Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-06-28

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because they would not work while thoy
were in port on tho Lords day. Tho cap
| tain wont out to get sailors. He found
one man, and he said to him, Twill you
serve me on the Sabbath" "No." "Why
not?" "Wcll, " replied the old sailor, "a
man who will rob God Almighty of his
! Sabbath would rob mo of my wages II he
| got a chance. y
Suppose you were poor, and you came to
n dry goods merchant and asked him for
some cloth for garments, and he should
say, I'm give you six yards and whilo
| he was off from the counter binding up tho
six yards you should go behind the coun-
ter and steal one additional yard. That
| is what every man docs when he breaks
the Lords sabbath. God gives us six days
out of seven, rescrving one for himself,
and If you will not let him have it it is
mean beyond all computation.
Again, | am opposed to this dissertation
Of the Sabbath by secular entertainments
because it is a war on the statutes of most
of the states. The law in New York state
says:
1T shall not be lawful ocxhibit on the
first day of the week. commonly called
Sunday, to the public, in any building,
garden grounds. concert room or other
room or place within the city and county
of New York any intcrludo, tragedy,
| comedy, opera, ballet, play, farce negro
minstrclsY, negro or other dancing, or any
| other entertainment of the stage. or any
part or parts therein, or any equestrian,
circus or dramatic performance, or any
performance of jugglers, acrobats or rope
dancing"
Was there over a palmer enactment than
that? Who made the law You who at
the ballot boxes decided who should go to
Albany and sit in the legislature; you
who in any region exercise the right of
suffrage. They made the law for you and
for your families, ana now l say that any
man who attempts to override that law in
suits you and mo and every man who has
the right of suffrage.
Foreign Invasion.
Still further, protest against the inva-
sion of the sabbath because it is foreign
war Now, if you heard at this moment
the booming of gun in the harbor or if
a shell from some foreign frigate should
drop into your street, would you keep your
seats in church, You would want to face
the foe, and every gun that could be man
aged would be brought into use and every
ship that could be brought out of the navy
yard would swing from her anchorage,
and tho question would be decided. You
do not want q foreign war; and yet l have
TO tell you that this invasion of Gods holy
day is a foreign war
AS among our own native born popula-
ton there are two classes-thc good and
the bad-so it is with the people who
come from other shores-there are the
law abiding and the lawless The former
are welcome here. The moro Of them the
better we like it. But let not the lawless
come from other shores expecting to break
down our Sabbath and institute in the
place Of it foreign Sabbath.
How do you feel, ye who have been
brought up amid the hills of New Eng
land, about giving up the American Sab
bath; ye who spent your childhood under
the shadow Of the Adirondacbs or the Cats
kills; yo who were born on the banks OF
the Savannah or Ohio or Oregon, how dc
you feel about giving up the American
Sabbath? You say: I'VE shall not give IT
up. We mean to defend it as long as there
Is left any strength in our arm or blood
in our heart! Do not bring your Spanish
Sabbath here. Do not bring your Italian
Sabbath here. Do not bring your French
Sabbath here. Do not bring your foreign
Sabbath here 1t shall be for US and oul
children forever pure, consecrated, Chris
tan, American Sabbath"
Contrasts-
will make comparison between the
American Sabbath as some of you have
known it, and the Partisan Sabbath.
speak from observation. On n Sabbath
morning was aroused In Paris by a great
sound in the street. / said, What is thisf'
oh" they said this is Sunday" Al
unusual rattle Of vehicles of all sorts TIL,
voices seemed more boisterous than OF
other days. People running to and fro
with baskets or bundles, TO get to the raj
trains or gardens. 1t seemed as If all tn
vehicles in Paris, of whatever sort, hat
turned out for the holiday. The Champs
Elysecs one great mob of pleasure seek
ing people Balloons flying. Parrots chat
tcring. Footballs rolling. Peddlcrs hawk
ing their knickknacks through TIT
streets. Punch and Judy shows in a scor
of places, each one with a shouting audi
ence. Hand organs, cymbals and ever.
kind of racket, musical and unmusical.
When the evening came down, all tn
, thcaters were in full blaze of music an,
full blaze Of light. The wine stores anC
saloons were throngcd with an unusua
number of customers. AT eventide
stood and watched the excursionists com
ing home, tagged out men, women anC
children, gun stream or fatigue, lrrlta
= bility and wretchedncss, for should thinl
it would take three or four days to &c
= over that miserable way of Sundaying. l
} seemed more like an American Fourth 0
? July than Christian Sabbath.
Now, in contrast, I present one of tn
> Sabbuths in one of our best America!
l cities. Holy silence coming down wit
the day dawn. Business men moro delhi
| erately looking into the faces of their chill
0 dren and talking to them about their pres
= ent and future welfare. Men sit longer a
e the table in the morning because tn
G stores are not to be opened, and the me
chanical tools are not to be taken up. !
= hymn is sung There are congratulation
c and good cheer all through the house
t The street silent until 10 O'clock whe
there is regular, orderly tramp church
0 ward. Houses of God, vocal with thanks
1 giving for mercies received with prayer
D for comfort, with charities for the poor
Rest for the body. Rest for the soul Tn
5 nerves quoted, the temples cooled, tn
c mind cleared, the soul strengthened an