San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-18
A Radical Y


to Sabbath. prefer the word Sun
day, because Sunday is of pagan
origin.
Sunday was a day sacred to the sun,
as Monday was sacred to the moon,
Tuesday was in honor of Thu; Wed
nesday of Wooden, Thursday of Thor,
Friday of the northern Venus, Frigga;
Saturday of Saturn of the days.
So you will see that the names are
of pagan origin, and the reason we
keep Sunday instead of what the
Jews called the sabbath is, that the
early christians adopted the pagan
customs and abandon ed the Jewish.
The Jews kept our Saturday. That
was the sacred day-and that day
was kept, according to the Old Testa-
ment, for two reasons: First, because
God made the world in six days and
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
Jehovah brought the Jews out of
Egypt and delivered them from slav-
cry.
According to the Old Testament that
day was to be kept, not by the whole
world, but by the Jews and by no
others suppose in the old days
when tn sre were no newspapers-long
before the News was started-people
for the purpose of finding what we
now call the news came together. In
those days they had no clocks, no
watches; consequently they kept
account of time by the heavenly bod
les by the sun, by the moon and
stars. A lunar month is twenty
eight days-that is, the moon quar-
ters every seven days and they could
keep account of the new moons amp
the full moons; and the probability is
that they fell ON one day in seven by
dividing the lunar month by four, ac-
cording to the state of the moon. This
could be easily determined by nearly
everybody, and in that way the times
were fixed in advance when they
should meet; and when they 80 met
not only news was exchanged but the
law-givers told the people what they
must do, and the orders of the king or
chief were made known. COnse-
quently but little business was tran
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work at their homes.
The Jews had no idea that what
they called the sabbath was sacred,
and 10 such an extremity did they 60
in this, that if Jew should fall
down in the middle of the day he
would not get up until sundown.
OF course 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 that Is ever rested.
Thinking people know force is forever
active, and just as active on Sun.
day as any other day. There is no
difference in the attraction of CRAWL
tation, no difference in wind or wave,
or tide, no difference in the speed of
the planets-no account of days. Ma
ture is forever active in every direc-
ton in all places and at all times.
Men who think will know that il is
impo sible to add to the happiness of
an infinite being by keeping or not
keeping any particular day of the
week. Consequently people who
think will arrive at the conclusion
that all day should be set apart for
the good of man and that
those days are the best in which men
are the happiest, in which the most
good has been done.
This being so, the questio of Sun
day keeping Is one to be determined
by its effect upon man in this world
and no other.
The church has taken the ground
that Sunday belongs to Ged-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 know
that before people will listen to
sermon they must be convinced that
it is matter of duty. So most cler-
gymen know that in order to compel
people to attend church, places
Of real anus ement must be closed
on that day. So they cay
there must be no theatre, no opera,
no concert, no museum, no libraries,
no boats running up and down the
river, no places of resort at the sea-
shOre-everythiDg in the world of
that character must be tied up and
locked up and shut up.
Now, in my judgment, everyone
should spend Sunday as he spends
Monday-to the best advantage. But
as there is custom by which most
people cease from labor on Sunday, 1
think it should be set apart as 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 good day to
cultivate the amenities of life, a good
day to get acquainted with your FAM
lily, a good day to see your best girl,
to read old letters, old poems, to write
letters, to have dreams-a good day
L. z.<.L...I.ll