The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-08
FAyORS SUNDAY SPORT
A PREACHER WHO SAYS THAT DAY
SHOULD NOT BE BLUE.
Don't Play Good Angel on Sunday and
the Devil ON Monday,
He Advises.

The congregation OF All Souls Unitarian
Church met yesterday for the first time in
the chapel on North Alabama street. The
Rev. E. e. Newbert had for his theme The
Misplaced Halo, or the Sacredness of the
Secular" He said in part: I'VE are taught
to speak OF one day I'm seven as Gods day,
as If all days were not His. A so-called
sacred song runs, This is the day the Lord
has made Did he not make all days?
Don't play good angel on Sunday and act
the part OF the devil on Monday. Don't
pray on Sunday and forget to say a prayer
for six days. Don't be solemn on Sunday
and swagger and swear on Saturday. How
persistent is the old idea of the Sabbath.
What a blue day it has been. especially in
New England. Keep in mind. IL you will.
the idea of holy days, but extend the glory
to embrace all time. / would not have Sum
day secularized to the extent of having more
work done, but / would have the day used
by workingmen and women freely and for
their largest happiness. When / think OF
the thousands In a city like this who are
shut in shop and factory or business house
or office six days ! cannot deny to them the
fullest freedom on Sunday; nor do l see
harm in watching a clean game of baseball
or other wholesome sport, for who shall
say that what is right 20 do on Monday is
wrong to do on Sunday? And we have been
told OF a holy life. but how narrow the idea.
How few come under the halo. From the
heads of nun and monk the halo passes to
the heads of the mother and father who
build q home and dare bring into II children,
and who live the normal human life and
seek for happiness.
PASS THE GLORY ON.
Running throughout literature Is this inn
aginary line of cleavage. We speak OF sac
red and p%rofane history as IL history were
other than one-the continuous story OF hu-
man life. Who places. and by what right.
Moses and isaiah on one side the dividing
line and Washington and Emerson on the
other? Gods word has been limited to the
Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. I take
from the Bible none OF its real glory. but
I say enlarge the halo to embrace other lit
of Rome and Greece? What Of our modern
poets and prophets and statesmen and great
preachers? Pass the glory on. Let Us have
enough of the idea to go around. Let the
halo encircle our world, even as does the
sky line. / would have all men and women
who are at work feel that they are at work
with God In the building OF a word mt for
the more perfect human habitation.
But more than all else the halo has en-
circled the church In all ages. Has IL been
and sacred grove and cathedral. How long
have we believed that God has a house. a
local habitation? The peasants of Europe
put their very life-blood into the building
OF the cathedrals. The people lived In how
els, and they were content so TO live II only
the house OF God could be enriched. I love
a beautiful church, but before IL Is built I
would have the homes OF the people lifted
up 10 the level OF the beautiful. Nor would
i build IL IL to build meant that the mod
ern schoolhouse, or the hospital. or the re-
formatory, or the refuge for age and inno-
cence, had to wait. And because a building
has been thought TO be a house OF God it's
usefulness has been restricted. But what
ever is right To do In the homes OF the people
or I'm the schools Is right 10 do In the
church. IL sacredness means restricted benz
efits then away with the idea"