The Penn's Grove record., 1894-06-29

Ltitute in the place Of it a foreign Sabbath
How do yo1 feel. We who have beer
brought up amid the hills of New England
about giving up the American SABBATH u
who spent you childhood under the shadow
of the Adirondacks or the CAtskills. We whC
were born on the banks of the Savannah Of
Ohio or Oregon. how do you feel about Civ.
Ing up the American Sabbath? You say
eve shall not give it up. We mean to de.
fend it as long as there is left any strength
in our arm or blood In our heart Do mo-
bring your Spanish Sabbath here. Do not
bring your Italian Sabbath here. Do no,
bring your French Sabbath here. Do no
bring your foreign Sabbath here. 1t shall be
for us and for our children forever a
pure, conseerated, Christian, American Sab
bath"
l will make a comparison between the
American Sabbath. as some of ydu have
known it, and the Partisan Sabbath. Tspeak
from observation. On a Sabbath morning |
was aroused in Paris by u great sound in the
street. 1 said, "What is this?" "Oh," they
said. ''this is Sunday" An unusual rattle
Of vehicles OF all sorts. The voices seemei
more boisterous than on other days. People
running to and fro, with baskets or bundles,
TO get to the rail trains or gardens. 1t seemed
rs If all the vehicles in Paris, of whatever
sort, had turned out for the holiday. The
Champs Elysees one great mob OF pleasure
seeking people. Balloons flying. Parrots
chattering. Foothills rolling. Peddlers
hawking their knickknacks through the
streets. Punch and Judy shows in a score OF
places, each one with a shouting audience.
Hand organs, eymbals and every kind OF
racket, musical and unmusica'. When the
evening came down, all the theaters were in
full blaze OF music and full blaze of light.
The wine stores and saloons were thronged
with an unusual number OF customers. At
eventlde l stood and watched the excursion
lists coming home, flag ed out men, women
and children, a gull stream OF fatigue, irrita-
bility and w~retchedness, for I should think
i would take three or four days to get over
that miserable wayof Sundaying. 1t seemed
mora like an American Fourth OF July than
! Christian Sabbath.
Now, in contrast, I present one OF the S ib-
baths in one OF our best American cities.
Holy silence coming down with the day
lawn. Business men more deliberately look
Ing into the faces Of their children AMI talk
ing to them about their present and future
welfare. Men sit longer at the table in the
morning, because the stores are not to he
opened, and the mechanical tools are not to
be taken up. A hymn Is sung. There are
CONGRATULATIONS and good cheer all through
the house. The street silent until 10 O'Clock,
when there is a regular, orderly tramp
ehurchward. Houses OF Col. We peal with
thanksgiving for mercies received, with
prayer for comfort, with charities for the
poor. Rest for the holy. Rest for the soul.
The nerves quoted, this temples cooled, the
mind cleared, the soul strengthened, ami
our entire population turned out on Monday
morning ten years younger. better prepared
for the duties of the life, better prepared for
the life that is to ONE.
Which do you like best-the American
Sabbath or the Partisan Sabbath? Do you
know in what boat the Sabbath came across
the seas AMI landed on our shores? 1t was
in the Mayfower. Do you know in what
boat the Sabbath will leave US, II 1t ever
goes! 1t will be in the ark that floats over u
deiuge OF national destruction.
Still further. l protest againstth invasion
of the Lords day because it wrongs Il vast
multitude of employees Of their rest. The
play actors and actresses can have their rest
between their engagements. but how about
the scena shutters, the ballet dancers, the
,allboys, tho jnnumerGble attendants and
su%pernuneries OF the American theatre?
Where Is their Sunday to come from? They
are paid small salaries Mt the best. Alas.
for them !! They appear on the stage in tinssl
md tassel with halber.s, or in gauze whirl-
ing in toe tortures. and they might be mis-
.aken for fairies or queens, but after O'Clock
At night you may see them trudging through
the streets in faded dresses, shivering AMI
tired, a bundle under their arms, seeking
their homes in the garrets and cellars of the
city, Now. you propose TO take from thou
sands OF these employees throughout this
country not only all opportunity OF moral
culture, but ali opportunity of physical rest.
