Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-01-04

agreeing In many points, In the first
the word Elohim is used for God; but
1t is in the plural number and orig1-
nally signifies 1.-THE Gods" In the Sec
ond the word Jehovah Is used. In the
first the gods created the earth, ami
mails and plants in six DAYS time and
rested the seventh day; while in the
second Jehovah did the same work in
one day. There is also two accounts
of the flood save that they are more
or less blended together: that is, lit
tie Is taken from one account and then
a little from the other until we have
the story twice told or nearly So and
the two do not altogether agree. The
higher critics" have called attention
to this and they think the Jewish re-
ligion was a compromise between TWO
distinct religions. We also have two dis
tinct reasons given why the Jews should
observe the Sabbath: the one because
God rested after laboring six days
making the earth, etc, and the other
because He delivered The Jews from
the Egyptian exile. Which OF these
two reasons is the correct one? Cecil
ogists tell us that the earth, animals
land plants were not brought into exist
ence within six days time, but during
millions of years, and this cannot be
denied without denying geology as q
science The original idea of Sab
! bath day was day of absolute rest. to
make It day OF religious exercises
was a later evolution. There were
many reformers in the latter day
prophets Of Israel, whose object was
to soften the rigorous laws of Moses.
Jesus was probably one Of the greatest
reformers the world has ever had; and
more iconoclastic than is generally ad
nlitted While he could not deny the
laws OF Moses without being guilty OF
high treason he modified them to near
" the extent of disarmament. He
was more often accused of violating
the Sabbath than OF any other crime
He believed in and put in practice :
Sabbath of labor in place Of one o.
rest. He cortended that God laborct
instead of.Testing on the Sabbath day
as the Mosaic law represented. SEE
John 5: 16, H.
| The Jewish law required a Sabbath
of absolute inactivity, the penalty 70
going without the camp or picking III
"a stick of wood on that day was death
On several occasions the Jews came
near being annihilated because the,
Nrefrsed 70 de'ond themselves on tn,
Sabbath. VIII either of my kim
friends contend for this Sabbath o
the DecalogCe?
1t remained for Paul to finish tn
iconoclastic work begun by the propf
cts and Jesus, and this had to be don
on Gentle soil Neither did he dar
to advise the Jewish Christians to dro
the law OF Moses. AS ii was his lif
was not safe in Jerusalem. AT tn
convention they decided that the Ger
tiles be relieved from the demands c
the law of Moses peculiar to the Jews
: with few named exceptions, the Sal
bath not being one of them. See Act
; 10: %, 30.
Under tlse banner of liberty m
) friend advocates Sunday laws. He pre-
poses only to prevent corporate gree
, from compelling those employed |
perform unnecessary work on SUI
day. He wants both parties to b
!. free in the matter. So do |. The
why does he not pose as an iconoclat
like me and demand the repeal Of a
Sunday laws that do not float undt
t the banner of liberty? Let us put h
e proposition in another form and see, 6
y long as we are loyal to it, if he and
n are not close together:
y eve both propose to prevent corpo
! ate greed from compelling (again
their Willy those employed from pc
I forming unnecessary Cor for that ma
I ter, any kind of work. on any day
g the week" We want both parties
Il be free in the matter. We think tt
!. employer will seldom, if ever, requi,
l. his hands to work seven days in
e week without rest except when sue
$ labor is absolutely necessary; the ia
L that such kind OF labor would be ha
n to get, and demand extra pay, wou
g answer as a check on such abuse al
y so render no excuse for law. Railroad
s sometimes pay double wages for Su
y day work. But if law should here
e rescrted to. let it apply to the abus
y and no farther 1t is true that circul
T. stances are often a tyrannical mastt
e but withal it's yoke is never so ga
le ing as that Of human tyranny. Won
my friend limit the enforcement
Ie his Sunday laws to those who hi
. help, leaving all free to carry out the
e. own work? If not let him boldly s.
U. so. | greatly fear that his plea
u freedom is only an entering wedge
u behalf of tyranny.
10 Criminals in penitentiaries ha
RI rights, even if they forfeit the right
III run at large, and they should not
IS compelled to listen to religious
IS struction against their will. The pt
V pie should not be taxed to teach the
re or orphans in orphans homes, or CT
O. dren in any school. anything that h
e. not ben proven true. 1t is tyranny
e teach orphan children religion til
We was abhorrent to their dying father
y mother. A. A. Snow
O. Lineville, Iowa.
Ii