San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-06-29
TIE Daily tiaGt
TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1897.
THE HARDEST DAY.

THE HARDEST DAY.
Sunday, "the Day of Rest" and Its
Labors.
It would not be difficult for great
many mothers to name the hard
est working day of the week, though
the admission might be shock to many
sincere Christians. 1t is not on blue
Monday or on Saturday, the scrub day
of the week, but on Sunday, the day OF
rest, that great many good, conscl-
entious women are compelled to work
the hardest. This day is regarded as
half-holiday at least, by help, and there
sre very few maids who are ready to
earn this rest by preparing the neces-
sary meals the day before. AS a rule
Sunday calls for much more elaborate
table than any other day in the week,
and this extra work must be done for
ut least half the day in families without
the assistance of servant.
The excuse for the lavish feasting OF
this day usually is that this is the only
day of the week when the goodman OF
the house can enjoy dinner, or in some
cases even meal, at home with all the
family. His breakfast is often a hur-
ried one early in the morning, when the
children are still asleep. If he is man
of business he is not often at home atthe
midday meal, but away at his Office in
a distant town. If he is farmer he
quite frequently dimes with his men,
and the children during the week eat
their dinner at far-away schoolhouse,
except on Saturday. The afternoon
supper is likely to be the only meal on
ordinary days when the family all meet
together around the board. There is
certainly temptation to make Sunday
a festival. Yet when the tired house
mother reflects that rest day is or
dered for her, as well as for the rest of
her family, she ought to forego this
temptation to sacrifice herself in this
way. The most contemptuous disbe-
levers acknowledge that the command
ment which orders rest day in seven
is one of the oldest ordinances of civ
ilization and that it cannot be violated
without endaugering the physical we'll
being of the person who violates it. The
experiment has been frequently tried
by scoffers. Men cannot work contin-
ually at anything without rest at least
once in seven days. The only person
who attempts this in an enlightened age
is the house-mother, the variety of
whose tasks make it possible for her to
bear for time the strain of her con-
Ie ca, N 81 a
so often breaks down early from nerv-
GUS exhaustion-a wreck when she
should be in the vigor of middle life?
She has been deprived of the seventh
day rest demanded alike by religion and
science.
Gladstone, the great prime minister,
In recent interview, attributes his hale
old age to his scrupulous observance OF
Sunday as rest day. While lesser
statesmen allowed the cares of their of.
fee to trespass upon the day, of rest
the greatest of them all found time tc
devote Sunday to regular attendance al
worship and TO complete rest from all
cares of state. It's good hygienic rule
for nervous women or anyone 10 follow
OO uOb lHdhc OuIudy lcdS1 Guy yOl
cannot afford to put such tax upor
your health. Let all the work that cal
be done toward the meals be done tn,
day before. Reduce the work of Sunda,
TO minimum, even IL you follow tn.
old Puritan practice and dine on COLI
meat. Do not delay the bathing ant
preparation of the children's clothe
for Sunday-school until Sunday morn
ing. Do everything you can do the da;
before. Let simple dinner be serve
after morning church and let that b
the last formal. meal of the day. Tn
children and all the family will be justa
well and happy schenectady if they hav
only bread-and-milk supper that the
get for themselves at night. This SUI
per will give the house-mother chanc
for long rest Sunday afternoon, an
this rest systematically taken win nd
happy, useful years to her life.-N.
Tribune.