New-York tribune., 1901-06-09
SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.


The question of Sunday observance or more
particularly that of Sunday recreation. is by
no means as easy to solve as the extreme con
servatves and extreme liberals appear to think.
Ii may he said indeed. without exaggeration.
that the weighty considerations If not argu-
ments which may be urged on both sides of the
question. and of which we print many in
teresting examples on the seventh page of this
mornings issue. make il extremely difficult to
arrive at any short and easy solution of it.
This is nominally Christian country in the
sense that n majority OF its citizens are NJ least
processing Christians. and therefore the Chris
tian point of view to Sunday recreatOnS
ought 10 have a certain amount OF weight in
the civil government. Yet when Christians
urge rigorous observance Of Sunday on the
ground that God has imposed such an obServ
ance on all mankind they must he reminded
that the government of this country as such has
nothing to do with this view individuals as
BaptiStS MethodiSts PreSbyterianS or what
not are of course, bound by their dcnomna-
tons teaching about Sunday. But when the
member Of some denomination tries 10 bind the
people of a community or a state by his par
ticuar denominational conception of Sunday he
goes beyond his powers and his rights. Under
our political system the municipality or tie
State can take no cogniZance OF any alleged
divine sanction for sunday observance It's
only concern is TO enforce such an observance
of the day of rest as will best promote the
intellectual and physical welfare Of all the peo-
pie. irrespective of their rcl gious creed. And
il follows from this that the civil authority may
at any time strengthen or relax the laws reat-
ing 10 the observance Of Sunday whenever such
modification is plainly demanded in the inter
ests of the people. even though ii may he op-
posed by some particular religious body.
While. however. Christian people generally
might admit this conception of the states func
tions many of them would urge. nevertheless
with good reason. that the state should not
wholly disregard Christian sentiment in fran
Ing its Sunday laws. But what is the Chris
tian sentiment concerning Sunday Not only
do the various denominations differ in their
view of Sunday Observance, but an ever in
creasng multitude of Christians in all the
churches repudiate for themselves any hard
and fast rule on the subject. Moreover, some
Christians demand the observance Of the Sev-
enth and not the first day Of the week, rs,
of course. do also the Jews Obviously the
state cannot meet the religious views Of the
Seventh Day Adventists. Jews and orthodox
Christians and yet each of these bodies sup
ports it's special view by an alleged divine
sanction Ii is undoubtedly true that civil lcGis
lation concerning Sunday was originally based
on religious grounds. Tbe state recognized
Sunday rs n holy day and enacted regulations
concerning It's observance that at least implied
an admission of its divine character. 1t is need
less. however, to say that such a view is con
trarv to the present day conception of the rea
ton which the state holds to the church 1t is
all but certain that n majority Of the Christian
people of the country would reject such a basis
for Sunday legislation. Practically most of the
laws implying n religious sanction for Sunday
have fallen into disuse, and before many years
it is possible that they may he wiped off the
statute books, not ont Of any hostility TO rcg
iOn but because ii will come to be perceived
that such quasi-unon Of church and state is
contrary to the genius of American institutions
But in that case il will be asked. What will
become Of Sunday: The answer to that ques-
ton is that it will continue to be for religious
people just what they wish it TO be. They will
observe It with as much strictness as they deem
necessary, and the state will safeguard their
rights in the matter as completely as il will
the rights of those who take different view
of Sunday observance. OF Sunday n civil
and social institution, indeed. there need be no
concern. Aside from its religious aspects it
has so proved it's value rs Il day of rest for
labor and of physical and intellectual recrea-
tion that It would continue to he observed with
out the advocacy or the churches. But many
of the old conceptions as to the mode of its
observance nave passed away forever Some of
them grounded on theological views that
themselves decadent. Others are founded
on strained Interpretation of Biblical texts
that seem TO be negatived by other texts equally
weighty. And still others are made Impossible
of realization by the changed and changing
conditions Of modern life. On the one hand II
is no longer possible wholly 70 suspend all the
activities of life on one particular day Not
even the strictest Sabbatarians do that On
the other hand, there never time when II
was more desirable TO preserve as nearly as DOS
sible the rights of all the people to complete
rest on the one day in seven, and he is NOT q
good citizen friend to his kind who does
anything to break down the public regard for
that principle.
Justice Rich took exactly the proper course 10