The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1891-07-31
THE SUNDAY QUESTION

BblIDl tulOtIil~NldI
In reference 10 an article which
appeared in yonr paper OF july "a,
| would respectfully submit The
following:
The Sunday question is M OF
great interest. 1t may be viewed
from an hisiorial, legal and mora!
standpoint. This would furnish
material for Il series of essays.
| shall now call attention To some
of lis past history. TIE prophets,
our Savior and his disciples are
singnlarIy silent touching the
"iirst day of The week. Sunday
with respect to granting it any
sancliication or holiness. For
proof of this please refer 10 the
sacred volume.
In A. ID. 32l a new era dawned
Upon Sunday. In that year Con
stantine, on the throne of the Ro-
man empire enacted a law in be.
half of the venerable sun, (cener0b
iii die sOlis) from which il came to
be the venerable day in The church.
ConSlantine's law reads thus: ''Lei
all The judges and town people and
the occupation Of all trades rest
in the venerable day of the sun i;
but let those in the country freely
and al full liberty, attend TO The
business Of agriculture /; because
it often happens that no other day
is so fit for sowing corn and plant
ing vines; lest The critical moment
being let slip men should lose the
commodities granted by heaven.
1t follows, therefore from this,
that no restraint had previously
been laid upon any class from
working on that day. 1t will be
further noticed that ConSianStlne's
law loes not speak Of the "Lord's
day" or OF the christian Sabbath,
but the venerable day Of the sun"
This was the heather, not the
chm tian name of the day and
the law was in behalf of IA heath.
Ell. not a christian institution.
The law was dated A. ID. 1913.
The d " following his Sunday law
he enacted another, regulating
the work OF the :oolhsayers, who
foretold future events by eXamln-
ing tie enirailS Of beasts. offered
in sacrifice to the gods. Between
Constantine and Sylvester, bishop
Of Rome, it was enforced upon the
church as a christian institution.
Thus did christianity, under con
trol Of the papacv, and paganism
approach each other. Even in the
days Of Constantine the two sys.
TENS had come close together.
SUNDAY hal heretofore run on
the pagan track, now il coull be
switched upon the christian. Pope
Sylvester turned the switch and
hnnceforth Sunday is a palace
sleeping cal upon the CHRISTIAN
track and not upon The heaihen."
1t may be in point Ia quote from
christian Doctrine" Catholic
catechism). ''Elow prove you thai
The church hath powerto commnn
leasiI and holy daysf Answer.
BY the very act OF changing Sab
bath into Sunday which l'roles
tants allow of and therefore The
fondly contradict Ihem-elveS by
keeping Sunday strictly and break.
ing more other ieasts commanded
by the same church"
She goes on further 10 say 4:
"llad she moi such power she
could not have done that in which
all modern religionisis agree with
her. She could not have substi-
tuted The obser, ance of Sunday,
the fir-t day of the week for
the observance of Saturday.
The seventh day, change
for which there is no Scriptaral al
thOrity. u Doctrinal Calerhlsm,page
351.) The limits of this article
will not permit of a full inve>tiga-
ton in this place. European coun-
tries smile upon amusements on
Sunday-Germany, Spain, France
and others. Our own, the United
States, is already well abreast with
trains running, theatres, ball play
ing, etc.,-verily. one could spell
the name 'holy day." as applied
to Sunday, better ihus-holiday.
We find no fault with this. But,
my friends, what has become of
the "holy Sabbath of the Lord ?"
"If thou turn away Thy foot from
the Sabbath from doing thy pleas
ure on my holy day; and call the
Sabbath a delight holy of the Lord.
honorable and shalt honor him moi
dong thine own ways Tor finding
thine own pleasure nor speaking
thine own words, then shalt thou
delight myself in The Lord" etc.
Isaiah IS: -. The Sabbath is Il
perpetual memorial. for He says,
"My Sabbath shall be a sign be-
tween me and my people forever"
Il will not altar the thing that is
gone out of my lips"
Above are a few marks from sa-
cred and secular history.
Respectfully and faithfully,
RENJAMTN IRISH /