The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-14

sunday by bringing into m ltS tnfee-
fold requirements-Rest Religion, Recrea-
tion. GUSTAV GoTTuEIL,
Temple Emanu-El, New York.
A Radical View.
Q. What, in your judgment, is the proper
way to spend the Sabbath?
A.. In the first place | rather object to the
word Sabbath. ! prefer Sunday, because
Sunday is Of pagan origin.
Sunday was a sacred day to tho sun, as
Monday was sacred to the moon. Tuesday
was in honor of Thu, Wednesday of Wooden;
Thursday of Thor; Friday of the Northern
Venus, f'rigga; Saturday of Saturn of the
days.
So you will see that the names are of
pagan origin, and the reason we keep Sun
day instead of what the Jews called the
Sabbath ia, that the early Christians adopt
ed tho pagan customs md abandoned the
Jewish. The Jews kept our Saturday.
That was the sacred day-and that day was
kept, according to the Old Testament, for
two reasons: First, because God made the
world in six days II then rested-being
some fatigued after having made so much
out of nothing; and the other reason is that
the Sabbath should be kept because Jeho-
yah brought the Jews out of Egypt and de-
livered them from slavery.
According to the Old Testament that day
was to be kept, not by the whole world, but
by the Jews, and by no others. l suppose
in the old days. when there were no news
papers-long before The INDEPENDENT was
started-people, for the purpose Of finding
what We TO- call the news, came together.
In those days they had no clocks, no
watches; consequently they kept account
of time by the heavenly bodies-by the sun,
by the noun and stars. A lunar month is
quarter every seven days, and they could
keep account of the new moons and
the full moons, and tho probability is
that they fell on one day in seven by divid-
ing the lunar month by four, according to
the state of the moon. This could
be easily determined by nearly every
body, and in that way the times were
and when they so met not only news was
exchanged, but the ~law-givers told the peo-
pie what they must do, and the orders of
the king or chief were made known. Con-
sequent!y but little business was transacted
on that day-that is, but little work at
their homes.
The Jews had an idea that what they
called the Sabbath was sacred, and to such
an extremity did they go in this, that if a
Jew should fall down in the middle of the
day he would not get up until shutdown.
Or course a space of time cannot be holy,
any more than a vacuum can be pious.
People who think will never believe that
the infinite energy, or what We call
the universe. was ever tired, or
know that force is forever active. and just
as active on Sunday as on any other
day. There is no difference in the attrac-
tion of gravitation, no difference in wind,
or wave or tide, no difference in the speed
of planets, on account of days. Nature is
forever active in every direction, in all
places and at all times. Men who think
the happiness of an infinite being by keep
ing, or not keeping, any particular day of
the week. Consequently, people who think
will arrive at the conclusion that all days
should be set apart for the good of man,
and that those days are the best days in
which men are happiest, in which the most
good has been done.
keeping Is one to be determined by its effect
upon man in this world md no other.
The church takes the ground that Sunday
belongs to God--that is to say. to the
.church-that is to say, to the clergy. and
that it is the duty of every one to listen to
a sermon on that day. This ground is
taken for the reason that most clergymen
hio" phub WV ECcpAo VII 1ioptL w q
sermon they must be convinced that it is a
matter of duty. SO most clergymen NOW
that i'll order to compel people to attend
church. places of real amusement must be
closed on that day. So they say there must
be nc theatre, no opera, no concert, no
no libraries, no boats running up
and down tho river, no places of resort at
the senshore-everything in the world of
that character must DO tied up and locked
IN and sim no,
Now. in my Judgment, everyone should
spenu Sunday as he spends Monday-to the
best advantage. But as there is a Gust ON
by which most people cease from labor on
Sunday. ] think it should be set apart as II
day of enjoyment-a day for the working
man, not only to rest, but to take his wife
and children to the park, or to the woods or
to the seashore.
So | think Sunday is a good day to Guilt
vate the amenities of life, u good day to
get acquainted with your family, a good
day to see your best girl. to read old letters,
old poems. to write letters, to have dreams
good day to onjov yourself in every way
you do not in any way interfere with the
happiness of others.
Nothing ia more idiotio, nothing ia more
absurd, than tho idea that one day is better
than another, or that any space Of time
whatever is too good for II human being to
De HappY III.
l hope to live long enough to sec people
have sense enough to use all time for the
benefit and tho real benefit of themselves
and their ~neighbors. Understand me, / dc
not wish to interfere with the sad enjoy
ment of those who delight to sit that day
and think about tho consultations of perdi-
ton.
Let every one be fully persuaded in his
W mind" Let tho church attend TO its
own business and not interfere with others
am perfectly willing that all should
attend church who desire, provided they dc
not interfere with those who are on theii
way to the country or to the seathore. In
other words: Liberty for all.
Nothing could DO more eowardly than tn,
effort TO compel tho Observance of tho Sab
bath by law. In all places whore IN effort
has been made to enforce Sunday Legislation
the orthodox people have met with failure,
We of America have o%utgrown tho childish
mesa of the last century; we laugh at the
superstitions of our fathers. We have made
up our minds to DO as happy ~ We oan be