The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-05-08
SABBATH OBSERVANCE
Lay Sermon by Member of the
Staff of the Times-Union


force the law. 1t is the duty of private
citizens to obey the law. Whatever the
law commands should be done. What
ever the law forbids should be left un-
done. If the law is bad the remedy is
repeaI-not disobedience.
Law has nothing TO do with religion.
Nothing is more firmly fixed in the
American mind and the American heart
than the belief in freedom of consci-
ence All religions are. tolerated in
this country so far as they do not COM
mand acts that are in violation Of the
law. Polygamy is not permitted, but
Mormonism is tolerated. There are saw
age tribes which in their religions prac-
tice human sacrifice. Their religions
would be tolerated, but that feature
which commands human sacrifice would
not. In general terms, it may be said
that human law permits one to do any
thing that is not violative directly or
in its tendency of the rights of another,
Within the past week the people OF
Duval county have thought much OF
pose to say what the law is. What
should it be in keeping with the spirit
of true Sabbath observance?
No one will deny that is is conducive
to health and happiness for man to rest
occasionally. Some men have much
leisure each day and can work each day
having a daily interval Of rest; but this
majority devote all their time and all
thni -,
them their bread. They could not dc
without a day of rest, and one in seven
is not too frequent, The Sabbath. even
If it were not a divine institution, would
still be a human necessity.
1t Is also necessary that the day be
fixed by law. It would never be fixed
by agreement. The fierceness Of COM
petition would compel all men to work
all the time if some power did not step
in and provide a day of rest. Some en-
ployers would be glad to give their en-
ployees a weekly holiday, but others
would not and those who would like to
would be prevented from it by competi-
ton. manufacturing concern that
kept going all the time could undersell
one that closed down once week, and
underselling it would ruin it. If the
majority Of the merchants kept their
stores open seven days in the week
those who might undertake to close
one day in seven would lose their trade
and fail.
SO a day of rest is necessary, and in
prescribing it the law is protecting hu-
man rights and prolonging human life.
It is interfering with liberty mainly as
it interferes with the liberty of one
man to injure and oppress another.
Laws are devised TO interfere with lib
erty to just this extent.
They who are Ioudest in their COM
plants that the Sabbath interferes with
liberty are generally not those whose
creeds require the observance of aROth-
er day They are men who have no
cresds. They are constantly declaring
that men have a right to work if they
wish to. Where the observance Of tbs
Sabbath prevents this in one case, 1t
prevents men from being compelled to
work when they do not wish to in one
hundred cases. The great balance in
the result of such laws is in favor Of
liberty and humanity.
Organized labor demands an eight
hour day, and it would be better for
the world if such demands could be
conceded. Nothing but competition is
In the way of their concession. But
labor ignores the fact that the law
gives it a six-day week. AS large a
proportion of those who declaim against
a legal day of rest are found in the
ranks of labor as in any other of the
walks of life.
A day of rest is necessary. What
day it shall be is immaterial 1t Is
necessary, however, that it be the same
day for all or nearly all; otherwise
there could be no day of rest at all
for a law requiring each man to rest one
day in seven, but leaving it to him to
select the day, could not be enforced.
That one day will do as we'll as an other
as admitted by the early Christians
| when they changed the Sabbath from
| the seventh day Of the week to the
| first 1t is also admitted in practice by
| clergymen, whose hardest days work
is always on the Sabbath.
| The object. Of the Sabbath is rest.
| Many men think it is a day to be good
| In. The corrollary to this is that they
may be wicked the other six. A man
needs his honestey his kindliness, his
| forebearance as much during the six
| days that are filled with toll as on the
| day of rest.
| We know Of no warrant for the idea
that quite, innocent entertainment Is
wrong on the Sabbath. The idea is
| descended from the Puritans. They
made the Sabbath a day Of unhappi-
ness. They passed laws that even in
| America, with its Puritan heritage OF
| ideas. are mirth-inspiring when seen
two hundred years away but that
would not be so funny II they were en-
| forced. One of the most amusing was
q law that prohibited man from kiss
| ing his wife on Sunday. Another re-
| quired all the window-blinds to be KEEP.
closed on the Sabbath. The Puritan
was afraid to be happy. He never felt
safe except when he was misrable. The
| only happiness that he considered In
| nocent was in seeing that everyone else
| was miserable as possible. So long
ba could h a others