The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-05-19

makes him0 charge upon the State,
instead of the proud citizen-king his
manhood entities him to be. The saloon
in the name of the workingman asks,
and takes in defiance of law, this
sacred day in which specially to carry
on it's helllsh work. All this is done
under the plea of benefiting the labor
ing man. Claiming this day of sacred
ness for the workingman. the leeches
and parasites of human society use it
as the opportunity in which they can
most completely destroy him.
THE ~PHARIsEE's DAY.
On the other hand equally absurd is
the demand of the religious Pharisee
for the enforcement Of a bigoted, pro-
vincial Sabbath Of a past Puritan
ism. The present riot of Sunday desc
Grafton is a distinct reaction against
the absurdity and inhumanity of a
mOnstrous traditionalism that once
posed as the sole keeper of the religion
of the Most High God. AS a nation
we have entered upon a national battle
for the life of the American Sunday.
It is certain to be o long and bitter one.
The ideas of the old world are here
marshalled in all their native strength.
They r arrayed in deadly combat
with the history and the spirit Of the
American nation on this great ques-
ton. In this conflict the truth only
will prevail. A lie cannot be met and
defeated by another lie. The only way
to kill a lie is to beat it's brains out
with the truth. The Mysteries of a de-
funct and discredited traditionaIism
will not amount to much in the final
adjustment Of the fight. For one, l
do not desire q restoration of the Sab
bath of the Pharisee-either in spirit or
in letter. Jesus Christ broke the Phari-
sale Sabbath with impunity. He was
altogether unOrthOdox on that ques-
ton, so far as ceremony and tradition
were concerned. The heresy hunters,
who were out with their hounds, al
ways struck a trail where His sacred
feet had walked over their traditions
regarding the Sabbath day.
A SINFUL EGG.
Christ distinctly repudiated the spirit
Of the Pharisee's Sabbath. And.well
He might. According to the Pharisee,
it was a sin to walk on the grass on the
Sabbath because it would be bruised,
and that would be a kind Of threshing;
or to catch a flea, which would be
hunting; or to feed his chickens, lest a
seed remaining on the ground might
terminate, which would be planting.
It was a sin to eat an egg laid on the
Sabbath. It was a sin to wear false
teeth, because it would be bearing a
burden, or to walk on stills for the
same reason. A radish might be dipped
in salt, but could not remain, for that
would be making q pickle. We thank
God in Christ for deliverance from
such folly. The old Puritan was a
Pharisee on the question of the Sab
bath. He made laws equally absurd.
It was a crime with him to smile on
the Sabbath, and a high crime for a
man to kiss his wife on that day. We
thank God that the Puritan lived. We
also thank God he is dead. Peace to
his ashes.
WORSHIP, REST, INSPIRATION.
1t seems to me that, over and above
all the rubbish of humbug pleaders
and Pharisaic sticklers, there are
weighty reasons why the workingman
should have Sunday as a sacred day,
sacred for Worship, for Rest, for IN
spirdtiOn.
l.. Because this day is a divine insti-
tuition. God sat aside one day in seven
for man to rest. On this day he can
draw near to the great Father. The
sacredness Of I'll Sunday is not based
on the Jewish ceremonial law deliv-
cred to Moses. It rests upon the eternal
law of God, of which the ceremonial
law was but a faint foreshadowing-
that n dog IN seUen man needs for
rest, for WOrShip, for inspiration. He
needs thus often to draw away from
toll and matter, and climb as near as
possible to the source of life and light
and truth. Christ fulfilled and ex-
pounded the old law in the declaration
that the Sabbath was made for man.
Man" means, too, the higher, not the
lower man. MAN" does not consist
in appetite and stomach. These are
the attribute5-of the brutes; they are
not distinctly human.
Fl NATIONS DAY.
2. It is not only a divine institution;