The Mena weekly star., 1913-09-11
w. c. T. U. COLUMN
What Sunday Work Is Necessary ?


 question in which there is such a
 wide difference of opinion as this
 What Sunday Work Is Neces-
 sary?"
 But I have this much implied in
 my subject: Il that there is a difference of Sunday work and the work of other days; l2l that only the work that is necessary should be done on Sunday
 The reference is to business, such as is done on the six days of the week, but works of necessity and mercy are clearly permitted. But the question is What work is necessary? What do we understand by the word necessary?
 Everybody accepts Webster as an authority, and every christian should accept Christ. Let us for a few minutes see what light may be given us from these writings. Web ster says that necessary means that which must be done, or extreme need. So let's state our subject like this: What must be done on Sunday" or What duties are eX- tremely needed to be done on Sun day?"
 But someone asks, why do only the necessary things on the Sab bath, or Sunday? What difference does it make what we do on that day? What did God say? What did He intend the day to be, and how kept? In Gen. 2:2 we find these words: God ended His work which He had made, and rested on the seventh day from all His work which he had made, and God bless ed the seventh day and sanctified it. In Exodus, 20th chapter, which was given Moses by the Lord as the Ten Commandments, Jesus said: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not work, @l nor thy son, thy daughter, thy servant, thy cattle nor the stranger within thy gates" Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said unto them: These are the words which the Lord hath commanded that ye should do them: Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day shall be a holy day, Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Ge shall kindle no fire throughout your habitation upon the Sabbath" We see that God not only set us the example of resting on the seV- enih day, but He sanctiiied that day set that day apart as a special day for special purpose He in tended 1t should be a blessing to all generations. He impressed upon us our responsibility toward others, for we are not only to observe Sun day as a rest day, but we are not to make others work. We are asked, didn't Jesus feed the hun ery multitude on Sunday? Didn't he pull the OK out of the ditch on Sunday? We answer yes. But Jesus did not push the OK in the ditch six days that he might pull it out on the seventh. He pulled it out that it might be freed from suffering. Jesus considered it an act of mercy to relieve suffering where and whenever he found it. God not only permits us, but enjoins us to perform acts of mercy on Sunday. We should remember that the seventh day is intended as a holy day, rather than a holiday.
 The laws of one land say we shall do certain things, or shall not do certain things on the Sabbath. In many places today the last clause of the fourth commandment is ob- served. The places of business are closed and only medicine can be bought OF sold on the Sabbath. In some states trains are not run, the postollice is closed, places of amusement, as ball games, etc., are being closed. What does all this mean? It means that these things are unnecessary on Sunday. It is giving the working man. woman, boy and girl a chance to rest and serve God on the seventh day But we hear some say the laws are taking away our personal liberties when they make us keep the Sab bath. God never gave man the right to abuse his body by over work or the liberty to desecrate the Sabbath. We are better fitted for the duties of the six work days by observing the seventh as God com handed.
 But what work is absolutely necessary on Sunday? To the housewife it is a deeper problem than to the business world, and one that often takes a great deal of thought, work and sometimes sac rltice. But it must be worked out. How many of us have not heard or read how the Sunday used to be observed by our parents, grand parents or great-grandparents? How they solved the Sunday work problem? Back to the dear old days when the Sunday meal was prepared on Saturday; when there was no buying and selling on the Sabbath; no Sunday kodak parties, | buggy riding. Sunday visiting and Sunday dissertation was unknown: l when the children were taught it | was Gods day; when the mother and father took the children and | went to church and Sunday school. | In those days mothers were not EaLl.lL nL Ln.-.- L.. LI.a I-.Lal.-..a --..-aI- l