The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1903-12-04
SABBATH PROFANITY
DR.. Coker's Editorial ProcIaiming
Sabbath Dissertation Fore
runner of CriminaIlty-
Appeal to Parents

DR.. III. COker read the follow
ing pulpit editorial at the Methodist
church Sunday night, prior to de.
livering the sermon:
The two arch enemies of the
Christian Sabbath are the running
of trains by the railroads and the
Sunday ball games.
The one with its shrieking whistle,
trundling cars, changing bells, its
freight and passenger traffic; the
other with its crowd of desecrators,
their tumultous shouts and illegal
disturbances of the peace.
The organizers Of the republic
realized the value and relation of
the Sabbath to civic virtue.
They therefore made laws for the
observance of the day, its worship
and penalties attached to its breach.
We call them blue laws; puritanic
requirements; and we smile patron
izingly at all those who made, obey
ed and enforced hem; as though
we were SO much wiser than they.
We have today on our statute
books laws forbidding all manner OF
occupation, business, sport, save
that which is of necessity.
The difference between then and
| now being a mere question of en-
forcement and reinforcement.
Were not our fathers right? Who
will dare, though he ridlcule those
stern characters for their rigid rules
to say 1--WE can afford to dispense
with and disregard this day of days"
day of all the days the best-em
blem of eternal rest.
Jos. Zook, that master of right
eous discourse and clear headed
thorough profound reasoning, said:
"That the day We hear not the voice
of God because we turn away from
His sanctuary on the Sabbath day,
engaging in business or sport, max
ing the day holiday instead of a
holy day, that day will bring i'm
m mora'ity and degradation of char
acter.
We need to have repeatedly stat
e in these rushing times, the re
quirements of our highest manhood,
LIST we be entirely submerged in the
sensualities of life.
Our young men, our boys need
the sacred, holy environments of
the sanctuary; and if we do moi
abate the nuisance of these Sabbath
frolics, the chances are the associa
tions will bring these same boys H.
to the already too large class of
criminals.
We need to hear the divine "Thou
shalt, and Thou shalt Not" and
where shall we hear it if not from
the sacred desk?
Picking up paper last evening
was surprised to read that the
murders committed in the car barn
in Chicago about three months ago,
were perpetrated by beardless
youths, three in number, who have
killed nine men in that time.
These boys had unpronouncable
names, in all probability were
children of foreign born parents,
whose loose ideas of the sanctlty of
law and especially of religious re
strgint, were responsible for that
fearful career, with no school but
the saloon, no Sabbath, no church,
they have grown upunder influences
strangely averse to our civilization
right under the church spires, the
sound of the choirs and organs,
within reach of its gospel privileges,
Salvation army and Y. NJ. c. A,
because and largely only because of
the spirit of lawlessness and license
which prevailed about them.
In a small way we are going in
the same direction. See the boys
and young fellows coming from
these unseemly games, breaking our
laws, defying Gods law, SHINING