Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-07-25

condition.
1t is not an accident that the map of
Sabbath observance in the world is ex-
actly coincident with the map of good
government and that the social order
of any nation is in proportion to its
observance of the Sabbath day. In
heather lands, where there is no Sab
bath at all, we witness conditions of
dire poverty as to things material and
dreadful degradation as to the lives of
the people. In nominally Christian
lands the level of civilization is exact
! ly on the plane of Sabbath observance.
The Continental Sabbath in Europe
has been an utter failure 1t is a holi-
day with the people, and contributes
little, or nothing, to their spiritual life
Some would have us adopt in the South
this Continental Sabbath; but we should
not consent to what they desire. Every
man who has travelled abroad knows
full well that the lax observance of the
Sabbath in continental Europe is both
blelnish and a blight to European
civilization.
Some have characterized the Southern
mode. of observing the Sabbath as
"Puritanic." So be it. 1t must be said
of the Puritans that they never cor
rupted a church or destroyed a common
wealth. and Puritanism is the remotest
possible peril of our people at the pres
ent time. Their danger is not in too
strict observance of the moral law, but
| in two great indifference to 1t. And
they need constantly the reminder of
the peril which besets such course.
But we see man tendencies to over
throw the Sabbath. The moving-picture
shows have begpn, under pretences or
charity. to open their exhibitions on
/ oil
benevolence in these exhibitions than
there was in the suggestion of Judas
that the alabaster box of Mary should
have been sold and given to the poor.
These showmen are not inspired by
benevolence, but by the desire of ac-
customing our people to Sabbath vio-
lations so that they may finally tolerate
shows on every day in the week, includ-
ing Sunday. And there are other things
not less reprehensible which are con-
spring with the moving pictures to en-
crosch upon the Sabbath, and draw the
people away from the churches to
! worldliness and waywardness
It is amazing that the preachers do not
make more aggressive and persistent
opposition to these things. They are
very much concerned for temperance and
prohibition, and in this they do we'll.
| But the Sabbath question is very
| much larger and more important ques-
tion than the temperance question.
When the Sabbath is subverted, and
the great body of the people forsake the
| churches for Sunday amusements, the
pulpit will have little chance to- in
| fluence them on any moral question, and
| temperance sentiment and all other high
| things will wither. AS long as we have
a Sabbath day and the people worship
| in the churches, there is hope for curing
| any moral disorder which may threat
| en- u.s. but when the Sabbath is gone and
| the churches are neglected, every good
| thing will suffer irreparable damage.
Commerce will enforce prohibition. In
deed the progress of temperance In the
| last decade has been a thing more COM
| mercial than Christian. The railroads
| have enforced It upon their employees.
| The life insurance companies have en-
| forced 1t by their requirements. All
| commercial corporations, of every kind,
| have united in declaring that the job
| and the jug shall not longer go togeth-
| err. Hence, we have seen vast advance
in the matter of sobriety, but we must
| not assume that this is religious re-
| suit altogether. Russia has put down
! the use of vodka, but the Russians are
/ not the more moral on that account.
| They have adopted prohibition under
| the constraint of the exigencies of war.
In like manner the American people
are adopting temperance out of con-
| siderations of selfish gain, and, there
| fore, we may trust commerce to make
! an end of the saloon. The business
world is not going to let this parasite
upon the commercial system continue
much longer.
But we cannot trust commerce to pre-
| serve the Sabbath. On the contrary
commerce will subvert the Sabbath.
Men who are seeking gain are impatient
| of losing even one day in seven. Their
| greed consumes them, and they desire
| to throw off the restraints of the Sab
bath day.
Moreover, the men who labor with
| their hands are falling into a mistake.
! They are subverting the Sabbath, not
! perceiving that when they have over
! thrown the holy day they will be con-
! strained to give seven days work for
| six days wages. No one is more vitality
! interested in preserving the Sabbath
day than tn working man. 1t is some
thing worse than a blunder when the
labor unions hold their meetings on
! Sunday, and draw their members away
| from the churches. In the end labor
must suffer seriously on account of this
| turning away from God.
In view of all these considerations
the preachers and the churches should
withstand with the utmost earnestness
/ the encrOdCnneHlS WHlCn are D6lHS
made so furtively and cautiously upon
| the Sabbath. Before they know it, if
| they are not more watchful the South
will have no better Sabbath than that
which prevails generally in the North
and Northwest and from that stage
of Sabbath dissertation the distance to
, the Continental Sabbath is but a step.
And let it be borne in mind that
when the Sabbath day is destroyed, we
can not restore the holy institution;
for the people will not be in the
churches to hear preaching, and any eff
fort to restore 1t would be at the ut
most disadvantage and with the least
possibla hope Of success. If prohibi lion
should be overthrown and Sabbath
day still left, we could hope to rally
again the temperance forces and restore
what had been lost; for the people
would still continue to worship and they
would hear the exhortations and warn
ings of the preachers of the Gospel.
AS long as we have a Sabbath for rest
and worship, no evil can finally fix itself
upon the social system and no good
can fail of ultimate victory; but with
out the Sabbath evil will go without re-
buke and good without effectual advo-
cacy.