Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-10-04

mony with Divine worship.
Knitting for our soldiers is a pa.
triotic duty. born of love and sacri-.
fee for our cause, and for the per-
petuation of the Republic
May it not be done at home, in
| spare moments, in hours of toll ser
apart for the purpose?
Let us do our utmost for our sol
diers, but let us preserve our Lords
Day inviolate. as an institution essen
tial TO the life of the nation"
Rector OF st. Mary's.
Quoting the Scripture as the basis
of his opinion in the matter at issue,
the Rector OF ST Marys, the Rev.
Father Cornelius j. Warren. C.SS.R,
said:
In reply to your question regard
ing knitting on Sundays. the doctrine
as set forth by Catholic theoIogians
is as follows: Remember that thou
keep holy the Sabbath Ex. 20, s.
This precept is both prescriptive
and prohibitory-pr in so
The Lords Day by external and pub
lie worship; prohibitory in that it
forbids the proclamation of the Lords
Day by servile work. The object Of
this prohibition is to afford the faith
full an opportunity of devoting them
selves entirely, soul and body. to the
sacred obligation of Divine worship,
soly nd
mental rest.
Now, servile work, for such only
is prohibited, derives its name from
the fact that formerly, it was per-
formed by servants 1t is also called
manual labor because performed with
the hands. (Manus-Latin for hand.)
with regard to certain occupa-
tions it is an easy matter for the
faithful to decide whether or not they
are classed under servile works.
For example, they know at once
that plowing, sowing and reaDing are
servile works. But doubt may arise
respecting other work of lighter ma
ture. For instance, one is permitted
to write, to draw. to paint (pictures),
to embroider, etc, if it is not done as
days work.
"On the other hand, knitting is con-
sidered by theologians as servile work
and, therefore, forbidden on Sundays.
I'm a case of absolute necessity, the
prohibition in this, as In other things,
has no binding force, for necessity
knows no law Does such a neces-
sity exist in this case?
knitting in church during Divine
Service is, of course, out Of the ques-
tion altogether"
Rev. Dir. ii. w. fsurgan.
With the calmness and fervor that
characterizes the man, with deep
earnestness and sincerity manifest in
all he said, the Rev. Dr. Fl. W. Bur-
gan, pastor of the First Methodist
Episcopal Church, replied as follows:
"To the question as to whether
women ought to knit in church, l
would answer emphatically, They
ought not We need Gods help in
it if we can't give our undivided at
tention to His worship a few hours
per week.
"As to whether ladies ought to knit
at all on Sundays, ! answer with
equal positiveness, No If any woman
in Annapolis is working so hard dur
ing six days a week that she can't
find time to do little knitting for
our sailors, then she is already do
ing more work than God ever intend
ed her to do, and as a result she needs
all the more the absolute-fest of Sun
day
Our wives, mothers, sisters and
daughters must be physically and
spiritually prepared in order to bear
bravely some of the trying expert
ences which await them if this war
is to be fought to finish. They will
need God and health They'll have
neither then if they neglect both now.
advocate knitting, but | condemn
strongly doing it on Sunday.
MY reasons for the above answers
are patriotic as well as religious.
The British Health of Munitions
Workers Committee, appointed by the
Minister of Munitions with the con-
currence of the Home Secretary,
made thorough investigation of con-
ditions affecting the health and well
fare of all war workers ia Great
Britain. They made a report to Hon.
David Lloyd George, which has been
published by the United States De-
partment of Labor at Washington.
''In dealing with the Sunday war
work question the committee says:
The committee have been so i'm
pressed with the urgency and import
ance of this fthe Sunday question
that they have thought it right to sub
NIT an iterim report dealing with
this question at once without waiting
until they were in position to deal
also with other questions falling with
in their terms of reference Their
conclusion concerning all kinds Of
Sunday work for war purposes fol-
lows:
Upon the subject OF Sunday la
Dor the evidence before the commit
tee led them to hold that if the max
imum output is to be secured and
maintained for any length of time a
weekly period of rest must be al
lowed. On economic and social
/ grounds alike this weekly period of
rest is best provided on Sunday
Rev. III. F. Carl Haas.