The Alaska citizen., 1914-11-02

Literary Digest. Sabbath observ- ance which has been the cause of so much legislation in this country, should find a way to combine with 1t a wholesome Sabbath recreation, thinks the Vicar of Whittlesey S. Andrews, near Peterborough, EnG land. He declares the Puritan Sab bath to be a modern" institution with neither history nor theology behind it" He calls it modern, flor it is not a century and a half old"
 Scotland alone can furnish it history of two centuries. Tt was the discovery at the end of the sixteenth century of Scotsman, and passed thence through the Puri- tans to England" Nowhere out of America and the British Isles does points out this writer Furthermore mo primitive or medieval theologian knew aieht of it. - Neitheir south of Europe with it's Romanism nor northern Europe with it's Protestan tism, nor eastern Europe and the Greek Church knows anything about it." Becoming somewhat warm in his denunciation, this Church of Eng land clergyman, Rev A. E. T. New man, writing in the London Daily Chronicle, dubs it "a mushroom in its growth and an evil fungus in it's existence" Proceeding, he writes:
 WANTS PERSONAL FREEDOM.
 If it were otherwise I should still maintain the right of those who did not profess the Christian faith to play games, for 1 deny the right of majority to refuse to minor ity the freedom to obey their own consciences. As it is, l hold that the only obligation resting on a Christian is to attend the Holy Com munion on Sunday morning If he can derive profit from attending one or more extra services it is we'll if he can add to that meditation on sacred things in the afternoon 1t is better; but that is the obligation, That performed there is no theo- logical reason which can be given why the Christian should not spend the day in the manner which he finds best for the body, the mind and the spirit, and which helps him most to realize that it is good to be alive.
 Putting it on the lowest ground, that of expediency, it must be re- membered that all men and boys do not spend the whole of Sunday either in church or in their homes. Many of them spend the day in kill ing time. Every one will admit that there is no more dangerous occupa- tion to be found. It leads, as every resident in village and country town must know, to many evils. It would be infinitely better to occupy all who had nothing to do either in playing or watching football or cricket-match in the afternoon. It would be far better if some club were open in the evening, where men who have no comfortable home or feel the need of company could have their game of billiards or of MAKES COMPARISON.
 "Tte dread of Continental Sun day is moonshine. It is derived chiefly from week end in Paris, where no doubt there is much visible irreligion, but where there is, in truth. much invisible piety. To see the feasibility of my view, and that it is in no way inimical to religion, it is only necessary to see village in Roman Brittany or in Protestant Switzerland or in Lutheran Norway In any of the three it is patent to the observer that while the people make Sunday fete, they none the less perform their religious duties"
 MT. Newman is unhaunted by fears of empty churches and Sunday schools, with "irreligion rampant" 'Ir the Christian religion has any t,lt it's nominal adhererts." hc asserts, Cit will maintain it. tc the counter-attractions wha. they may.'
 "If a simple afternoon game will empty the churches in the evening,