do not be- |
ieve 1t possible for any Christian to spend
the Lords day here without thinking Of
heaven. There is something in the gathering |
Of people in church on earth to make one
think Of the rapt assemblage Of the skies. |
There is something in the song Of the Chris |
tan church to make one think Of the song Of |
the elders before the throne, the harpists and
the trumpeters Of God accompanying the
harmony. The light of better Sabbath
gilds the top Of this, and earth and heaven
come within speaking distance Of each other,
the song Of triumph waving backward and
forward now tossed I'M nv the church of