Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-02-28
SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.
De-e-liehted to Find Sense and Logic from
Distinguished Member Of the Cloth.

Dee lighted to Find Sense and Logic from
a Distinguished Member of the Cloth.
Two reasons are suggested for Sab
bath Observance-the pietistic and the
utilitarian. According to a recent ser
mon by Herbert s. Bigelow of Gin
cinnat, one of these reasons is to be
found in one part Of the Old Tesla
ment and the other in another. In
Exodus. Sabbath observance is put
upon pietistic grounds, and in Deute-
ronomy upon utilitarian that thy
man servant and thy maid servant may
rest as well as thou" Between these
two bases for Sabbath observance,
strict Sabbatarians, unless they are
very candid, may well find themselves
in quandry. If they plant themselves
upon the pietistic basis, they must be
for the observance of Saturday and not
OF Sunday; for Saturday is the hal
lowed day. and there is no authority
for substituting Sunday. They are also
under the embarrassment of trying to
enforce religious observance by law, if
they ask the Legislature to interfere
with what they themselves call Sab
bath dissertation" On the other hand,
If they plant themselves upon the utili-
tartan basis. they cannot very well op-
pose amusements on the day of rest
for rest is not secured by inactivity,
but by variations of activity.
This question Of Sunday observance
Is now live one at Cincinnati, which
explains Mr. Bigelow's sermon. 1t
arises over an agitation fer the sup
preston of baseball games-both anna.
teur and professionalism Sundays. In
his sermon on the subject, Mr.. Bige-
low summed up the whole matter so
broadly and admirably that an extract
from his sermon may be of interest and
use wherever and whenever the SUM-
day observance question arises, and so
We quote:
Experience has taught us the neces-
sity Of our having one days rest in
seven. The State has a right to COM
pei merchant to close his store on
Sunday. for II one merchant kept open
his competitors would be forced to,
and there would be no rest for any
one. But What reason could be as
signed for the legal prohibition of Sun
day baseball games? The only possible
reason is that Sunday Is a day of spe-
cial religious significance. Those who
think so are privileged to keep the day
as they see fit. But what about those
who think otherwise? Such a prohibi.
tion is an interference with their
rights OF conscience. A law prohibit
ing Sunday baseball games Is unconsti-
tutional in its motive 1t is an attempt
to use the power of the State to en-
force upon one class of citizens the re-
ligious opinions of another class. My
neighbor has no more right to invoke
the power of law to keep me from play
ing ball on Sunday than | would have
to invoke the power of law to make
him play Sunday ball. One man be-
lieves that Sunday games are wrong.
Another. just as sincerely. and perhaps
with better reason, believes that Sun
day games are right. Each man holds
to his opinion with good conscience.
And the constitution says that there
shall be no interference with their
rights Of conscience. One man Is as
much entitled to the protection of the
constitution as the other. The preach
ers have right to preach that 1t is
wicked to play ball on Sunday. They
have no right to enforce their teaching
with pOliceman's club. II they can
persuade men to abstain voluntarily
from Sunday games. that is their priv
ilege. But II Is impertinent for them
to ask the assistance OF the Legisla.
ture to compel men to take their ad-
vice. II at the behest of some preach
ers, We are to prohibit Sunday amuse-
ments. why not force men. by law, to
90 to church? The State may establish
Sunday as day of rest. 1t cannot
establish Sunday as day of worship
II a man finds more rest in a ball
game than in a sermon. that may be
his fault, or it may be the fault of the
sermon. but at any rate It is a private
matter.