The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-26
IN THE RELIGIOUS HONLO
What Church Folk Are think
ing Abont and Doing
The international Sunday Sc'io"i H
son for MAY 1 IS Two Sabba'il III
ciGentS." Matt. IL: LA.
ID, N-E:IJ All T. ELLIS.
nv WELlAM 7. ELLIS.

The Dl1lGSS Oh JEN
steady mems thinking. Here ~
tav's New York paper, which lies pc
fora mo is a four column heddlilo
ard = long article upon the idtS9t
nhaso of the Sunday question III ~
metropolis; while alongside OF / ~
a Bible, open at u discussion 81 -
Sabbath question recorded two nous
and years ago. :.
Pv contrast. the newspaper afllcle -
nitifully local and shallo" ana one
sided: it seems to see this Whole Na9l
social and religious problem oiiiH. q
il were. through the bottom o. = tii'-
ed beer glass. There IS no eVloNnS7
in the headlines or in the text tia' =
sunday question is, or ever mas peeI'
more than a New York issue. Such
an attitude is hopeless Of fndlnS It
permanent solution. On the othei
hand, the humber Jewish teacher
whose mode Of life and whose en-
Would excite the uhcoH-
cealed CONTEMPT Of q modern New
Yorker, dealt With two episodes Whlcfl
raised the Sabbath question III 4 man
Nor which provides the best light upon
that same issue as it has persisted
unto this day. creating political com
plexities in North America ana IN
many parts of Europe. The conclu-
sion is irresistible that the most sen
sible first step to take in any consid-
Grafton Of this theme is to find out
what the New Testament says about IL
& Modern ~perpieXity.
RuIes must be changed With chang
ing conditions: principles apply for all
time. The Jewish Sabbath is only a
memory. The Puritan Sabbath is as
~antiquated as the Puritan hat. The
modern Sunday, in its observance, Is
inchoate and unsatisfactory. Multi
tudes Of concerned persons are fuss
ing around trying TO formulate rules
that Will fit everybody everywhere.
The men Of broad vision. and capacity
for ~SraspinS INT and enuncl-
ating principles. are c~onspicuously
lacking. The Sunday question is
really one OF the big problems Of
civilization; set particularly for the
chUrch's solution: yet most persons
interested seem to be hopelessly mud
died. Only Jesus speaks in clear
tones a message suited to the day.
Many good people are deeply con-
rerned that their children do not love
sunday, The day is an ordeal to be
endured. 1t is hedged all about with
'don'ts,' but there are few gates
marked This do III remembrance Of
Me" Even their elders perceive
that the Old-fashioned program Of a
day filed with church going. is not
The most truly religious. or expressive
OF the days purpose, for many persons
III these days. They also
realize, even though they DO not al
ways understand why. that the wor-
ship day cannot safely be turned into
a work day or q play day. TIL Sab
path was made for man" but If it IS
robbed Of its peculiar identity, and
made just like other days, it would,
aS has been pointed out. be no longer
q sabbath, but d Monday or a Tuesday,
Jesus the Sabbath-tsreakcr.
h portion Of The biography OF Jesus
jnnr which thjc 1ac-1n 50 Iaool 49,,
prtses two episodes, wherein Jesus and
his little band of friends fgured. in
the eyes Of the P~haraSes. AS Sabbath
breakers. The first criticism arose
from the act Of the disciples in pluck
ing grain from the field through which
they passed Can act permitted on other
lays by the Jewish law. and eating it.
The strict constructionistS among the
Jewish teachers cOntended that pluck
ing the grain was a form Of reaping.
and that to rub it in the hands to re-
move the chaff was threshing. There
fore the Jesus company had worked
on the
The other incident occurred in the
synagogue ltsclf-forJ Jesus was a CON
slant church-goer-where he healed q
man with a Withered hand. IA
Pharisees themselves called his atten-
ton to the case Of need, not because
they cared for the afflicted man, but
because they wanted to entrap the
healer. Unconventional and unafraid,
Jesus straightWay performed b mira
Gle, thus defying his critics and adding
one more ember to the fires of their
jealous, blind hate, which was des-
tined to consume him.
That Jesus broke the Sabbath
their idea of the Sabbath-waS one OF
the great grievances of the Jew
against him. Nor WAS their luminosity
leSsened by the way in which he prov
ed the righteousness of his course by
their own laws. From the Old TeSta-
ment incident of David and the sheW
bread, and of the labOrs of the priests
On every Sabbath, he justified the &C
ton Of his disciples in the grain field
BY the approved practice of delivering
4 sheep from q pit on the hG
made clear that. as a man is better
than q sheep, SO it is lawful to q,
good on the Sabbath.
stretch Forth Thy Hand
Preachers have delighted 70 dwell or
the pSf3DOiic ~IlCani1r of the he3iins