The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-03-02
66e Story Of Sunday
1t Vas Once Held Necessary by the Church to Fish On the Sabbath.
BIZ GUY T. ~vlskNlsKkI.

The next time your gorge begins Il
rise oVel some development of the so.
called Sunday question:, particularly of
fenstNe to your religious or non-re.
ligious views, as the case may be. pray
co not vent all your feelings on those
OF your fellows who differ RADICAL,
with you. AT least place a part of the
blame where 1t primarily belongs. Tina
Is upO the shoulders of Constantine
that one who has been surnamed thu
Great. For history gives him the credit
OF being the first man TO raise thu
Sunday questioned furnishing to thu
story Of Sunday it's most interesting
and exciting chapter. which will un-
doubtedly continue to be added to as
long as the custom OF observing Sun.
day exists.
1t was a decade and a half less thar
q thousand and six hundred years age
that the great Roman emperor having
pondered long over the question OF
Sunday observance other than that Of
a religious characteristics he 1t was
who first made Christianity a state
religion-promulgated the initial Sun
day legislation.
Immediately, three centuries after the
resurrection, the Sunday question
sprang into existence, and 1t has sore
ly agitated a greater part of Christen-
dom ever since-even to you and me
1t may be a source OF surprise TIC
Many h a the question, now so ALL
absorbing and everlastingly with US
was SO long in coming to the fore.
But in the early days of Christianity
the civil authorities were not so much
concerned about the manner of the So
cial observance of Sunday by some OF
.heir subjects as they were with the
best methods of stamping out the new
religion. Then, too. 1t is OF record that
the primitive church did not lay stress
M vi W. rtioy,l,~ Nhonttyoy,on Nr 3y1tHy
to be performed on Sunday other than
that of formal worship, which took
place either in the morning or late in
the evening.
This may have been due to a natural
desire to MAKE the character OF Sun
Jewish Sabbath. or from O very broad
Interpretation of Christ's saying that
t Sabbath was made for man. and
not man for the Sabbath" Or. again.
the church. while gaining a foothold,
was in no position to insist strongly
that Its members refrain from weekday
toll. AT any rate q number of the
early fathers are On record as holding
that the Decalogue Injunction to rest
should be k in a spiritual sense as
meaning cessation from sin. for at
least n day in the seven.
This was the attitude pretty general
~ held down to the time OF Constantine
the Great, who. III an epoch-marking
constitution. commanded pretty nearly
everybody. except the agriculturalist,
In his extensive dominions to observe
Sunday by refraining from work and
resting. Even the courts Of Justice
were ordered closed. and Constantine
was powerful enough to see to it that
his decree was fairly we'll needed.
Emperors Wrestling with the Problem
During the following 240 odd years
various Byzantine es1perors busted
themselves with and puzzled over the
Sunday question. When the emperor's
birthday fell on a Sunday celebration
OF that suspicious event was to be in
definitely postponed. 1t was finally de-
creed. in accordance with Christ's hu-
name teachings. that 1t was right to
keep courts open for the examination
OF prisoners. The pursuit OF pleasure
as we'll ms of business was prohibited.
even spectacles In theater and circus
bers. however. was permissible. 'di-
vine pardon being hoped for where
safety OF society was assured"
Assured OF temporal support. e%cclesi-
astical laws on the subject speedily fol-
lowed. The fathers pronounced that
slaves should work five days. but on
the Sabbath day and the Lords day let
them have leisure to go to church for
instruction in piety." Various councils
came out squarely for Sunday rest as
the centuries passed; both church and
civil laws gradually became stricter.
The great Charlemagne prohibited
work OF any kind on Sunday, even that
OF mercy and charity. A comparative
ly early canon law read:
wv declare that all Sundays be OBJ
served from esper to vespers and
that all unlawful work be abstained
from so that in them trading or legal
proceedings be not carried on, or any
@r,@ 70 - 80
or my oaths be administered except for
peace or other necessary reasons
What Is Necessary Work.
What is necessary work on Sunday
has been a moot problem from the OPP
ening Of the whole Sunday question. 1t
has been generally recognized, however,
that certain kinds of work are frequent
ly necessary-nay, highly essential-on
that day. There are Christ's words and
let the disciples pluck corn to kill the
pangs of hunger. and furnished the
world with the Illustration of the sheep
fallen into q pit on the Sabbath day.
Hence, acts of charity and mercy, such
as Sunday examination of prisoners,
Sunday tasks. Early canon law held
that fishing was a work Of necessity,
since time var ar important factor.
The first English law relating to Sun
day observance prohibited the sale Of
wood at the staple; so far as the law
itself was concerned. every other form
of work implicitly was necessary. At
least two of the old English kings en-
Joined on their subjects the Sunday
practice Of archery, on the ground that
q widespread knowledge of 1t insured
good soldiers to the king, a proficient
army being essential to The Kingdoms
welfare. The Scottish law of 1879 and
Charlemagne's statute are the main
laws thai made no exception for work
in cases of. necessity or mercy. Such a
provision, however, later became a part
Of the Sabbath observance acts. as the
Scottish Sunday law is known The
original law was peculiarly In keeping
with the traditional gloominess of the
Scots religious point Of view.
Agitation Against Sunday Raiiroadina.
Practically the last widespread and
profound agitation that this country
as a whole has experienced because OF
the question. rs the work necessary
occurred in the sos. when a deter
mined movemen was mad by many
laylnen, as well as clergymen, to have
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