The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-03

| nous and tiresome, and, except with some
| rare minds. is soon given mp.
''Ihcn there Is the every day Sunday
| theory; that there l. no use in having any
| special observance, 80 every day one should
| try 10 be- as spiritually minded as possible.
and therefore one should do on Sunday about
| whnt one does every day Of the week: that
| is, one should bo so patriotic every day as 60
| need no Fourth of July or Decoration day, so
| thankful all the time as 90 need no Thanks
| giving, so prayorful every hour as TO need no
time set apart for prayer.
Amidst all this contradiction Of theory
and practice, what is the guiding principle ?
10 seems 20 me 20 be this: To use the day as
ono Of opportunity for the spiritual growth,
| for knowing God. for being with Christ and
with our family, childron and fellow man in
the spirit Of Christ IN opportunity To enrich
the spiritual faculties and tho ETHEREAL side
OF the mind; opportunity to get above the
cares OF lifa and soc them in their true rea-
tions and proper perspective, as to under
take them hereafter with more masterful
spirit; 10 give the true value 20 things which,
rs Emerson says. are so prone TO mount the
saddle and ride us, and 20 rise superior TO
thom. while not ignoring their minor import
ance; to use the day rs an opportunity to
know our children to the very bottom of
their souls, and to gain their spiritual conf
donce. With this guiding principle, how do
all the questions vanish away of Is this
wrongP Can l do that Is there any
harm in another occupation 1t Is no longer
a question of whether this Of itself is wrong
or not, but whether il prevents or interferes
with the spiritual use OF the day.
"A man goes to see the Columbian Expo.
sition at Chicago with only one week to
spare, and when he gets TO Chicago he spends
every day in playing baseball at the West
Side, and never sees the fairy city He then
goes home and asks, is there any harm in
playing baseball? Surely there is no harm
in playing baseball in and Of itself. He has
only lost the greatest opportunity Of his life.
He has only failed 70 see the inspiring sight
of that marvellous dream of architects artists
and poets. That Is ALL SO many persons
asking, is II wrong to do thisi' and What is
the harm OF doing that 2 on Sunday, lose the
great opportunity Of spiritual growth. The
soul is starving meanwhile. and as Sunday is
added to Sunday and years of Sundays 10
years of them, the lost opportunities are ac-
cumulating and that part of our nature
which must grow either smaller or larger and
never can keep the same, is dwindling, .till
at last it's owner can no longer see it and
comes to doubt its existence.
with this larger opportunity comes greater
responsibility. II Is very easy to observe a
set of rules but IL is not always SO easy to
keep the feeling.of the great opportunity ever
present and to use ii as touchstone TO all
our acts, yet with the responsibility comes the
higher benefit. One may keep the most strict
rules of Sabbath observance, and yet the soul
may starve on its sawdust food, while lot
the spirit Of the.splendid opportunity seize
one, and. whether the day be observed
strictly or with more liberty, il can never be
n dull, tiresome or improbable day. 1t can
never be a doy of perfunctory duties nor of
careless disregard. IL will be filled with
ioyousness, with feeling of purpose full
filed, with the hope inspired by some real
progress.
"As to carrying out this principle in prac-
tite have no rules TO lay down. Let each
man conventionslly and intelligently settle
what is the best way, with all his circum-
stances and wants in which to use his high
privilege. and once deciding let him use it
fearlessly, but in deciding let him have
proper regard for the opportunity of his
neighbors for that cannot be a true spiritual
use of an opportunity which deprives our
neighbor of his opportunity, and the word
neighbor includes servants or the servants of
others with whom we have to deal.
"Stll, though not laying down any hard
and fast rules, for most people church going
will be the important occupation of the day
While sympathize with those who have a
dull minister at their church, believe no
one can 60 through the services even in those
denominations where the dull pastor is the
author of prayers as well as sermon, and go
through il in the spirit of using the day as
one of high opportunity, without getting
some real, downright good out.of it. Sunday
is time for some quiet thought, like that of
the Quaker meeting. 1t gives chance to
think over ones life and to question all his
ways OF business during the week in the light
Of the spirit Some good soulinspiring read
ing Of biography, poetry or other literature Is
great help, but avoid religious controver-
sizes, and. above all, those within our own
church, unless you have bishops responsi-
bility and can't avoid 1t. Then there is the
quiet half hour with the children, perhaps
only one at time each Sunday. for the more
serious talks and finally the Sunday music.
Just where to draw the line in literature and
music is impossible to say, except If one asks
ones sslf with sincere purpose, Is this
making n HODu use Oh my opportunity Ho
will not go sstray, and even the book or music
undertaken in the spirit Of true answer to
this will be far better for the spiritual growth
than the same book or music as a compromise
between Sunday and Monday. There are ex-
ceptional C ses whore ono deprived OF the
chance for recreation or physical exercise dur
ing the week may properly go farther IN
taking these on Sunday than most Of us would
need 90 go. Yet let that man do what he does
IN the spirit Of using his opportunity, and If
he Is true to himself he will grow as much
spiritually as those who do not need TO follow
his particular pursuits.
zone word ms TO legal restrictions II may
be true that the legal restriction in most of
our New England statutes may go too far in
tho way of interfering with personal liberty
in the use Of Sunday, yetwithout restrictions
sunday would cease TO exist as a day of OPP
portunities. IL business were not made To
stop we should have 10 keep nc work or fall