El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-10
SABBATH OBEYANCE
SUBJECT Of DR.
R. 7. HANKS
Says Law Is Being Dis
obeyed in Ell Paso and
Officers Are Per-
jurerS.

At the Calvary Baptist church Sun
day morning. Rev. r. T. Hanks
preached on Sabbath observance, giving
special emphasis to obedience to law.
as it is connected with that matter. He
said in part:
II speak to you today on Sabbath OBJ
servance because 1 GO no: know of
any department OF our cIv:c life in
which there Is more fragrant violation
OF law than IN this And you may be
sure that observance OF zaw-respect
for authority-is at the base of good
citizenship. If child is not taught to
obey his parents, If he is not taught
respect for authority at home, he will
grow up to make a member of the law
less class in the state. 1t is no mys-
terry that only about five out Of a 1000
of the inmates of the pcnitentiary were
ever in a Sunday school. 1t is not alto
gether that the Sunday school incul-
Gates moral and spiritual truths. but 1t
is largely because the boy who goes TO
Sunday school usually comes out of Il
law-abiding home.
The Biblical Injunction.
Some one may be ready to say. to
the Biblical injunction as to obedience
to law: oh, that's Gods dealings
with the ancients; we live in a very
different time, and under a different
dispensatiOn.' There are two things TO
be said about that One is, the Chris
tan, living in the year 1910, in FL Paso,
Texas, United States OF America, is I'M
der as much obligation to love God, to
honor God, and to keep his command
ments, as any son of Israel ever was.
The other is, while we live in the
Christian dispensation, we have the
same God, and in our dispensation, all
the moral obligations of the law are
binding upon us.
Let me say here that we have laws
of Texas and laws Of FL Paso about
observing the Lords day-Sunday-a
whether a man is a Christian or not,
he is under obligation as a good citizen,
as lava biding subject of this govern
ment, to observe the Sabbath.
1t is written in the charter OF our
city. mo ordinance shall be enacted in
consistent with the laws of the state
of Texas" Therefore the Sunday laws
of Texas are binding upon the citizens
of Ell Paso, and every officer of the
law is sworn to execute these laws. If
an officer thus makes oath, and then
connives at the violation of law in any
respect, he perjures himself.
One Item In the Code.
Il give you here only one article of
the Sunday laws Of the state. Art 199
0S6) says: ANY merchant, grocer or
dealer in wares of merchandise, or
trader in any business whatsoever, or
the proprietor of any place of public
amusement to be open for purpose Of
traffic, or public amusement on Sun
day, shall be fined not less than $40
nor more han $50. The term, place Of
public amusement. shall be construed
4sv -fo~x-
theaters. and such other amusements as
are exhibited. and for which an admis-
sion fee is charged"
After Theaters.
This makes the Sunday evening thea
ter and the Sunday moving picture
shows, for which an admission fee is
charged. clearly illegal. This state law
is an FL Paso law. The officers of the
law are just as much honor bound TO
enforce this law as they are any law.
They are not lawmakers. but law en-
forcerS.
Our city is not worse than many(
other cities, and not so bad as some,
but what the supreme court OF the United
States has decided in this matter is
so. No permanent good and no per-
immortality. Men of families want to
rear their children in law-abiding
community. and our city will prosper in
proportion as the people love justice,
administer mercy, and do good.
Cites Examples
And history teaches that the Sabbath
observing peoples are the prosperous,
happy people. And the frown of provi
dence is upon the Sabbath desecratOr.
The violent deaths which have shocked
us all have come to those who would
profane Gods day. The professor who
was drowned while duck hunting in
Mexico on Sunday; the good neighbor
across the street, who went out TO
spend Sunday shooting and was
brought back a corpse from an acct
dent from his own gun, and the boy
who went out on Sunday after Christ
mas TO hunt, surely ought TO teach us
TO fear God, and regard his holy day"