The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-06
A PLEA FOR TIE AMERICAN SUNDAY
Rev. Dwight GalIoupe at st. Luke's
Cathedral.

Rev. Dwaght Gallonpe at st. Luke's
Cathedral.
Kew. Mr.. Galloupe made plea for the
American Sunday at ST. Luke's yester-
day. The text was from Romans XIV,
8: Zone man esteemeth one day above
another. another esteemeth every day
alike. Let every man be fully persuaded
in his own mind.'
1t Is always allowable in warfare when
a'canRon is captured 60 face it about and
uso it against the enemy. The words just
read constitute one of the great Scrip
tural guns used by those who would
abrcgate the reverent observance of
Sunday. Let US face this polemioal gun
about and see if IL will not destroy the
very logic it seems to support.
Paul was addressing Jewish converts
VINO were hesItatlng about giving up the
Seventh Day" for the Christian Sun
day.
The APOSTLE spoke with his usual
Liberal Catholiclty. He says there is I'M
der the law Of Christ, no vital principle
involved between the relative merits of
these two days. He does not force the
Jewish conyerts-he leaves them to out
grow their obsolete traditions, which
they did before the close Of the first GEN.
tngy.
Now for glance at the words them
selves. 1t is we'll to bear in mind that
she Bible WAS not written in the English
language OF in the year 1896. The
scholars who in King James day trans
lated the Bible often put in the English
words which were not in the original
Greek or Hebrew. This fact accounts for
many false 81 stems Of theology and in
nt,er Of iptr1 npn
text is a case in point. In the English
it may seem to support the view of those
who could abroga5e Sunday. In the
original Greek it means precisely the
opposite Note two facts. a. The word
translated esteemeth" means rather to
the Greek, 1T was arbitrarily put in by
the translators. What st. Paul really
said was this Zone man hallows one
day, another hallows all days. Let each.
in his own mind, be fully assured" We
are bound to observe one sacred day, or
Sunday, out of seven. II any one wishes
to ballow all days as sacred it isl his
privilege. The observance of sacred
days goes back as far as history, just in
proportion as nations have been religious
they have made for all that Ia tue
civilization. The Ansglo-Saxon race
! stands first today among peoples. And
its Observance of Sunday is the wonder
Of the world. The true American is
Anglo-Saxon in his traditions. The very
names of our old states shows this. In
language law and religion we are
Anglo-Saxon. The reverence we have for
Sunday is so deeply grounded that by
common law deed or contract given on
Sunday is invalid. From the beginning
of our English race these Sundays have
been steps in
''The great worlds altar stairs
That slope through darkness mp to God. "
Sut of laUe we have been hearing
new gospel concerning Sunday. 1t has
twenty-five years the United States has
received enormous tides of immigration.
We have welcomed all with our proven
btal cordially. We have given all an
equal chance to make an honest living.
But OF late certain foreign elements have
demanded more than this. We are told
that many of our customs are narrow
| anu obsolete, and that we must give
them up for customs imported from
| across the sea. Especially do they object
to our reverent observance of Sunday.
We are told that we must adopt the
Partisan and Befliness Sunday, the day
| OF vulgar raVelry.
| The time has come TO face the issue
squarely, to ask the question: Whose
country is this? Is It to be America or
somsShing else? Who were these en-
battled farmers at Lexington who fred
the shot that was heard round the world,
who hallowed these New England hills
with their blood? What does this great
American festival we celebrated but
Saturday meanp Are we indeed free
men, or ara we bondmen Of those who
throng our shores and dictate our
, customs? The time has come for those of
other lands and habits, of other religions
and no religions, to understand clearly
that while We welcome them to our
shores, to assimilation iu our national
| life, America is for Americans. Our
ports are open to all alike, but let every
| foreigner remember that these are our
blood bought shores, not his. and ne
must be ruled by our customs not we by
| his.
The American Sunday is an American
institution. II we yield this, that for
which the Fourth of July" stands
must soon follow. We want no entering
wedges. 1t is just az iIupertinent for the
foreigner TO demand that We exchange
our Sunday for tho Continental day of
| rsvelry, as it would be to demand that
we give up the language of the Declara-
tion Of Independence for the "patols" of
Italy, or our marriage institutions for
those of the unspeakable Turk.
It is q remarkable fact that multitudes
Of the best citizens in France, Germany
and Switzerland are just now forming
organizations for the purpose of Danish
ing the Continental Sunday and restor-
ing the Christian day OF rest and wor-
ship. They have discovered that in re-
moving the saoredness of sunday they
have only enslaved the working man
more bitterly, the very one for whom the
benfits of the Continental Sunday were
claimed.
Since the law no longer guards the day
from labor neither does the corporation
and contractor. The result is the labor
ing man in Paris works seven days in
stead of six. Men may talk in howeIy
grand eloouenoe about making all days
holy to localized humanity, and none to
God; but the outcome In day which
knows no regard for God or man, life or
property, law or liberty.
Go back only to 1888 and behold
Francei God taught the world n lesson
by that bloody nightmare Of history which
we call the French Revolution. Shall we