The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1904-09-09
cumstances to name Liberty township
Lafayette" which was the given name
of Mr.. Williams son.
SABBATH BREAKING.

We publish elsewhere in this issue
(: ON. resolutions in reference to Sabbath |
breaking signed by large number Of the
pastors of this county. !
We believe IN the Sabbath. AS the
ministers say, it is the best for every
body. Even the protess-d infidel will
acknowledge that the Ten Command
ments are the best known rules of living
our present life, without referring to |
what may occur after death. Civilized
nations have universally made the Com.
mandments the basis of their jurisprud-
ence. The man who keeps the Ten
Commandments will have a healthy
mind and healthy body. He will be a
good citizen, because he will not only be
good to himself but to his neighbor.
No one of the commandments has been
of more personal benefit to the men who
have observed it than that OF reserving
one day in the week for rest. 1t has been
proven bv mans experience that such a
rest incr eases rather than reduces he
total Of mans labor
The methods Of Sabbath observance
however, differ very greatly among the
sects, the nations and the individuals.
There are sects and individuals who ap.
pear to think that the whole matter is in
volved in the single idea OF the particular
day, Christians generally having accept
ed the first day of the week as the proper
day for observance, while comparative e
few have gone back to the literal observ-
ance of the Seventh day." like the Jews
and clam that all those who are observ-
ing Sunday as the Sabbath are Sabbath
breakers.
In the old Pilgrim days, and days of
the "blue laws" the Sabbath was any
thing but day OF rest. though over full
Of worship. To the most OF the people
of that time the Sabbath must have been
day of tlresome self-restraint. The
mental and physical rest that the averae e
working man and woman got out of
Pilgrim Sunday must have been about
equivalent to that which one would re-
ceive in retiring to the confinement of a
coffin and having the cover screwed
down for the same length of time.
At the present day in many, even of
American, cities. we find the other ex.
treme. and Sunday given up by the most
Of the population to sports, picnics and
many other public and private ''recrea.
tions" which in many forms are anything
but recreating either to mind, body or
purse.
The extremes run from the hypothesis
that ''the Sabbath was made for the wor-
ship OF God" to the other that "God
made the Sabbath for man." Perhaps
the real truth runs somewhere between
the two. Each individual has the right
to interpret to suit or satisfy his ownI
conscience as to his belief.
But no person has the right in this
country to ignore the beliefs of the ma
jority. You may believe as you like, but
you cannot do as you like. The great
majority Of the people in this land believe
in the observance of Sunday, by which
they mean that no unnecessary work
shall be done and that sports of noisy
or snowy nature shall not occur. The
laws Of this state, and the laws of most
o the other states, reflect this belief and
the good citizen will obey the law, no
matter whether he believes the law to re
good or bad.
Still, there is always a question OF what
is necessary and what is not necessary
wor !. All ladmit it is absolutely ,nece s.
sary to do some work on the Sabbath.
The Saviour said If mans OK fall into a
pit it wonld be proper for the owner to
pull it out, The Saviour also gathered
Of the fruits Of the field and Gid eat on
the Sabbath. But we do not read that
he ever hitched up four horses and went
out with binder. But there ale time
and seasons in North Dakota when Il: e
farmer can see his property going to
waste almost as certainly and almost as
rapidly in the field as it would be ii IFS
barn was burning. And we can have
much charity for himsif he attempts TO
save some of it, even if it is Sunday. But