Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-12
MAYOR A|NSL|E SCORED
BY Or. W. A. CHRISTIAN
Says Attempt Is Made to Render
Sunday Law Ridiculous by
Unfair Enforcement.
TWO ASPECTS ARE DISCUSSED
Scores Running OF Railroad Excur-
sions on Sabbath-Day of Rest
Also Declared to Be Indispensable
as Matter OF Health.

Denouncing Mayor Ainslie and other
city officers those who were at
tempting to make n good law ridicu-
lous by unfair and twisted enforce
rnent. Rev. W. Asbury Christian, D. D..
at Union Station Methodist Church last
night. preached vigorous Sermon in
support OF Sabbath observance on the
subject Shall We Keep Our Sunday
Or Shall We Allow Lust. Commerce and
Cs?"
1T is humiliating for n great city"
declared DR.. Christian. TO have as
Mayor a man who tries TO belittle and
scott ut the laws"
DR.. Christian referred to the report
that the Mayor is going to arrest paid
church choir singers on the ground
! mat their work liz unnecessary.
About the most unnecessary thing
4 Know OF In the city of Richmond
is tho office OF Mayor which is n sine
cure with a fat salary. Tho Mayor of
Nashville was ousted by such a law
aS we now have-and George the Third
may profit By his example"
The text Of DR.. Christians sermon
was found in Exodus XXX 8, 0: RE-
member the Sabbath day to keep II
molly" Moral laws. contrary to those
made by men. can never DO rescinded
ana mover become out Of place. said
Or. ChriHtian.
".
quoted the speaker, but no jot nor
TITLE OF My law shall pass away till
all be fulAlled"
Among other moral laws. that
against the violation OF tho Sabbath
lis one that men would like to Ignore
IN order to indulge their own lusts
and advance their own commerce and
covetousness. declared DR.. Christian
This law will endure until tho end of
time. however. as the word OF the
Lord.
TWO ASPECTS OF LAW
ARE FULLY DISCUSSED
Two aspects OF tho Sabbath law were
discussed by DR.. Christian-the legal
and the Christian.
NO nation can exist wtthou. re-
l!glon. he said. The aEnostic, Hulk
Icy, advocated the teaching Of the
bible in the public schools of England
3 because 1t was a great moral code
which the children needed to be &C
quainted with. Put the Bible and re-
ligion out of our life, and 1t will not
10 decade TIL we arc byword and
reproach among the nations.
The place OF public worship Is pro-
tected by law from disturbances OF all
kinds, and In this protection there Is
a recognition OF the States need of
religion. Now If the people must have
place TO worship. they must also
have time. and IL must be protected
from invasion Just as carefully as
zens in this land. which Justice Brew
er. OF the Supreme Bench. has declared
is essentially Christian. has decided
that this protected day OF worship
rle now to guard this day with the
protecting arm of the law and keen
II from being stolen away from them
by the forces OF lust. commerce and
covctousness.
Not only is one rest day in the
week necessary for the prcscrvat lion
OF the people but II is also ind;spens-
able for their health, The Sabbath
Observance Law is humanitarian
measure. Whenever a nation begins
10 blot ont the Sabbath day II digs
at the foundation of its greatness"
As evidence OF the truth of this
statement the speaker cited the case OF
POOR old Mexico" which had given
Carousing.
The keeping Of the commandment
against Sabbath violation is no less i'm
pcrative 10 the Christian or to the
moral citizen than the keeping of the
one against stealing. Man must not
put one commandment above another,
declared DR.. Christian.
In answer to the question OF where
to draw the line between what was
and was not right to do on Sunday
Or. Christian said that he took tho
position of Christ In the matter and
' excluded works Of necessity and mercy
from the prohibition. This distinction
was comprehensive, but II must not be
stretched. Sunday freight trains and
sunday excursions received especial
condemnation from the speaker.
Nobody has been able TO show me
yet" no said the necessity OF pulling
cars loaded with coal over the rail-
roads Sunday after Sunday. 1t Is no
moro necessary to run these freight
Oars loaded with imperishable goods
then 1t is to build those engines In
the locomotive works or for carpenters
10 build houses or for hricklayers 10
:, construct walls on Sunday.
Sunday excursions were condemned
The running of street cars on Sunday,
ur. Christian did not oppose unre-
servedly. but in passing he called at
= tention to tho practice OF the Canadian
government of stopping all street cars
on that day.
IF a man can sell cigars, soda water
and ice cream on the Sabbath day."
said DR.. Christian, why not let him
sell shoes, bacon and cravats. or. since
the saloons arc licensed, why not let
him sell liquor on Sunday?
The argument that appears to cham
piou the cause of the poor man who
cannot buy enough ice or ice cream on
Saturday night to last him over Sun
day in hot weather is no good. The
rich and luxurious are trying to rido
their own appetite on the backs Of the
poor. Nineteen twentieths of all those
who patronze soda fountains and cigar
stores on Sunday are not the poor. If
you give a little rope to those who cry
for liberal Sabbath, the first thing
YOU know your Sunday is gone from
Z. you"
y DR.. Christian insisted that he was
Z not pleading for the old Puritanical OBJ
scrvance Of Sunday, but for true
Christian. American observance Tho
higher we lift the Sabbath day and
+ honor It, the higher In morals and in
world position will we lift our coun-
try, he asserted