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


on Sunday While we, as Christians
in a Christian country. are assem-
/ bled in our houses of prayer and wor-
ship to honor God and bring homage
to Him, He has a divine, christian.
spiritual and moral right 10 demand
our whole and undivided attention.
1--WE cannot serve two masters. Our
God is a jealous God All things we
do or might do during the time set
aside for the worship of Him. are to
be looked upon with disdain and sus-
picion: He. the Lord God. will call il
a sacrilege, for, while the body is
in His presence. the soul is not We
are stealing our souls eternal well
fare and bartering ii for the temporal
physical need at the present crises.
Would not Jesus do the same as He
did in the temple of Jerusalem ii He
saw us desecrating His House?
Truly the Lord can say: My House
shall be called the House of Prayer;
but We have made il den of thieves
And this he did and said on week
day; what right have we then TO
work in His House on Sabbath?
lis it right to knit on Sunday?'
Most emphatically, No. We read:
Remember the Sabbath Day and keep
ii holy etc, etc Let us not use the
general argument, that this work of
knitting for our soldier boys (for
| take II that this is the point of the
argument and not the work for per-
sonal use) is a necessity and work
of love. This argument is vain and
futile Truly, unrist did works of
need on a Sabbath Day. but there was
outstanding to Him as a predominant
ing fact, the greatest need. the
spiritual welfare of the soul which \
prompted His actions. Is knitting a
work of necessity and love? Yes;
but where in the demand of this serv-
ice do YOU md a call of the soul?
There is none whatever. If our love
to God prompts us to do good deeds
for others, this same love, strength
ened by prayer on the Sabbath Day.
will create a greater zeal and activ-
ity to perform these deeds during the
week. Good and noble as this work
this work not being done mostly be-
cause it is a fad?' If not, but sole
~ out of Christian brotherly love and
patriotism, / in turn inquire again:
Why do YOU make a public show of
it?' 1t is contrary to all Christian
doctrine that our works of love
should be clothed in the Pharisee's
garb Therefore, | think these last
questions ought to be the beginning
of the whole argument, and if these
questions would be asked and consid-
cred, the other would never arise"
Rev. DIR. j. VI. Magruder.
When approached on the propriety
of Sunday knitting, the Rev. DR.. j. NJ
Of st. Margaret's Church, Westmins-
ter Parish, said:
"At your request, | submit the fol-
lowing opinion in regard to the GUS
tom, which has recently sprung up
in some quarters. of knitting for the
soldiers and sailors of our country
on Sunday, the day of rest and wor-
ship, and even in the house of wor-
ship during the hour Of service.
"As to the first question, / would
not consider it a sin to knit on Sun
day in order to finish a certain num-
ber of garments that had to be fin
ished within a limited time in order
that the men might receive them be-
fore sailing, we will say The emer-
gency principle would be applicable
in that case-the pulling the OK or
the ass out Of the ditch on the Sab
bath Day, which our Lord seems to
have approved. In all such instances,
however, one should observe the old
caution not to push the OK or the
ass into the ditch In other words,
when real bona fde emergency
arises that pertains to the essentials
of life, tackle it with a clear con-
science on Sunday, or any other day,
and carry through the undertaking to
successful issue, if possible. Do
not, however, encroach upon the
Lords Day for such work in order
that you may take the time during
the week for idling or unnecessary
pleasure
my own belief is, that it is pos
sible. in the long run, to accomplish
more by keeping sacred for rest and
worship the first day of the week.
In the early years of the last cen
tury two families were moving from
the Atlantic seaboard to one of the
Gulf States. The head on one house
hold, anxious to reach his destina
ton, adopted the policy of travelling
on Sunday just as on every other
day. The head of the other rested
his family and his beasts of burden
on every Sunday; and although he
started a day earlier than his friend
and was soon overtaken and passed
on the road, yet he reached their new
home several days in advance Of the
traveller who tried to shorten the
time by Sunday travel. He and his
family and his horses were in good
health and fine spirits upon arrival,
whereas both man and beast in the
other part were jaded and dispirited.
These are facts-draw your own
moral
"As to the second question of car
rying your knitting to church and
keeping busy with it during service,
should say. if there was real
emergency it would be more adyis-