Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-23
NEW ENGLAND SABBATH.
Change That Has Come in Manner Of
Observing the Day.

From the Worcester Spy.
The Sunday of fifty years ago is not the
Sunday of today. Those of us who glory in
the history of Puritan New England may
sigh in vain-the old days have passed. Yet
Sunday is day of rest. This is truer to-
day than when the church demanded SO
much Of the Massachusetts, farmer that
even his chores were relief from the close
atmosphere and interminable meetings on
Sunday.
During the seventeenth century the emf
grant Puritans held sway in this common
wealth. After fifty years they were more
jealous Of other religions than when they
left England. The first half Of the eight
zenith century was also characterized by
bigotry zeal and intolerance. The sermons
of this period on Justification. damnation.
hellfire and Satan are monuments of the
day when the church dominated every
house. every individual and the govern
ment itself
The revolution freed New England as
much from her own decisions from the
tyranny of King George. The revolu-
rionary struggle itself bred a new and bet
ter race of men. The ties of race and BROTH
erhoOd were recognized. The colonists
learned to seek union for strength. Instead
of the retrospective Puritan indvidualism
Americans began to value other men, toler-
ate the opinions and faults they had for
merly antagoniZed. 1t was difficult to re-
tain the good things of Calvinism and omit
the evil. 1t took a long time to get away
from the Yankee Pharisee. But the Ameri-
can Samaritan has been prominent for gen.
erations. Rich men are giving their tithes
for the benefit of mankind. Poor men are
learning that the proverbs of Poor Richard
are better philosophy than the theology of
Cotton Mather and Jonathan Edwards The
religion of Joy and cheerfulness. of love and
happiness, has spread through all the
churches ANY man can find a church
TOD tNI 60 It'll,
without looking at the creed He can wor-
ship God as well in the first one he enters
as in the church in which he was baptized.
We do not presume that men are much
closer together in their religious belief than
they were 200 years ago. The contrary is
probably true. Indeed. the very weakness
Of the Congregational Church of that pc
riod was its insistence on the attendance of
every person. and his belief in its creed
When sect conquers everything it Is some
times weakest. Catholicism has fallen
from power when no Protestants were to
be found. No two men know the same
things; and no two can agree on every
point of religious doctrine.
Churches today are social or neighborhood
units. Families Of similar beliefs and tastes
group themselves in the same denomination.
If there is any similarity in Methodists and
Roman Catholics. for instance. 1t is due not
to religious training and thought SO much
as 1t is to similar habits Of living, similar
pleasures. dress and daily habits.
The Sunday observance marks the
change to liberality and tolerance that has
permeated all branches Of Christianity.
making them more alike in fact. Sunday as
a day of rest is accepted here There
never will be any desire to make Sunday
like the other days of the week Sunday is
firmly established an institution in BUSH
ness. commerce and industry as in religion
The only men that threatened to destroy
Sunday as a day of rest. recreation and
worship are those who make business of
sport. The theaters should not be open
Sunday. Actors need Sabbath more than
day labOrers Base ball. tennis, golf and
daylight games sometimes may be permit
ted without injuring the day Those who
believe sports of this kind wrong will work
against them. In some towns public SEN
timent would not tolerate ball games on
Sunday. in others they are profitable The
patronage indicates the state of public SEN
timent. Prohibition of golf does not edu-
cate the people to believe it wrong to play
on Sunday.