Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1915-07-01
SUNDAY DECORATIONS, DINNERS
AND sINcINcs


II BY Ban McVann
Why is the Sunday decoration
wrong? Only a few of the argu
ments against this very popular at
traction can be here mentioned.
In the very first place it is wrong
because it leads the people away from
] the Sunday chool and the preaching
services. That the Sunday decora.
tion will attract the people away from
the G urch is fact that no reason
able man will dispute. 1t has been
tested in every community in this
county. A Sunday decoration in any
community will always reduce the
crowds a tSunday school and preach
ing. 1t is often the case that the
teachers and officers will leave their
posts Of duty and stray .off after this
attraction.
A few Sundays ago there was .
decoration at -; on that day Algood;
Cookeville, Double Springs. Baxter,
Bona, Silver Point and other nearby
towns and communities simply puked
and the chewing-gum crowd went to
the decoration in great numbers.
Dozens OF preaching services and
Sunday schools were drawn upon to
support this decoration,and while the
performance was going on at this place
the devil had similar ones in opera
tion at other places in the country.
The devil is on his job. He don't want
folks to go to church and he hates
the Sunday school. So he has invent
ed these attractions to decoy unthink-
ing and careless people away from the
instituted means Of grace. He argues
that they have good songs, prayers
and talks at the graves; and that the
people have perfect right to these
privileges. 1t is your privilege,
he says. Just SO as though any one
had the right to do wrong. Why does
the devil want any religion mixed
with the decoration? Simply to make
the unthinking ones believe 1t Is no
harm to spend their Sabbaths in this
way. The devil always wants fly to
hide the sharpness Of his hook. He
always flavors his dope SO that you
will like it's taste. He coats his pills
with the Lords sugar SO that you
will think them harmless.
These attractions and the church
do not work together. They are op-
posed to each other. You must give
up the one or the other. Which will
it be?
In the second place contend that
the Sunday decoration is not ne
cessity and should not take the place
of that which Is. The church and
Sunday school is necessity and he
who supplants these divinely insti-
tuted means Of grace with any such
frolic thereby brands himself as in
opposition to the Church for which |
Christ died.
Please understand that ! am not |
against the decorations. but |
against the Sunday decoration. II
there is any good in decorating the |
graves Of dead friends, then why not
do so on some other day? why steaT
the Lords day for this purpose?
Those who are too busy to take their
own time for this purpose. simply
mock the dead when they do go on
Sunday.
As to the Sunday all day sing with
dinner on the ground. 1t deserves
about the same condemnation. What
Is true Of the one is usually true Of
The other.
The reader will please excuse me
Tor not mentioning my dear brother
Henry in the above. You will notice
hat he said nothing in his last article
that deserves comment, unless 1t be
he fact that ne announces hlmseH IN
'avor Of the Sunday decoration. and
hat on the grounds that THIS ONE Il
IS THEIR OWN. and
THE PEOPLE HAVE A PERFECT
RIGHT TO THESE PRIVILEGES" Ii
Ny what an argument. OF course no
me can answer it. The people are all (
privileged characters, let them do as
hey please. Yes the drunkard, the I
ibertine, the outlaw. all act on this
,romise Just lift llrestraints Of
aw or moral suasion and let broth q
n Henry and his crowd do as they 4
,lease, exercise their supposed privi-
eges. ty
CARDS ASKED FOR i
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