The Newtown bee., 1892-01-01
How to Observe Sunday.


mo class of citizens should be more
deeply concerned in the observance of
Sunday than Catholics, said Archbishop
Ireland recently. 1.-The life of Catholic
faith and virtue is entirely dependent on
the religious worship which is offered up
on that day and the religious instructions
which it affords. The greater number,
too, of Roman Catholics are men of toll
Sunday, their lot is made the harder. No
political ideas must prevail against such
obligations as those binding us to the OBJ
servance of Sunday. The most faithful
advocates, | repeat, by word, act and
vote, should be the Roman Catholics, nd
if ever-which God forbd-the Sunday
in America were to go down into obliv-
ion before the advancing hosts of greed
and irreligion, the last soldiers to leave
it's ramparts should be the Roman Cath
olics.
Sunday is not simply time of physi-
cal rest; men will not slumher in the
greater part of the day nor sit in idle
musing. Nor is it to be given over in its
entirety to religion. TOO much time de-
voted To religion is detriment to relg-
ion itself. Sunday has among its pur-
poses that of cheering the toiIer. bring
ing out the better part of his virtue, i'm
proving him in morals and ideas. The
Sunday must come to him as an oasis in
life, day of joy, which he longs for be-
fore it has come. There are many who
have all the needed resources for Sunday
enjoyment within themselves or by the
aid of their family circles. But we can
not forget the tens of thousands whose
homes have but scant charms, the occu-
pants of boarding houses and of garretS,
the inhabitants of crowded and unhealthy
quarters of our cities. There are, too,
our young people, whose buoyant spirits
demand imperiously distractions and ex-
elements. How far the Sunday may be
allowed to divest itself of it's quietness to
meet the craving of the people for inno-
cent pleasure and recreation is question
of difficult solution.
1t seems TO me a safe rule to avoid REG
reations that are noisy, demoralizing in
their tendencies, or that bring labor to
many-authorize and encourage recreat-
ions that demand labor from few and
are for the many elevating, and afford in
noeent Joy, if not useful instruction. 1t
would open libraries, reading rooms, art
galleries, even though o few guardians
were compelled to stand by. 1t would
scatter out into the sunshine and pure air
the laborer and his little ones, even
though street cars had to be kept NOV
ing. l would have lectures, even though
the lectures were literary or scientific. |
would have music, of church hymns.
What would not have? | would have
no traffic on Sunday. | would close all
stores in city or country villages. In
country villages, there is an inclination
to open stores for the benefit of farmers,
To do this is an insult to the Christian
feeling of farmers and they should resent
it by stunning merchants ready to open
CD Sundays; their work can well be done
Saturday evening. | would keep to the
minimum Sunday railroading, Bailroad
! employees constitute large proportion of
the laboring population Of the country
too many of them know no Sunday. Pas
seuger trains ought to arrive early Sun
day morning and depart late Sunday aft
ternoon. Railroad freight departments
should not send ont trains Sunday nler-
chants can wait little for their mer-
chandise.
decidedly would close saloons on Sun
day, | would do 50 in charity for the sa;
loon keeper and his assistants. They
never rest, Monday or Sunday; the whole
week they breathe a poison charged at.
mosphere; the whole week their ears are
deafened by the constant changing OF
. mugs and the hoarse groan of the drink
or, They rapidly lose their health and
} IN nearly all CAGES, die premature deaths
/, would close the saloon for charity Il
] the laborer. We give him sunday thai
he may be rejnvenated in soul and body
! and we must not permit the liquor sharl
to take from him his hard earned wages
j Of the previous week, to- unfit him bs
draughts of alcohol for the fatignes d
!, the next; to demoralize and unman him
] am speaking for labor, and III labor
! name for the preservation uf its dignis,
and freedom, ask state and city TO clos.
saloons,