The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-07-11

mora OF them the better we like it. But lei
not the lawless come from other shores ex'
pecting to break down our Sabbath and in.
! stitute in the place Of it Il foreign Sabbath
How do you feel. ye who have been
| brought up amid the hills Of New England
about giving up the American Sabbath? Ye
who snent your childhood under the shadow
OF the Adirondacks or the Catskills, ye who
we're born on the banks of the Savannah or
Ohio or Oregon. how do you feel about Civ
ing up the American Sabbath? You say
"We shall not give it up. We mean to de-
fend it as long as there is left anv 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. It Shall be
for US and for our children forever a
pure. consecrated, Christian, American Sab
BATH"
will make comparison between the
American Sabbath. as some OF you have
known it, and the Partisan Sabbath. Ispeak
from observation. On Sabbath morning
was aroused in Paris by great sound in the
street. said. "What is this?:' "Oh," they
said. ''this is Sunday" An unusual rattle
OF vehicles Of all sorts. The voices seemed
more bo:sterous than on other days. People
running to and fro with baskets o. bundles.
to get to the rail trans or gardens. It seemed
as il 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. Footballs rolling. Peddlers
hawking their knickknacks through the
streets. Punch and Judy shows in score OF
places. each one with a shouting audience.
Hand organs, cymbals and every kind OF
racket. musical and unmusica!. Wnen 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
eventide stood and watched the excursion
lists coming home, tagged out men, women
and children, gulf stream OF fatigue. irrita-
bility and wretchedness, for should think
1t would take three or four days to get over
that miserable way OF Sundaying. 1t seemed
more like an American Fourth OF july than
q Christian Sabbath.
Now, in contrast. present one Of the Sab
baths in one of our best American cities.
Holy silence coming down with the day
dawn. Business men more deliberately look
ing into the faces OF their children and talk
ing to them about their present and future
welfare. Men sit longer at the table in the
morning, because the stores ara not to be
opened. and the mechanical tools are not to
be taken up. hymn is sung. There are
congratulations and good cheer all through
the house. The street silent until 10 o'clock.
when there is regular, orderly tramp
churshward. Houses OF Col. vocal WITH
thanksgiving for mercies received. with
PRAYER for comfort, with charities FOR the
poor Rest for the holy. Rest for the soul.
The nerves quieted, ths temples cooe1, the
mind cleared, the soul strengthened. aui
our entire population turned out on Monday
morning ten years younger. better pr7parsd
for the duties OF the life, better prepared for
the life that Is to come.
Which do you like best-the American
Sabbath or the Partisan Sabbath? Do you
know in what boat the Sabbath came across
the seas and landed on our shores? It was
in the Mayhower. Do you know in what
boat the Sabbath will leave u, II It ever
goes! It will he in the ark that floats over
deluge of national destruction.
Still further, protest against the invasion
of the Lords day because It wrongs vast
multitude Of employees OF their rest. The
play actors and actresses can have their rest
between their engagements. but how about
the scene shifters. the baller dancers, the
cali5oys, the innumerable attendants and
supernuneries OF the American theatre?
Where Is their Sun lay to come from? They
are paid small salaries at the best. Alas.
for them They appear on the stage In tinsel
and tassel with halber. Is, or in gauze whirl-
ing in toe tortures. and they might be mis-
taken for fairies or queens. but after o clock
at night you may see them trudging through
the streets in fadei dresses, shivering and
tired, 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 tnls
country not only all opportunity OF moral
h,,t all n n
For heavens sake, let the crustihS IuSSer-
naut stop at least one day in seven.
Again, oppose this modern invasion OF
the Christian Sabbath because it is war on
the spiritual welfare of the people. You
have body? Yes. You have a mind? Yes.
You have soul? Yes. Which OF the secular
halls on the Sabbath day will give that soul
any culture? Now, admitting that man
has a spiritual and immortal nature, which
one OF ths places Of amusement will culture
ii? Which one Of the Sabbath performances
will reminl men of the fact that unless they
are born again they cannot see the kingdom
Of God?
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, if you gentlemen OF the secular en-
tertainment have six days in the week in
which to exercise your alleged beneficial in
fuence, ought you not to allow Christian in
stitutions to have twenty-four hours? Is it
unreasonable to demand that II you have six
days for the body and intellect we should
have one day at least for our immortal soul?
Or. to put it in another shape, do you really
think our imperishable soul Is worth at
least one-seventh as much as our perishable
body?
An artist has three gems corn slian, an
amethyst and q diamond. He has to cut
them and to set them. Which one is he
most particular about? Now. the corne'ias
Is the boty, 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.
which is in value as compared with the
others like 800, 900, 900, 900 to one farthiog
Besides you must not forget that nins-tenths
aye, ninety-nine one-hun1reitts-of all
the Christian efforts Of this country are put
forth on the Lords day. Sunday Is the day
on which the asylums and hospitals an ths
prisons are visited by Christian men. Tlat
Is the day when the youth Of our country
get their religious inform ltion in SUNDAY
schools. That Is the day when ths most OF
the charities are collected. That is the day
when, under the blast Of $4,000 American
pulpits, the sin OF the lani Is assaulted and
men are summoned to repent. Waen you
make war upon any part OF GO rs day, you
make war upon the asyIuns, AMI the psni-
tentaries, AMI the hospitals, and the reform