Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-23
THE CONTINENTAL SUNDAY.
TcoNcLupED FROM FIRST PAGE

i
wooden dealer, moved into that street from
the north of France. With him he brought
his custom of resting from business on
Sunday. To the amaZement and disgust
of those about him he persevered in this
custom. He would neither be laughed out
of it by ridiculs, nor frightened out Of 1t
by predictions which foretold his ultimate
bankruptcy. Finally, seeing that he con-
tinued to prosper, Others followed his ex-
ample, and the course of some years wit
messed the closing on Sundays of every
wholesale house in that neighborhood,
which Is now ss much characterized by an
air Of Sabbath repose as the wholesale
parts of London itself"
Such an instance as this, besides show.
Ing show much good may be done by .
worthy example, shows at fash also how,
In recent years, this city of Paris, which
very many have thought hopeleesly we'd
ded to Sabbath traffic. has been grad ually
emancipating itself and taking on better
habits. She Is still very far, of course,
just as is Berlin, from approximatipg to
either English or American ideals, but one
has only to look about him with eyes and
ears open, and to inquire with unbiased
mind in we'll informed and we'll disposed
circles. to discover in both these cities .
decided improvement, and to fully con-
vince himself that both cities are travelling
in the right direction.
In regard to amusements and recreations
there Is little or no change, and what
makes the prospect In this direction par
ticularly gloomy from the point of view
occupied by Christian Americans is. that
all over the continent there seems to be
an utter lack of conscience on this sub
| ject. With the exception of a small evan
gelical contingent, which is almost who'll
| ly confined to missionary churches, the
Professionals of France and Germany seem
| to be no more scrupulous in these mat
tsrs than their Roman Catholic neigh
bors. To give an example, we were in
| conversation recently with one of the
most devout and learned of the pastors
| of the Reformed church of France, and
| in answer to our question as to what
| would be expected from his members in
| the way of Sunday observance, his reply
was that it would not be in the least i'm
| proper, after attending at church in the
| morning, to occupy the afternoon by q
| visit to the Louvre, or q ramble through
| one of the parks, and ss to his young men,
| he did not feel at all warranted In caution
| ing them against the little games of lawn
tennis they played on Sunday, because
they were constantly offered in Paris so
many diversions that We're immoral.
This came gentleman, however, was
L koSS
work going forward under the patronage
of men like Jules Simon and Leon Say,
and 1t really appears as though, upon the
cardinal point of reducing to minimum
all Sunday labor, the best minds of France,
whether evangelical or atheistic, Catholic
or Protestant, are in unanimous and hearty
agreement. 1t Is gratifying to observe
too, that these French champions of Sun.
day as day of rest are Watching with ev
ident sympathy the struggles which are
going On in America. In the official organ
Of the Sunday Observance society-th'
Bulletin-there are frequent references tc
orr Worlds Fair, and the last of thes.
which read, after saying that the actor
of Congress in closing the gates on Suu
day, may, in its judgment, bs accepted a.
final, does not hesitate to hold mp this &C
ton as course worthy to bs initiated IL
France. b. 7.