Smyrna times., 1897-04-28
SABBATH OBSERVACE.
Mrs. Adam Stengle Reads an Interesting
Paper Before the Kent County
w. c. T. U.


recent Kent county w. G. T. U. Con
ventiOn held in Cheswold:
Remember the Sabbath day to keel
it holy. Six days shall thou labor anC
do all thy work, but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. II
it thou shall not do any work, thou MOI
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man.
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy
cattle nor the stranger that is within
thy gates. For in six days the Lord
made heaven and earth, the sea and all
that In them is and rested on the sew
enth day wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
As the Sabbath is the most ancient
institution, God says remember it, as
if he said, do not forget that when 1
finished my creation, instituted the
Sabbath, and remember why I
did so, and for what purpose.
The word Sabbath means rest or cessa-
tod from labor, and typifes the crest
which remains for the people of God. &"
God says he has hallOwed it or made it
sacred, therefore it seems fitting, and
proper that it should be set apart for
religious purposes and public religious
worship.
Without this holy day, religion itself
would be a failure, and the human
mind becoming sensualized would soon
forget its origin and destiny. There
IS scarcely a people on the face of the
earth, whether civilized or uncivilized.
that is not agreed as to the propriety
OF having a Sabbath or something
analogous to it. The world has never
been without a Sabbath and we de-
voutly hope and pray that it never will
be. Without it our holy christianity
would soon take its place as a thing of
the past. There must be day ap-
pointed when secular affairs are set
aside, and the mind and heart put in an
attitude for worship. This is essential
to our spiritual development; but apart
from this most important (our spirit
ual natures), the body, or our material
natures needs this day of rest, and
why?
1st, Because it protects both
life and health Scientists tell us that
the average human constitution can
not endure more than twelve years of
incessant toll without a weekly rest
day, yet the toll worn laborer dares
not lose his job, so in the bank of life.
he not only uses the interest, but is
surely and gradually destroying the
principal.
Secondly-It gaurds the hoae. The
street car driver, the railroad conduc-
tor, the operator, and all those who
toll Sunday as well as week days, has
40 time for his family, and is almost a
stranger to his wife and children, and
hey are denied the humanizing and
elevating influence of home-life, and
'he cOmpaniOnship of those they love.
ITO the wage worker the Sabbath
lays rest gives an Independent se. and
'elf-respect, as almost nothing else can.
ro be for one whole day per week, out
rom under control, ones own master.
md the equal of his employer, is an
excellent tonic for true manhood"
Thlrdly-It is an economic measure.
FOR as John Stuart Mill shows and ex-
'erlence teaches, (thOugh workingmen
re sometimes slow to see it,, he who
works seven days per week does so in
he long run for six days wages and
intits himself ere long for even doing
IL full days work in seven days.
SHORTENING PERIODS OF LABOR.
Much is said in favor of an eight hour
lw, but a six day law, we'll enforced.
'ould reduce the output of goods and
lcrease wages, far more than to give
lore leisure independence.
A well kept Sabbath gives every man
chance, and as the world at large will
OF heed the divine law, then let there
State and National laws for the pro-
er observance of this day. You tell
le we have laws, and these are good
nough. Then what is the trouble?
Is the fact that these laws, like many
Tiers are not enforced, and the lax !
ess, nay more than open violation of
lese laws can be traced to our Legis-
We bodys themselves, and 1 will give ,
on very recent example.
Just few weeks ago, in this year of {
1r Lord 1897, the United States !;
enate met in regular session for the !
of secular business on the
abbath day, which business could
ave been transacted previusosly, had
Ot so much precious time been wasted. :
A burning shame and these our tam !
GkerS, and while the act was con- c
emned by member of our Christian :
nominations, more ought to have c
cen said, to make it as uncomfortable :
possible for these latO breakers. if !;
Othlng more. But our laws ought
Id can be enforced, and this has been 7
smonstrated, by the Hon. Theodore =
oosevelt of New York. The possibil- =
y OF securing the strictest enforce =
ent of Legislative enactments against !,
le PROCLAMATION of the Sabbath in that =
'eat Metropolis. And may the police !,
hclals OF other cities be profited bv :
s illustriOus example. 1 read some :,
me ago, that National Sunday Rest y
W, IN the interest of working men, :"
ID woman, though asked for by ten A
llllon petitioners was not granted. i
'cause not approved by the liquor >,
'wer, and the enemies of the Sabbath. =,
will name a few of the evils, if Won
III permit me, that are at work to un- !,
rmlne this sacred day of rest. First \
all, we have the saloon the most T,
gantic of all evils and 1 know no bet n
description than that given by the a
ophet in the book of Daniel, in the Ii
venth chapter, of the various beasts Ia
lich he saw in his vision, He tellg n,
OF one particular beast, (which was s.
eadful and terrible, and strong ex- $,
edingly, and it had great iron teeth: s.
devOurad and broLa =, -: q,