The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-11

+ The sunday Observance Question.
. Ta. saraou r~rarh.i last Sunday nl
P thc Rey Char.s ~. Strong. r,rtor of So.
T tchr's ,hurul on SUNDAY observance. has
/ beou The subject of % great deal of oou-
mcni m this con muui'v The NolsING
NEW. has printed @ number Of communi-
cltiaus commenting upon il, some con
demuinE IL and other, approviugit The
i,cv Mir. Strong is well known as "a man
who has the courage 10 express his con
vic.ious. What he believes h2 breaches.
and one Of the reasons for his popularity
with his congregation is his frankness
ina dealing with moral and religious ques-
tions concerning which there are differ
ences of opinion.
Those who differ with the Rev. Mr..
Strong's views relative to the proper OBJ
servauce of Sunday are undoubtedly sin
cere. They believe that the cause of re-
Hgion is advanced by strict observance
Of the Gay, and, hence, they view with
regret and alarm the efforts in the direc-
zion Of a freer Sunday To them the pur-
suit Of any week day occupation on Sun
day that is not absolutely necessary has
the effect Of gradually breaking down Of
the barriers which distinguish Sundays
from other days, and of lesseuing the re
spect for religion.
But in discussing the Sunday observ-
ance question it should be kept in mind
that those who favor freer Sunday are
fully as sincere as those who adhere to a
strict observance of the day. Greater
freedom, it is argued and believed, will
be productive of good results-that limo
cent pleasures and privileges have bene-
fetal effect
But who is to draw the line between
pleasures and privileges which should be
permitted on Sundays and those which
should be forbiddenl There are certain
things which all agree should be prohib-
tied because they are productive of evil,
but there are many other things from
which innocent pleasure and happiness
are obtained, concerning which there is a
difference of opinion among thor
oughly conscientious people who
have great regard for Sunday
For instance, there are people who think
it wrong to ride on street cars on Sunday
or to read a newspaper Others whose
respect for Sunday cannot be questioned
do not feel that it is wrong to read a news
paper, ride in the street cars or buy a
glass of soda water.
A freer Sunday does not mean less re-
spect for Sunday. 1t only means that
ideas as to the way Sunday should be
observed and what is permissible on Sun
day without detracting from the relig-
ious character of the day, are undergoing
a change. People are not less religious
because they do things on Sunday that
were not done fifty years ago. The world
has changed greatly in that time, and
views in regard to the proper way to OBJ
serve Sunday have changed also.
Innocent Observation-Disclosures that rest
the body and fill the mind with pure
thoughts-and privileges that add to the
happiness of people, and do not tend to
to make them irreligious or immoral or
lessen their respect for Sunday should
be permitted Restraints that seem un-
reasonable make men rebellious. They
drive them away from religion instead of
drawing them to it.
In deciding what things are proper to
be done on Sunday there is room for the
exercise of a great deal of tolerance. The
aim should be to have the day so observed
that people feel they are better ply
sically- morally and spiritually when it is
ended than when it began. 1t does not
make much difference how that object is
attained.