The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-27

been founded but for the inspiring
truths of the Gospel. Beyond doubt
God has called us as g, force for
righteousness among the nations of
mankind. Divine purpose is to be
accomplished only SO far as the ma
tor shall be obedient to the unfiinch-
ing enactments of the law of life for
mulated in the Decalogue. Without
such obedience a free gift and Chris
tar civilization are both but empty
dreams. But one of the Decalouges is
the fourth commandment: 'Remem-
Der the Sabbath Day and Keep ii
Holy. Without this the Dinaitic code
cannot in it's obligations be realized.
Loyalty to the Sabbath makes the
moral law to people as a house
founded on a rock; without this all
is a ruin.
'The Sabbath demands rest and
worship, but worship is the stronger
obligation. 1t cannot be kept as a day
of rest except it be also a day of
worship. Observance must be founded
on religious reasons.
I'VE are confronted however, by an
appalling fact: This is the age of grow
ing Lords Day lawlessness. Abroad in
the land is the spirit of commercial
ism saying to God and the decalogue:
Clear the track; I have right of way
to make money as L please.
1.-THE sin of avarice threatens to
eliminate the sacred hours of the Sab
bath from the American calendar.
Enforced labor on the Sabbath is
demanded by great corporations with
an alarming increase. Twelve years or
so ago 100000 were thus employed,
now there are more than 100000.
Nearly 100000 persons, directly and
indirectly, are engaged in distributing
the Sunday newspapers each Lord S
Day. There are the Sunday mails,
Sunday trains, Sunday paving of city
streets, Sunday building, open theatres
and such like, all of which are de-
structive of Sunday, both as q day of
rest and of worship.
There are two other great foes of
the Christian Sabbath, the bulk of
the ever multiplying foreign popula-
ton which comes here from non-Sab-
bath keeping countries and the bane-
full example of very many of our rich
people with their love of pleasure
nultitudinous ways and means of
qualification and disregard of God S
house. The conduct of the prosperous
class weakens the power of the Sab
bath on the working class and is in
consequence perniciOus to the. nation.
Closely linked to the Sabbath is
family religion. These are both nee
eSSary to a spiritual church and pros
porous nation. The two great pillars
of the kingdom of righteousness are
the Christian Sabbath and the Chris
tan family. But this is a time of
great neglect of religion in the home,
the altar of prayer not being there,
Bible study is but little observed the
family pew being thing of the past,
and too often the young are not
brought up in the fear of the Lord"
A Juvenile Republic.
After the adoption of the report of
the Sabbath and family religion Rev.
Geo. H. Atkinson asked the Synod
to give endorsement to a proposed
movement looking toward the estab-
lishment of Juvenile republic similar
to the George Junior Republic, of
Freeville, n. Y, for the criminal boys
and girls of our State.
The Synod gladly did so. The eff
fort will also be made to get the en-
dorsement of all the Christian denomi-
nations of this State at their church
courts this fall and that a meeting be
called sometime in December COM
posed of members of these said Chris
tan bodies to perfect arrangements
of the institution and plans for main
tanning it.
The salaries of the ministers of the
church at Chapel Hill Ca minister to
be selected) and of the church al
Davidson College were raised to ST.
200 per year.