The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-18
THE AMRRIcAN SUNDAY IN PRAc-
TlCE.


What Is the American Sunday in prac-
tice? Boston, New York and Philadel-
phia include in their observance Of Sun
day the opening of art museums. the Civ.
ing of concerts in the public parks, the
running Of excursion trains and boats to
take the masses into the country and to
the sea shore. Portland. Me-. is . city Of
about 5000. Every Sunday excursions
are made from that city into the White
mountains, and Neal Dow last year called
attention to the orderly conduct of those
who pstronixed them. In Knoxville.
Tenn, with $4,000 people. Sunday is day
Of decent recreation. such a. it 10 in Seat.
tie. The electric cars and the livery men
do an enormous business; the people in
the afternoon 60 to the flake" as we do.
President Harrison, who is q Prcsby-
terrain elder. illustrated the popular Amer
lean Sunday by often boarding a yacht on
Saturday afternoon, spending Sunday in
case on the vessel down the Potomac or
outside the capes, and returning on Mon
day. President Cleveland, another Pres
byterian. the son Of . Presbyterian min
lister. spends a portion of his Sunday in
equally decent recreation. Every year
state fair is held Mt Des Moines, Ia, which
begins one week and ends during the
next. The fair grounds are always open
on the intervening Sunday. People can
walk about and view the exhibits, and re-
lig,ous services are conducted by some
eminent clergyman. The Washington
Press. weekly newspaper of Iowa, says:
For one, We think il no ain to learn something
useful on sunday. to take physical comfort on
that day, to have innocent amusement and rec.
reaton on that rest day. When John Knox
went to see John Calvin he found him playing
fowls on the green Sunday AFTERNOON. Has
that ever been disputed? Martin Luther played
music on sunday. No one disputes it John
aud Martin stand high in the Protestant world.
Jesus By his conduct on sunday shocked all the
prejudices aud traditions OF old fossils and
mossbacks In his day aud said Sunday was made
for man. not vice versa. His credit, too, 10 high
in the Evangelical and Catholic world. The ct.
feet is bad II you make . fetish Of sunday. Js-
sus made it no fetish. nor Calvin, nor Luther,
and why should we?
The Des Moines Register in . recent Sun
day issue said:
Ii the sun shines today do not neglect to 70
out into the country. Go In . carriage II you
can afford II, or 90 In . street car. or even, IL
you have to. walk; 60 anyway and any how, aud
take your friends and children with you.
Breathe fresh air and feel renewed strength In
the woods and pleasant pastures.
This is the voice of Iowa. that was set
tied largely by strict Puritan folk. The
st. Johnsbury. VT. Republican says:
We believe in the Sabbath. We believe in ono
day out of every seven as q day Of rest from
ordinary toll. II Is sacred, not because IL 10
supremely blessed and hai.owed. but because it
subseryes the welfare OF maa. Man was not
made 10 keep the sabbath. the sabbath was made
to keep man--,o keep him in physical health and
soundness and intellectual vigor But the
American sabbath will be aud must Be the ex-
preston OF that other American idea--rersoual
freedom. 1t IL none Of our neighbors business
how We spend Sunday, 80 long we DO not In.
terfere with him. This 10 the only limitation
On the other hand. he u not to interfere with US
Ex-Gov. Long. Of Massachusetts,, in his
address at the recent annual festival of
the Unitarians in Boston, said:
The Worlds fair il the very temple OF the
L9rd. I; Is the product of modern Christianity.
To turn that Worlds fair into solitude aud
oarrenness is Ia desecrate it.
The Rev. Edward L. Hale, in his recent
ly published "Recollections of New Eng
land Boyhood." states that in his youth.
sixty years ago. In the interior OF Massa-
chusetts. the observance of the Sabbath
stopped with sunset. At that hour even
in the house of stiff Calvinistic minister,
the children might play at blind mans
buff eli Sunday evening. Why not? Sun
day afternoon spent in innocent recreation
was Endorsed by Martin Luther and by oil
the great teachers Of Professionalism in
continental Europe.
The practical results of the Sunday omen.
ing Of the fair for three SUNDAYS have
converted many persons originally op-
posed TO Sunday opening, like Rev. John
II. Barrows, of Chicago, to a different
way Of thinking. They see that no hell
yeigns" inside the fair. The visitors have
been quiet. sober folk almost entirely of
the class in whose behalf the opening ha,
been most strongly urged-the people who
hare 10 work hard the other six days o,
the week and can go to the exposition on
Sunday
1t IS matter for rejoicing that the
United States court Of appeals has taken
broad view and reversed the circuit court.
which decided that il would be violation
of contract with tie Federal government
should the Worlds fair he open on Sun.
days. Sunday observance enforced A.
condition Of contract upon the managers
| Of an Illinois corporation would be either
purely secular act coming within the
exercise OF the police force of the state or
| il would be in the nature OF the establish
ment Of q religions Institution. lfit in
| secular act then congress usurped a
power which belongs exclusively to the
states 10 exercise according 10 the term,
| of the fundamental law and its in,erpr.,.-
ton Tor more than century. Congress,
/ would have TO more RICH; TO i'm rose such
a condition on the creation of an nlinoi,
| law than IL would have on tobacco smok.
| Ing in the streets Of Chicago. Ifi.w.,
| imposed as an ordinance o! religions
| character then congress violated the frs,
amendment to the constitution, which
| fofhlis the requirement o. any religion,
Observance whatsoever.
4 proaisitory liquor lsv sends alI the
sa.oons into comparatively irresponsible
/ hands. bat j. does not decrease the con.
~