The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-06-14

for unnecessary labor or for a general
holiday. The Sabbath was made for
man and not man for the Sabbath.
But the Sabbath was instituted for
the preservation and regeneration OF
the body and the inspiration and cul-
tivation of the soul of man, and not
as a means TO idleness and loose liy-
ing. There is a difference between
the Sabbath and the Saturday half
holiday. And the general disregard
by our people OF the great memorial
days that commemorate the birth of
the nation, the sacrifice of her mar
tyrs, the advent of her mighty men,
is but a reflex of that disregard OF
the meaning and the obligation OF
Gods day-the Sabbath-which He
gave TO man. People who will not re-
we're the Lord will not long remem-
ber Lincoln. Men who will cast aside
the Saviour of the world cannot be
expected to spend much time to COM
memorate the deaths and sacrifices
OF the saviours Of the Union. To put
the Sabbath. the rest day, on Mon
day will not make men go to church;
nor will the placing of Memorial Day
on Sunday be efficient to turn the
hearts of careless men to the contem-
plation and commemoration of the
blood that flowed at Harper's Ferry,
Fort Sumter, Vicksburg, and the rest.
The man who feels no sympathy for
the Christ on Calvary will feel less
for those who fell on the bloody field
at Gettysburg. What to him are the
birth pains of the nations?
The tendency to turn the American
Sabbath into a Continental Sunday
Is as perilous as 1t Is pernicious. It
strikes at the religious, the best and
the central life of the people. The
endeavor to escape Puritanism has
led to all sorts OF loose living and
misspent leisure. AS between Puri-
tanism and Continentalism give me
the law to the letter. rather than
no law at all. The Sabbath should
not be given over to riotous living.
On the other hand. in our endeavor
to escape with Christ the killing let
ter OF the law, We have, I think. gone
too far. There are many things that
are necessary and that mu.t be done
on the Sabbath, and contrariwise.
there are many things done on the
Sabbath that could be as we'll done on
week days, and as many more that
could we'll be left undone altogether.
The word Of Christ that the Sabbath
was made for man can in no wise
excuse the unnecessary labors that
many tradesmen have to perform on
Sunday. How many men and women
who go to Coney Island or hundred
other places on Sunday can rightly
plead necessity as excuse for putting
extra labor upon multitudes of men?
The Sunday paper tends to become
a curse, not because 1t is unhealthy
or unwise to read the news on the
Sabbath, but because it puts unneces-
sary labor, in the majority of cases,
upon a host and robs thousands Of
the common day of rest. The man
who can't get shaved on Saturday has
no real excuse for making the barber
work on the Sabbath. l do not want
to descend to trivial things. but you
all know, as well as I, that there are
a thousand and one things done that
have no business to be performed on
the Sabbath.
We need readjustment to-day in
our estimate of values. Sunday as
the Sabbath Is a boon to man. Sum
day as side show to the other six
days Of the week Is a sacrilege.