The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1899-01-20
THE WORKMAN'S DAY.
IN ALL NATIONS SUNDAY BRINGS CES-
SATiON OF TOLL.

Rev. Madison c. Peters Deprecates the At
tempt to Do Away With Sabbath Laws.
European and American Operatives Com
professionally Rum Selling.
The natural law of weekly rest is
common to all nations. 1t existed from
the earliest history of our race His
tory, philosophy and mythology run not
contrary to the septenary division OF
time. 1t prevailed among nations most
diversified in habit and most remote
from each other in time and place;
among Persians, Chaldeans, Egyp-
tians, Hindoos and ancient Chinese on
the farthermost east and the Scandina-
VANS on the northwest. 1t has held its
place among the Jews through the long
ages of their checkered history and ex-
lists not only among Christians and Mo-
hammedan nations today, but is the
almost universal law.
The wisdom of tho divine natural law
of cessation from hard labor one day
out of seven is almost universally &C.
knowledged. Experiments have been
made in all departments, and it has
been found out that less work can be
done in seven days than in six, and that
the 80 days of the year devoted to rest
are an addition rather than subtrac-
ton. DR.. Paul Mismeyer. professor OF
hygiene IN the University Of Leipsic, m
treatise discussing the Sunday ques-
tion from purely scientific standpoint,
sums up his argument by saying, "H
religion calls the seventh day the day
of the Lord the hygienist, for the rea-
son that have exhibited, will call Sun
day the day Of man. At the Dub
lin meeting of the British Association
For the Advancement of Science on the
4th Of September, 1857, Mr.. Bianconi
presented in a scientific paper the re-
suits Of his extensive experience in es-
tablishing and maintaining Ireland's
system Of public cars. II found" said
he, THAT could work horse with
more advantage eight miles a day for
six days than six miles day for seven
days, and therefore l discovered by not
working on Sunday made a saving of
10 per cent" And it is chiefly this
arithmetical and physiological fact
which preserved the Sabbath as a civil
institution since Constantine Coleridge
said that God gives civilization in its
Sundays 50 springs year." Lord Ma
caulay, in aspeech delivered in the house
of commons in 1916, after mentioning
the fact that the Sunday of 800 years
would give so years of labor, if devoted
to labor, says: "For my own part have
not the smallest doubt that if we and
our ancestors worked just as hard on the
Sundays as on the week days we should
have been at this moment a poorer peo-
pie than we are; that there would have
been lees production than there has been,
and that the wages of the laborer would
have been lower than they are, and that
some other nation would have been now
making cotton stuffs and wooden stuffs
and cutlery for the whole world. OF
COURSE" he adds, II do not mean to say
that man will not produce more in
week by working seven days than by
working six days, but very much doubt
whether at the end of the year he will
generally have produced more by work.
ing seven days than by working six days
q week. We are not poorer, but richer,
because we have through many ages
rested from our labor one day in seven.
That day is not lost. Whole industry is
suspended. While the plow lies in the
fallow, while the exchange is silent,
while no smoke ascends from the fac
tory, process is going on quite as i'm
portant to the wealth of the nations as
any process which is performed on more
busy days. Man, the machine of ma
chines-the machine compared with
which all the contrivances of the Watts
and Arkwrights are worthless-is re-
pairing and winding up, so that he re-
turns to his labors Monday with clearer
intellect, with livelier spirits, with re-
newed corporal vigor. Never will I be-
lieve that what makes a population
stronger and healthier and wiser and
better can ultimately make it poorer"
There is an organized and tremendous
effort against Sunday laws. LET the
day be as free as any other day." If
theaters, libraries and stores are to be