The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-07-04
nAnnApn onenRyANon.


The Rev, 3, +, Sprecher OF the Euclid
Avenue Presbyterian church Of Cleye'
land, preached most excellent sermon
on Sunday last on Sabbath observance
lilo took for his text, Mark II, ~, The
Sabbath was made for Man, His Arst
argument was TO prove that u rest at
one day out Of seven was necessary 10
man lle said;
10 has been scientifically demonatrat,
cd that the Sabbath 10 u necessary OF
life II has been proved that the great
law OF periOdiolty which reigns through
out nature governs man also. There 10
such a law perYading all the works OF
God. The very metals which compose
the wheels which carry on trade and
manufactures must bo allowed TO rest
and cool off about one day IN seven, that
they may do their best work. The tree
and herb must rest AZ regular intervals
or they viii fruit and llower themselves
70 death The beast viii do ua more
aud better service working six days IN
the week than working seven, ~ most
exhaustive experiments have shown,
The same law holds good In the case OF
man. An ordinary nights rest does
not fully repair the waste OF an ordl'
mary days labor. II falls short Just
about 0nCseyenth, which failure is
made up by u rest Of one day IN seven,
Professors Volt and pOttenkoier, OF tho
Academy Of Munich, made experiments
testing the waste OF tho laborerg sys'
TEN when NJ work and NJ rest, and pre-
aentod u report 10 the Academy, claim
that q rest of one day m seven was nee
cssary 10 enable the labOrer TO live out
Ills natural life.
In other words the Reverend gentle
man holds that the Sabbath Is intended
as day of rest from toll, and ho goes
further and says the State does Its duty
when II compels those employing labor
TO give labor one day Of rest out Of
seven, This is as iOr as the state hasa
/ ght 10 20, saws % Pew Sprecher. lle
takes the gro nd that the State has no
right TO legiS.ate ag6tlst public amuse
ments, games, excursions, etc. on Sun
day. Here we quote the exact words o
the Rev, Sprecher's sermon;
"But Is there nothing here 10 be con.
ceded 10 complicated modern ciylliza.
tlon2 Can we declare the running OF
all cars and trains, boats and vehicles,
and hotel elevators, etc, unnecessary
IL is no wonder that movements OF |
this kind fail when they demand too
much. IL is easy 10 sea that the Sunday |
as II now 10 cannot be called |
n necessity. But can we say that u
Sunday newspaper Of some sort Is nota |
necessity of our timesY Can we say
that amusements aud excursions out OF
the close quarters OF crowded
cities are not necessity TO some
classes Of our citizensY We are certain
ly confronted with difficulties here,
owing TO the inCessant labor and close |
of laborers and merchants |
and clerks and tradesmen and profes.
si0nal men, all day long and all the
week through. Times have changed |
since the days Of early Christianity and
our Puritan foreiathers. Then II was
almost all outdoor life, and the close |
of factories and workshops |
was almost unknown. No kind OF bus.
mess was 40 combining even few hun.
dred years ago as IL Is now. This is |
one of the greatest difficulties In our |
country In the way Of settlement of
the Sabbath question"
What Is the true ground on this sub
ject? The State has no more right TO
say that q citizen shall worship and
keep holy the Sabbath day than II has
10 say where or in what church u citi.
zen shall worship. The duty Of the
State is not TO command the citizen. II
Is only TO see that those who desire to
shall enjoy that right, undis.
turbed
The State has no right under our
form of government to impose obhga
lions upon the citizen on the Sabbath,
that cannot be legally imposed on any
other day.
Beyond that, all is in the domain Of |
morals.
IL has been demonstrated In this |
country that public morals and religion |
have not suffered from separation OF |
the functions Of church and State.
II has been demonstrated in Ireland |
that religion cannot be enforced by ylaw, |
or by the State.