Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-07-11


In the South there are more church
members and better observance of the
Sabbath than in any other section Of our
country, if indeed, ii may not be said
that our section excels any other part
of the world in these things. We owe
ii to ourselves, to our ancestors who
gave US these things, and to the world
which needs like blessings in all lands,
that we maintain the good which is
characteristic of us. Certainly we
should not become worse than we have
been, If we can not be better.
But there Is a sly movement on foot
to rob US of our Sabbath. 1t proposes
at first to have Sunday games Of ball
and moving-picture show opened on the
sacred day, Sunday concerts having al
ready been secured without special pro-
test upon the part OF the churches and
those who are concerned for religious
things. Later IT will call for other
forms of Sabbath dissertation.
The movement has gone far enough.
and 1T should be arrested without delay
before 1T runs to a greater excess OF
riot. 1.-THE Gideons," an organization
of godly travelling men, are very WISE
ly resisting the introduction or Dali
games on Sunday, and the preachers
have spoken strongly against both the
games of ball and the picture shows on
the Sabbath. These good men. both
clerical and lay, should press their OPP
position to these evils with all zeal. II
is not enough to pass resolutions In OPP
position to them; the most vigorous war
fare should be waged against them. They
are backed and defended by men who
will be active in their efforts to secure
them, and it will require equal activity
upon the part of all who oppose them
to defeat what is proposed. a-feady the
cities of Montgomery and Mobile nave
been captured by the enemies OF the
Sabbath. They will try to accomplish
the same results in all our cities.
Once baseball and picture shows are
allowed, other violations OF the Sabbath
will be demanded, and every added pro-
fanation of the day will be invoked as
a precedeA.. or the introduction o. some
thing worse. In the end not vestige
of Sabbath observance will be LETT In
the South. The Sunday concerts (m1s-
called sacred concerts') are made the
basis for arguments for allowing sun
day ball-games and picture shows, and
from this fact we may easily predlct
how rapidly will be brought In rar
worse things unless the eS-- = arrested
now
There is no earthly justification for
any of these invasions of the Sabbath.
The stock plea made for them to the
effect that they are needed by working
men," who can not get any recreation
during the week. is the merest and shall
lowest pretence. The demand Tor sucn
evils comes from idlers, whose lives are
given up to amusement and Incidence
not from the men of toll and industry.
The working men know very Wen, or II
they do not know it they should know
it, that when Sunday sports have bro
ken down the Sabbath they will e
forced to give seven days labour for the
wages of six. --bove all men in our
section, wage-earners have most to lose
in the over throw of the Sabbath and
most to gain in it's maintenance.
But all classes are interested Few
will be found to deny that it is necessary
to have religion in the land, and 1t is too
clear for argument or doubt that religion
can not survive without day OF wor-
shin severely hedged about against the
intrusion of secular things into its sacred
hours. In all those lands where the Sab
bath has been given up to amusements,
and turned from holy day into hoil-
day, religion is languishing and ready TO
lie. Years ago DR. j. G.. Holland, while
editing Scribner's Magazine, wrote upon
this matter after extensive observation
of the effect of what is sometimes called
the Continental Sabbath. He said
among other things THE most religious
and earnest of the Catholic clergy OF
Europe lament the fact that the Sunday
of their church and their several coun-
tries is a day of amusement. They see,
and they publicly acknowledge, that
without the English and American sun
day they work for the spiritual benefit OF
their people at sad disadvantage. 1t is
this European Sunday. which we are
told is to come to America at last
through her foreign population. We hope
not We would like to ask those VINO
would rejoice<in it's advent, how much II
has done for the, countries where 1t ex-
lists"
Unfortunately what DIR, Holland hoped
would not come to our country has come
to many of the cities of the North. For
eigners coming out of Sabbathless lands
have over-ridden the Sabbath in New
York. Chicago, Cincinnati, and other
cities in the North and West. Now the
tide of immigration has turned South
ward, and the same result will follow in
our section, If our people do not rise up
promptly and give all parties to under
stand that we will not have any such
things. Now we can nip the evil in the
bud. but If we delay, It will soon become
exceedingly hard to overcome