The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-30
HOLY DAY, HOLIDAY.
The Rev. Dr.. Mitchell's tx.
cellent Sermon on Sab
bath Dissertation.
WIcREDNFSS UNl0uBTEDLYGROWIu
Lawyer Frank Moss Rehearses the
Story Of the Parkhurst
Campaign.

Rev. DR.. David Mitchell, pastor of the
Scotch Presbyterian Church. on Mer-
Ger street. for a number of years,
preached a very interesting sermon to a
large congregation last evening in the
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Sum-
nit avenue. He took for his theme
'Sunday-Holiday or Holy Day-Which?'
His text was from st. Mark, 2-27. 2S.
The Sabbath Was Made for Man, and
Not Man for the Sabbath, Therefore The
Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
DR.. Mitchell began his discourse by
referring to the Jews, who, he said,
a not yet come to accept of the Mes
siah and of course was bound on the
grounds of patriotism to maintain the
seventh day observance.
In the course of his remarks he said
W wish. to speak briefly of the ten
dency to make our Lords sentence read
Man was made for Sabbath. and not
Sabbath for man. What would that
mean? 1t would signify that man can do
just as he pleases on Sabbath, or on the
Lords Day-or Sunday as they prefer
to call it. 1t is my weekly holiday and
l can do with it what seems to me best.
l do not know why holy day has
become holiday, unless it is by rea-
son of the claim made by many
to spend the day as they choose.
The word thus spelt = holiday =
seems to fit in with this dea-although
we cannot see it is different from holy
day. except in sound. The words are the
same. We have. however, to do with this
assertion OF right to use the day accord
ing to caprice. In our view the pIeya-
rent hon-opservance of Sabbath as a time
Tor rest and worship is alarming. We
nave 10 acknowledge. while mourning
what may be called seeuiarisation Of
the day, or departure from as proper
purposes.
CHUkCH EMPTY, BEACH CROWDED.
what a small number. relatively,
n are attending the churches, Com
trast with tnis the unrongs noeking 70
tne piers on our hot Sundays and crowd
ing steam vessels which ply to the diff
ferent places along our sea coasts and
o fale; our rivers; We know well is
Coney Island or Rockaway, for example,
All the saloons are doing a rushing bust
mes =, rry-go.roun and every other
vast business for the sale OF every
imaginable thing is being carried on. OF
course, the less objectionable recreation
immense extent. The results we feel
certain are not satisfactory even to such
as behave well. They are often DELAYED
IN / Their return to the city. The boats
satfon for the most part is about the
days experience or other subjects of a
compelled to witness scenes which are
far from edifying. When they reach
home they are weary and worn, and on
Monday feel in anything but good con-
d1tion for resuming their work.
But what shall we say. of the drunk
enness which n1anifests itself, of the
o 81 sins sT Y IS q sad 9f t the sweet Mond Snd s toll
the multitude of pleasure-seekers in no
fit shape for the tolls of the week, and
the debauch is too frequently continued.
What do we witness in our city life? Is
it not the claim of man being made for
the Sabbath showing itself in countless
forms of pleasure seeking. Our cars are
pie. are determined to enjoy themselves,
and every conceivable conveyance is in
demand. They are rushing from the
air. as they say. But the saloon again
is the popular resort, and we know the
results The travellers jostle and sell
are Continual confusion and wars Of
words and disturbance.
EXHAUSTED PLEASURE SEEKERS.
from Rsn rested sne at }}hsee ee close w0G Ct the Guf' da asf
Is this the best way of spending Sab
bath as preparation for the weeks re-
playing baseball, running races on the
exercise. They say they are doing #
" n III CtilOyf II Out-QOOI
exercise they are denied during the week.
There is no secret about ~side-doors by
which to enter saloons in this and many
done. We have no knowledge of the
actual number resorting to these for
drink and amusement, but it must be
'"The question is being agitated what
to do with the saloon. Shall we allow
t tain to hours Ds ope II # fhe n da apPdo Wei dipfi If f els
means that large masses of people are
resolved to make what use Of the Sab
and theirs to do with as they will. But
we maintai q i is not their day in that
He would have If. We W IT largely
to our churches that we have such a
period.
"But what, let ME ask, is to be ex-
pected from turning the day into one of
pleasure? The results of this are before
our eyes. What a vast number forced to
demand for enjoyment You cannot sail
these steam vessels, you cannot rum these
cars, without compelling others to work.
Sabbath made, and the mass who have
to toll to satisfy h general desire for
~sensucrs, if not sensual, qualification.
ter. It is not only New York and neigh
boring cities upon which our eye is set,
but behold how this. pleasure seeking
covers tine entire land. Considering the
saloons and places of amusement open
ON the Lords day. the actual number
laboring must be indeed great. We must
remember this evil thus appears at the
present moment in spite of the continual
efforts of the Church and State to pre-
serve the day Of rest.
What would it be if there was mo
restriction whatever and those who run
theatres, concert rooms and various
places of resort were allowed to do as
they list? The w~iekedness is undoubt-
eddy growing in this very direction. Al
tempts to throw the doors of these places
wide open on Sabbath have been made
again and again. BY ard by. if such en-
csoach1nents are permitted, we will have
our New England Sabbath turned into A
Sunday as it is tn Frarpch
PLEA FOR NEW ENGLAND SAB
BATH.
God forbid we say, for what does this
mean?. 1t signifies the obliteration of
distinction between Sunday and Satur-
day.. 1t means open stores on Sundays-
the carrying on of all kinds of business.
until we have the, two c1asses-the one,
the pleasure seekers, compelling fellow
men and women to toll on the holy day,
those obliged to go through a perpetual,
unbrokep cycle Of labor durnig all the
seven lays of the week. That means
the haliowed day becoming one of in
temperance on a vast scale. of unbrfdled
lust, Of servile work for the multitude.
And do you think that men will ever
concede to giving a holiday now and
again as a substitute for the loss of
Sunday, or so arrange the time of SER
vice as to make work on this day only
occasional? That is not our experience,