The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-10-16

who loads up in the morning with one of those marvellous productions of the metropolitan press and, as the day wears on, sits amid the ever-growing waste of reams of paper, forgetful of God and of his own soul, conscious of no spiritual victory won, no spiritual hunger satisfied.
 Come, come now, let us be fair. We Americans are responsible for a God less Sunday, for. let me tell you, most of these foreigners who come here set us a mighty good example in this mat ter of the recognition of God on this day, and of the souls dependence upon Him. You may say that this worship of theirs which fills their churches in the early hours of the morning to over flowing is a beautiful but, profitless su- perstition. Perhaps it is, but am in-. clined to agree with Mir. Trevelyan when he says: Tt. Is easy to sheer at such worship as superstition-maybe it is a kind of superstition that is more pleasing to God than the cold indiffer- ence of which we see so much in our own land" You seey we. are in no po- sition to cast any reflections upon the religious devotion of any class of peo- pie, because it is a case where we lay ourselves open to the retort courteous, Physician, heal myself"
 Now, as a move towards the remedy ing of this growing secularization of the Sunday, that is a wonderfully sig nificant thing which the Roman Cath ollie bishop of Syracuse, in the state of New York, has done. He has issued a formal announcement that no person may be buried in his diocese with the full ceremonial of the church who shall ''die by accident on the Lords day, having culpably violated it's duties and obligations That order is the recog- milton of the danger and a modest att tempt to check it's progress. wonder if many of our people know that among the general canons of the church is one entitled "Of the Due Celebration of Sundays" and reads as follows: "All persons within this. church shall cele- brate and keep the Lords day, con- monly called Sunday, by regular partic- ipation in the public worship of the church, by hearing the, word of God
 
 devotion and Works%Qf charity, using all godly and sober conversation" That law has stood upon the statute book of the church for years. and is just as binding as any other law to be found there. But beyond the moral effect of having it there it is of course useless The fact of the matter is, the, due ob- servance of Sunday cannot be obtained by5legislation either on. the part of the church or the state. The solution of this problem rests insthe Christian con- science. Men must be taught that the fitting observance of. this day is prac- tical and not a sentimental matter Diff ferent people in different walks of life ought to cooperate with each other in the effort to make this day utterly un- like any other day.
 A larger recognition of St. Paul's maxim, "Let each seek his neighbor's good,' would have a most wholesome and helpful effect upon the observance of this day. Of course what I mean here is that we ought always to he careful to guard, against thoughtless- ness in respect to the rights and needs of those whose. time and energies. we control. It is too often the case-is it not?-that men and women are com- pelled to make Sunday a day of drudg- cry simply to gratify those who, be- cause they have not the fafntest con- ception of the value of a disciplined life, are not only unwilling to forego anything to which they are accustomed on the six days of the. week, but insist upon making it day characterized by a whole lot of extras of one kind and another. Work that could be avoided ought to be avoided, could be avoided that is, without seriously inconvenience ing people or bringing hardship to those who, if they get the recreation they need and deserve, require that some should work. ;. 4,
 Cooperation, then, between the dif- ferent classes of people with the end in view Of making the Sunday as much as a day of rest that 1t may be day of worship-will do much to check the progress of a danger which all thought ful people see and fear.
 But that which especially interests us now is '"The Result of the Proper ca servance of Sunday" it's real signifi- canoe as it concerns the individual, the church and society. If this day is made what it ought to be, the good that must come to the individual is manifold and incalculable. Let me remind you again of our text, "The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do ex- ploits."
 The proper observance of Sunday will help man in more ways than one, and l can't speak of them all here, but in so far as 1t is a help to him through the discipline which it involves, of that would I say just 8 word. An adequate observance of the Lords day implies the discipline of self. Now let me ask you if we know anything about disci- pline? No man can do his duty to his God on this day without effort If he could it wouldn't be worth the doing. It is a great deal easier to do something else than to go to, church, and we do it. Precisely. Our power of self-discipline is so inadequate that we do the easiest thing, though our conscience may tell us that we ought not to leave the other undone. I want to lie in bed, or read that novel, or take that tramp, or go on that trolley ride, or make that visit or do any of the thousand and one things which there are to do on Sunday, and because I have no real control of my self, because I am interested mainly in