Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-01-24

| Sabbath occupations will be blasted A
gentleman said: II invented shuttle on
the Lords day. / was very busy, so
made the model of the new shuttle on the
Lords day. So very busy was during
the week that had TO occupy many Sab
baths. 1t was a great success. Ienlarged
my buildings; built new factories, and
made hundreds of thousands of dollars
but have TO tell you that ali the result of
that work on the Sabbath has bsen to my
ruin. 1 enlarged my buildings, made a
great many Thousands of dollars, but
have lost all, and 1 charge it to the fact OF
that Sunday shuttle" l will place in two
companies the men in this community who
break the Sabbath and the men who keep
it, and then l ask you who are the best
| friends OF society? Who are the best
friends of morals? Who have the best
prospects for this world: Who have the
best for the world that is to come:
The bar of the unopened warehouse, the
hinges of the unfastened store window,
the quiet of the commercial warehouse
seem to say: This is the day the Lord
J hath made" Rest for the sewing woman,
with weary hands aud aching side and
sick heart. Rest for the overtasked work
man in the mine or out on ths wall or in
the sweltering 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 arise;
Welcome TO this revivIng breast
And these rejoicing eyes,"
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 lugu-
briOusness on that day. They are sorry
when Sunday comes, and glad when it goes
| away. They think of every thing bad on
that day. 1t is the worst day to them,
really, in all the week. There are persons
who, because they were brought up in
Christian families where there wrong no.
tons about the Sabbath, have gone out into
dissipation and will be lost. A man said
to me: II have a perfect disgust for the
Sabbath day. | never saw my father
smile on Sunday. 1t was such dreadful
day to me when 1 was a boy, never got
over it and never will" Those parents did
not "call the Sabbath a delight" they
made it a gloom. But there are houses
represented here this morning where the
children say through the week: 81 wonder
when Sunday will CONF" They are anx-
ious to have it come. hear their hosanna
in the house; 1 hear their hosanna in the
school.
God intended the Sabbath to be espec-
tally day for the father. The mother is
home 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. See what you can do in
this little flock in preparing them for
Heaven. This day l set apart for you"
You know very well that there
are many parents who are mere
Suttlers of the households; they
provide the food and raiment; once in a
while, perhaps, they hear the child read a
line or two in the new primer, or, if there
be a case of especial discipline and the
mother can not manage it, the child is
brought up in the court martial of the
fathers discipline and punished. That is
all there is of it. No scrutiny of that child's
immortal interests, no realization of the
factfhat the child will soon go out in the
world where there are gigantic and over
whelmlng temptations that have swamped
millions. But in some households it
is not that way; the home, beau
tiful 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 10 ask questions
without any fear of being answered:
Don't bother mel must be off to the
store" Now the father looks at the child,
and he sees not merely the blue eyes, the
arched brow, the long lashes, the sweet lip.
He sees in that child long line of earthly
destinies; he sees in that child an immeas-
urabie eternity. As he touches that child
he says: II wonder what will be the
destiny of this little one" 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 have such a home as that? !
believe it is possible.
/ have a statistic that / would like to
give you. A great many people, you know,
say there is nothing in the Christian
discipline of household. In New Hamp-
shire there were two Observation-Disclosures
one of six families; the other of five fami-
lies. The six families disregarded the Sab
bath. In time FIVE of these families were
broken up by the separation of husbands
and wives; the other by the father becoming
athef. Eight or nine of the parents became
one committed 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 duel. |
Some are in the almshouse. Only one be- |
came Christian, and he after first having |
been outrageously dissiPated. The other |
five families that regarded the Sabbath |
were all proSpered. Eight or ten of the |
children ars consistent members of the |
church. Some of them became officers in |
the church; one is a minister of the gos- |
pei; one is a missionary 10 China. No |
poverty among any of them. The home |
stead is now in the hands of the third gen
GRAFTON. Those who have died have died |
in the peace of the gospel. o, is there |
nothing in the household that remembers |
Gods holy day: Can it be possible that |
those who disregard this holy command
ment can be prospered for this life, or
have any good hope of the life that is to /
come:
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 it a festal days people might
ask. Has there been sczae public edict /