Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-08-06
CHEHALISCOUNTY WHAT IS SUNDAY?
A CHURCHMAN'S VIEWS ON SUM-
DAY BASEBALL.
Extract From Sermon Preached in St.
James Church (Episcopal). GreenvilIe.
Miss. July 5. by the Rev. Quincy
Ewing.

If we suppose that the Christian Sun.
day took the place Of the Mosaic Sabbath
the ancient laws concerning the OBJ.
servance of the latter being affixed to the
former-we are commanded simply &c
abstain from work on Sunday. and from
nothing else not sinful on other days.
We have positive commandments against
lighting fire, against the working oil
our man servants or maid servants,
against doing any manner OF work our
selves; and none at all against such
pleasure, amusement, recreation, as that
afforded by baseball game. Moses te'
ing our witness. why, then, should the
man who attends Sunday baseball
game be charged with desecrating the
Sabbath, with violating law OF God?
Ifit be argued that the play of the
men who take part in the game is their
work that they, therefore, violate the
Sabbath, and that all who encourage
them in the act are partners in their
guilt the. answer is that the baseball
player-if weekly rest is what should be
insisted on bv and for llm--'ests not
only one day in seven, but the greater
part OF every seyen days. He is not in
the position and condition OF those who.
having to work six whole days OF the
week, req ire for their welfare every
hour of one particular day for rest. God
gave all His commandments to men, let
us re remember, for their benefit, not His
own. There are no baseball players in
the United States suffering today for
want of rest because they play ball on
Sunday. The trouble with many OF
them-their very grieyous temptation
is, not that they don't have rest enough,
but that they have too much!
If it still be asserted that. no matter
how much he may rest on other days,
the baseball player commits sin who
works at all on Sunday; this assertion,
it would seem, can be fairly made by
very few Of our most pious Christians
vestrymen, stewards, deacons, elders,
pastors. For how many Of them would
not be convicted By it of partnership in
the guilt OF the man servant. or the maid
servant, who, having worked for them
six days OF the week, cooks their break.
fasts, and dinners, and perhaps suppers,
on Sunday? How often are the cooks
and other servants of our most prom
inent church members and pastors of
churches permitted to enjoy an entire
Sunda rs rest? Is the preparing of hot
breakfast. hot dinner, hot supper,
a "work OF necessity? 1t was not SO
regarded by the law-giver from whom
we have the law concerning Sabbath
observance!
Let us quit finding notes in other peo-
pies eyes, while ignoring the beams in
our own! Let us quit our qnibbling in
the name OF Christianity, and look facts
full in the lace with the vision OF COM
mon sense! Let us put away our moth
eaten lace and fril piety, and put on the
armor OF vital, reasonable, progressive
and aggressive religion. Let us strive to
be consistent enough to win the respect
If we miss the affectlon--of honest
men who think; stunning as sacred
duty that glaring inconsistency in our
religious profession and conduct which
l.,t 1,o ~
ing men who are asked to give heed to
our homiies on their alleged sins! Let
us dare not cramp and weaken the
great, deep, broad, high truth and glory
of the Christian religion, by presuming
to present it authoritatively to men in
the shallow, narrow molds Of our mere
orthodox" opinionativeness There
are hundreds of us who prefer not to de-
vote any part of Sunday to attendance
upon baseball game; hundreds Of us
who choose to employ ourselves quite
otherwise during all hours OF this day.
But because such is our choice and pre-
ference, let us not arrogate to ourselves
the right to exclude from the circle Of
good Christians those who choose tc
spend two hours at baseball park on
Sunday afternoon. Let us remember
that if by any strained Interpretation o.
its text the Bible can be quoted against
Sunday baseball, it can be quoted in the
same way against taking Sunday after
noon walk on the levee! Resurrect some
OF the old Puritans, bring them here t.
Greenville, and they would be exceed
inglv Mortified at the manner in which
many OF our strictest sabbatartians "dese
crate" the Sabbath. In the middle OIL
the seventeenth century, in England
a young man WAS put in the stocks TO
three hours for going to a neighborini
village on Easter Sunday, and eating
milk and cream with party Of friends