Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-26

institutions were founded, and should
ever be defended: she General hopes
Ind trusts that every officer and man
will endeavor to live and act as becomes
a Christian soldier, defending the dear
est rights and liberties of his country. "
In three great crises of the history of
the nation" the ablest presidents of the
Republic have thus emphasized the i'm
pOrtance of Sabbath observance to the
welfare of our country.
And other great statesmen and pub
licists have estified strongly to the
value of the Sabbath in the preservation
of our political institutions and the
blessing of mankind.
Justice Mclean, of the Supreme Court
of the United States, said: Where there
is no Christian Sabbath, there is no
Christian morality; and without this,
free institutions can not long be sus-
tanned"
De Tocqueville, the great French COM
mentator on American Democracy, said
France must have the American Sabbath
or be ruined. And behold how France
has suffered for the lack of the sacred
day.
In a great address a few years be-
fore he died, that noble man, the late
John Randolph Tucker, of Virginia, said,
"Ah! my friends, break down the fence
of Christianity, and liberty and law and
civilization will perish with it. l wish
to testify my belief, that the institution
al custom of our fathers, in remembering
the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the
conservator of Their Christian religion,
is the foundation of our political sys-
tenn, and the only hope of American
freedom, progress and glory"
A time of war puts strain on all
ial
awful conflict now raging puts the
heaviest strain on these things which
mankind has ever known. 1t is well,
therefore, that President Wilson issues
at this time his order concerning the
observance of the Sabbath by the army
and navy. Our men are, or will be, in
foreign lands, where the Continental
Sabbath" prevails. They need to be Sc
cured against 1t and to be held to the
better Sabbath which has prevailed in
our country. both for their own good
and for the benefit of the troops of
other nations with whom they will be
associated.
1t would be an unspeakable calamity
if our troops returned to America at
the close of the war to become propa-
gandists of the Continental Sabbath m
our country. 1t would mean their own
moral deterioration and it would lead to
the greatest moral and spiritual dam
age of the whole nation.
The evil would be aggravated a thou
sand fold. if they returned to a people
among whom Sabbath observance had
been impaired by the war; and this will
be the case unless a widespread revival
of Sabbath observance is speedily
brought to pass.
It is to be feared that the ministry
and the churches are asleep over this
great danger which threatens the very
existence of religion.
Voltaire declared There is no hope
of destroying the Christian religion so
long as the Christian Sabbath is ac-
knowledged and kept by men as "a
sacred day." and the famous infidel
spoke the truth in saying so. Con-
versely, it is equally true that there
is no hope of preserving and promot-
ing the Christian religion when the
Christian Sabbath is no longer ac-
knowledged and kept by men as
sacred day. In the observance of the
Sabbath is involved the life of re-
ligion, and IN the life of religion are
involved all other good things. Sab
bathless land will soon be religionless
land, and a religionless land is a hope
less land
Much emphasis is laid on the tenn
peranCe cause, and justly so. But when
the day of worship has ceased to C"
the people to the churches, what w.
be the fate of the temperance cause
and all other moral reforms?
All the questions concerning how far
the regulations Of the Jewish Sabbath
apply to the Christian Sabbath, and all
the debates about the change of the
day from the Seventh to the First Day
of the week. are side issues of no
value or Importance. The real issue is
that without the Sabbath religion will
perish.
Can men afford to face a religionless
world? Has a Sabbathless world any
hope for moral progress or any sort of
progress?
These are the questions of supreme
Importance which we must face.
The president answers that we must
observe the Sabbath. SO spoke WASH
ington and Lincoln also. With the
judgment of these great men all
thoughtful people will concur.
But it is not enough to agree in
theory with Presidents Washington,
Lincoln and Wilson. Our practice must
accord with our theory.
Every man who cares for the well
fare of our country must give the sup
port of his influence and example to
the observance of the Sabbath. He must
observe the day himself and induce
othesr to observe IT, He must use the
day for worship and lead others to the
churches
We have talked much. and not too
much, about food conservation. We
must be equally concerned for the con-
servation of the moral resources Of the
nation.
Nations cannot live by bread alone.
The word of God must nourish the
nfrff Of ha
public is doomed. Patriotism, as well
as piety. requires that we keep holy
Gods day and constantly refresh our
faith and renew our moral strength at