The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-08-11
RELIGIOUS EDITORS AT ODDS
OVER SUNDAY OBSERVANCE

Sunday. One reason why the Church
does not to any man, cit is wrong
in Gods sight to do this or that on a.
week day. is because the Church can
not agree upon the acts to be pro.
nOunced wrong. If John Knox and
John Calvin were to visit Honolulu in
the flesh and engage in a game of
bowls on Oahu College lawn some fine,
Sabbath afternoon, doubtless Mr.. Gu
lick would give them sound rap in
the columns of The Friend and the
board of editors at least would hugely
enjoy the fun. For the record reads
that when these two reforming
worthless met in Europe they played
bowls together on Sunday. The Puri-
tan Sabbath has prevailed during a
small section of Church history and
over a portion only of the worll We
believe that this sort of Sabbath in its
more liberal form has meant vastly
more for mankind than any other that
this world has ever known. We would
gladly see all men so situated econom-
ically that they could and would
spend Sunday partly in social Worship
and put the remainder of the day into
the cultivation, both in themselves and
in others, of the very best and noblest.
1
and music, joy giving to others, quiet
kindly recreations and all manner of
social ministries will have their place.
1t will be a day richer far for human
ity and for the individual than any
thin G ever dreamed about by the Puri
tan. We believe that this sort of week.
ly rest day is even now in process of
evolution. Men will tire of the amuse
mental craze even as they did of the
all day prosy preaching of former
time. There will be swinging to ex-
tremes but God is in His world and
His Son as Lord of the Sabbath will
bring all men to his largeness of view
in its use.
Hence the Church of today wisely
leaves the whole question of Sabbath
observance to the individual man in
communion with his God. But while
it exclaims with Paul, Gan things arg.
lawful, Z" it adds with him call thingF
are not expedient.
1t exposes the inexpedieney of spendt I
ing the weekly day of rest in mere
physical relaxation to the neglect of
all else that goes to make up real mane
hood. 1t places over against the right
of the individual to seek selfish pleasl,
ure on Sunday the privilege OF safef
guarding to the community the pricet
less boon of social worship. The mani
who devotes all Sunday TO golfing, an.
tomobiling, baseballing, reading, ma
ture eommuDing or any other aloneness
is giving his vote in the most effective
manner possible to support the propo-
sition, "The Church and all public
worship of God should be abolished" !"
If man believes in his inmost soul
that the Church is a human necessity,
bulwark to the home and TO the ma
tion, he must in order to be honest
connect himself with it, attend it's
worship and do his part to make it
the ideal Church which the world
needs In order to do this he must be
unselfish enough to adjust his Sunday
activities accordingly. Now all this
realm of ideal considerations the
Church may, should and does urge. 1t
will not attempt to legislate for the
individual. 1t will not say because it
has no right to do so, ''This is wrong
on Sunday" but il will, if it be wise,
win men to snch an ideal use of the
privileges of the day of rest and wor-
ship, that the individual man shall be
healthier in body, larger in spirit, full
Ter of God and truer to the social
whole and that society shnll realize
more completely its great possibilities
q family Of loving, serving brothers.