The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-06-02
rnrAMERIcAN SUNDAY.

Religious bodies, recently in session,
have given much consideration to the
subject of Sunday observance, and in
our opinion, it is one Of the most I'M
portant Of those TO which attention
was directed. Christ did away with
the rigors Of the Jewish Sabbath, and
lie no where endorsed the Puritanical
observance Of the day, but lie sacredly
setit apart from the other days of the
week and the command TO remember
and keep holy" is i'm full force today
and Will be for all time to come. That
ii is being rulhlessly trOdden on 10y
the iron hOof Of railroad corporations,
that the government itself is disturb
ing its quiet by the transportation and
handling of mails, that nominal
Christians are devoting a portion of
the day TO service and the rest TO plea
sure and that the world at large is
treating it as a holiday rather than
holy day is known Of all men. That
its desecration is on the increase is
equally as true. This being true it Is
time for lovers Of law, Christian and
nOn-Christian, to unite in preserving
this the most cherished and most val
liable Of our institution. We use the
our designedly, for we are in full SYM
pathy with that religious body, which
i'm one Of its resolutions on the subject
preferred to allude TO il as the Ameri-
can rather than even the Christian
Sabbath. Many who call themselves
Christians are FAR from observing the
day as all Americans should, and a.
England, fro.n whose lOins we sprung,
does today. The Sunday newspaper
has recently invaded London, and the
storm Of protest which has met the
venture will no doubt drive it to its
hidings. No man Of sense, and who
loves order, can doubt the value of a
well observed Sunday, even rs a hu-
man institution when he compares
England with France, or with Spain,
or with India. Ii is hurtful enough
that the great corporations should alb
serb the capital Of the land, but their
grasping and throtling hands must be
kept from the throat Of our American
Sunday. We do not plead for a day of
long faces and sad countenances any
more than for a religion of gloom, we
do not say that the OK should remain
in the ditch until Monday dawns, we
would not repross the giadsOmeness Of |
young hearts, we would not sing fuDer-
al dirges in our churches instead of |
joyful anthems, we would not hang |
emblems Of mourning in our homes
when the day comes, but we would |
"keep it holy" and so make it the
brightest as it is "day Of all the week
the best"
No man has any excuse for reading
the secular papers on Sunday since the
land is flooded with religious literature
of most attractive kind. Nor need the
tired man of business spend the day
sleeping in order to rest. Change of
work is rest itself. An houri in Sunday
school will better fit for an early hour
on farm, in the Office, at the store, than
an hour on the lounge. The burdened
man Of affairs will find more relief
from an hour spent with the Bible
than an hour reading the latest market
reports. A sermon from the pulpit is
more apt to give up-lift to life than one
read from the columns of q newspaper.
Shame upon the American young man
who would "play ball" on Sunday and
shame upon the men and women who
would encourage it by their presence.
The business letters twill keep" until
Monday morning. "StOnewall" jack
On would not mail letter that would
equire Sunday work in its transmits
ion if he could avoid it, and yet, if
Necessary, he wasn't afraid to fight on
sunday. Fear God and keep His T,
Commandments" is not the creed Of
owards. We must guard the Amer
can Sunday against the encrOachment
+ the devil no matter what disguise
hey are clothed in, for with the loss
( our Sunday away goes our liberties :,
5 a people.