For heavens sake, let the crushing jugger-
naut stop at least one day in seven.
Again, l oppose this modern invasion OF
the Christian Sabbath because it is n war on
the spiritual welfare OF the people. You
have a body2 Yes. You have a mind? Yes.
You nave a soul? Yes. Which OF the secular
halls on the Sabbath day will give that soul
any culture2 Now, admitting that a man
has a spiritual and immortal nature, which
one OF the places OF amusement will culture
ttf Which one OF the Sabbath performances
will remind men of the fact that unless they
are born again they cannot see the kingdom
Of God2
Will the music OF the "Grand Duchess
help people at last to sing the song of the
one hundred and forty and four thousand?
Besides, II YOU gentlemen OF the secular en-
tertainment have six days in the week in
which to exercise your alleged bnneleial in
Huence, ought you not to allow Christian in
stitutions to nave t~wenty-four hoursr Is it
unreasonable to demand that If you have six
days for the body and intellect we should
have one day at least for our immortal soul?
Or, to put II in another shape, do you really
kQiHk our llD6IlsithJlp oOuh " "OAth u
least one-seyanth as much as our perishable
body?
An artist has three gems-a %cornelian, an
amethyst and a diamond. He has to cut
them and to set them. Which one is he
most particular about? Now, the comedian
Is the body, the amethyst is the intellect, the
diamond Is the soul. For the two former
you propose six days OF opportunity, while
you offer no opportunity at all for the last.
.uhtah Ia In N+al1a ma ann rad with the
others like 800, 900, 600, 900 TO one farthing.
Besides you must not forget that nine-tenths
ave, ninety-nine one-hundredths oil all
the Christian efforts OF this country are put
forth on the Lords day. Sunday is the day
on whicn the asylums and hospitals AMI the
prisons are visited by Christian men. That
Is the day whsn the youth of our country
get their religious Information IN sunday
schools. That is the day when the most OF
the charities are collected. TaGt is the day
when, under the blast of GO,00J American
pulpits, the sin of the Ian is assaulted and
men are su nmoned to repent. When you
make war upon any part OF Gods day, you
make war upon the asyluns. an the panl-
tentarics, TN | the hospitals, amt the reform
associations. and the homes OF the destitute.
and the church of the living God, wAic1 Is
the pillar audthe grounl OF 1.-THE truth.
am opposed to the invasion of the St'-
bAtn hetttllAH IL Is u wal IN Jul Fp'h'NNA ~
stitutions. When the Sabbath goes down,
the republic goes down. Men who are not
willing TO obey Gods law in regard to Sab
bath observance are not TT 10 govern them
selves. Sabbath breaking means dlssolute-
ness. and dissoluteness is Incompatible with
self government. They wanted a republic in
France. Alter awhile they got a republic,
lut one day Napoleon Ill, with his cavalry,
rode through the streets, and down wentthr
republic under the Gathering hoois. They
have q republic there again. but France
never will have a permanent republic until
she quits her roistering Sabbaths and devotes
one day in every week TO the recognition oil
God aud sacred institutions. Abolish the
Sabbath, and you abolish your religious
privileges. Let the bad work go on, and you
have ''the commune" and you have ''the
revolution" and you havet the sun ofnational
prosperity going down in darkness and
blood. From that reign of terror may the
God OF peace deliver as.
Still further, I am opposed to this invasion
OF the Sabbath because it is unfair and it Is
partial. While secular ADJUSTMENTS in diff
ferent cities are allowed to be open on the
Sabbath day, dry goo Is establishments must
be closed, and plumbing establishments, an
the butchers. aui the bakers. and the shoes
makers, AMI the har lwhre stores. Now, tell
me by what law Of Justice you can compel a
man to shut the door of his store while you
keep open tina door OF your worldly estab-