The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-12-01
THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER. "

DURHAM, \. G., Nov. 30.
TO the Editor:
| notice in recent number of the
News and Observer that the Virginia
Conference has been, to use a slang
phrase, Sitting down upon" the Sun
day newspaper. / do trust that the
Southern Methodist Church will keep
itself free from the so-called reforms
that have swept New England's exter-
nal observance of religion, until the
jewel OF the Christly mind has been
well nigh lost amongst the rubbish,
Puritanism fingers yet in the church
es, and finds it's incentive to what it
calls religious activity in the neces-
sity for compelling everybody else to
do and believe as it dictates. 1t is as
deceptive to the personal conscience
as it is foolish in it's efforts to force
compliance with it's hypocriticai and
ignorant dictum.
The poor woman, who said she
would ''as soon send her boy to hell as
to Yale College" is an example Of the
degenerating influence of Puritanism
upon the character born of the spirit
of Christ.
No amount of force could induce me
to let go my belief in the proper OBJ
servance of the Christian Sabbath, but
not the Jewish Sabbath. Mr.. Proctor,
the English astronomer and infidel,
argued against the Sabbath, and he
brought every argument possible to
bear against it; but he fought only a
man OF straw, for he was battling
only against the Jewish and Puritan
Sabbath. If he had known the New
Testament and the religion it teaches,
he would have heard Christ say, The
Sabbath was made for man, and not
man for the Sabbath" In other
words, the Sabbath is not juggernaut
machine, which, when men see, they
are to be torn and manglel by it; but
day of rest and recreation to soul and
body-a joyful day-a day for
thought and obtaining knowledge
and a day for acquiring spiritual
benefit mind and body. 1t is a day for
strength, and for whatsoever else will
meet and supply the necessities
Of human being, and that may be
done, and ought to be done, which re-
ally blesses and helps the individual.
TO this end Christ and His disciples
pulled and ate the corn on the Sabbath
day, which was directly contrary to
the laws OF Jewish observance.
Much war has been made upon what
is called the Sunday newspaper
know something Of the work III q print
nag Office, and / know that the work
on Sundays issue is all done on Satur-
day and Saturday night. And whore
there is no Monday morning issue, 10
work is done in the office on Sunday.
But it is said that Christians read the
Sunday paper and are untitled for
hearing the Gospel preached. The
Lord pity such weaklings! and He Will,
But how are they unlitteoR 1t seems
10 me that reading OF the sins and sor-
rows of the world would only make a
Christian the more glad to hasten to
the house of God and hear of the great
remedy~th balm of Gilead-the anti
dote for sin and death. Of course this
goes upon the presumption that the
Gospel is preached. and not politics
and foolishness. And if the preacher
does not or cannot present something
from the pulpit as a message from
God that shall interest the nearer and
benefit him, then it is the preachers
fault and not the newspapers. i am
free to say that some things 90 into the
newspaper on Sunday that ought to
be left out; but as general thing our
newspapers are free from this fault.
And have gotten many fine thought,
both for meditation and preaching,