The Washington herald., 1909-02-22
Sunday Enforcement.

Editor TIE Washington Herald:
Occasionally a religionist may be found
who declares that Gods judgments are
coming upon the world because OF the
nances. oppression. violence. fraudulent
observance Of the day. it is claimed.
viii result in an increase Of morality;
and an Increase OF morality viii stay
the visitation OF wrath. The manner IN
which the people keep the Sabbath tSun-
day) VIII 5e a test OF their character.
an index OF their morality and religion -
However pure and healthful the foun-
tain. il poison be cast into it. 1t sends
forth only streams Of death; so VIII
desecrated and polluted Sabbaths work
our more speedy ard dreadful ruin
History presents three periods in the
history Of Christeadom when Sunday
observance was rigidly enforced and
by these can be determined whether the
resuIC was an increase OF morality and
pure religion. 1. In the Fourth cen
tury. when the churches succeeded IN
having Sunday observance enforced by
the imperial power. And here is the re
suit:
The people Of God are dispersed By the
abOunding immOTalities and heTesies OF
the day. while TO good shepherd appears
20 lay down his life for the sheep
Jerome. AS things now are, al is cor
rupt and lost The church is little else
than a stall for cattle, or a fold for
csmels and asses: and when I so out IN
search Of a sheep 1 find none All
are rampant and refractory as herds OF
horses and Wild asses; everything IS
SLED with their aboUnding corruption
No language can describe the angry con-
tentiOns OF Christians. and the corrvp-
ton OF morals that prevailed. from the
time cf Constantine 10 THAI of Theodo-
siUs- '-Chry ysoston-
. In England and Scotland in the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries. the
enforcement Of Sunday was part Of the
religion % The time, and The result Uaz
similar TO that OF the fourth century.
Those passions and tastes which had
been sternly repreSsed broke forth with
Ungovernable violence as soon as the
check was withdrawn Men flew 10 friy-
OlOus amusements and 70 criminal pleas
ures. with the gTeediness which long and
enforced abstinence naturally produces
Little restraint was imposed by public
opinion. For the nation. nsuseated by
can't suspicious OF ali pretensions 70
sanctcity. and still smarting from the ty-
rauny Of rulers austere in life and power
full ia PRAYER. looked for tine with COM
pIacency on the softer and gayer vices. -
AIscaulay. Il thought I should have found
IN Scotland a conscientious people. and
a barren country. about Edingurgh IL Is as
fertile for corn as any part OF England;
but the people generally are 50 given 10
the most impudent lying and frequent
swearing. as IS incredible 10 be believed. %
The growth Of sins Of all sorts, psrtic-
ularly unCleanness. contempt OF ordi-
nances. oppression. violence. fraudulent
dealing. and that under the rod the most
part OF the people growing worse and
worse. and revolving more and more =
Carlyle's Cromwell
3 IN the New England colonies the
story is similar. There IS a great and
visible decay Of the power Of godliness
amongst many professors IN these
churches II may be feared that there
Is In too many spiritual and heart spos-
tasv from God. .''-Nsther-s Marginalis-
AS for the state and condition of things
among Us. il Is sad, and Ike 70 continue
81 III cA4A4-A.t4A toAA1ti ACisNNtaNAAae SfA4 -
is very active. and that in the powers %
this world he that viii not whip and lash.
persecute and punish men that differ in
matters Of religion. must not sit on the
bench. nor sustain any Office in the COM
monweslth- james Cudworth. who had
been a magistrate and commission officer
in one Of the colonies
A day OF 50 ago a gentleman prominent
IN national politics stated that he found
better Sunday observance in the District
Of Columbia than in any other part OF
the United States. And vet the District
has no Sunday law. The same is true
Of California Japan has no Sunday law;
but who viii say that the citizens OF that
country are less moral than those OF
England or Scotland or the United States.
or that the judgments OF God are more
marked there than IN other countries
And from a purely physical basis. the
japanese have demonstrated their su-
per!ority over nation with national Sun
day observance. Russia The United
states government thus far has refused
TO pass national Sunday law Is the
nation less moral and less progressive as
a consequence Let the observance Of
Sunday and all other days remain a mat
ter entirely OF conscience. and we need
have no fear either for the dav OF for
our morality. or for the judgments Of
God upon the nation. JOHN y. QUINN.