Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-21
LIBERAL SUNDAY WITH FREE MUSIC
ADVOCATED BY DIR. DAVID NJ. STEELE

This should present no difficulty, for
there Is no such relation.
1--WE are not dealing with the Hebrew
Sabbath, either the day of the week,
which was, and still is, Saturday; nor
with the mode of that observance, which
was first Sabbatical and then, in Prot
estantism only. and there only In part
Puritanlcal. The early Christians not
only changed the day, but they, far
more radically, changed its motif.
"If I were going to make Sunday
laws. and IL I would outline in doing
30 the right policy for the Church, they
would all be positive. Not one should
be negative. l would cease to prohibit
and begin to provide. Has the Church
not too long pursued the opposite prac-
tice? Church people have sought to
mako the day prevail simply by enact-
ing prohibitions against work and play.
Is 1t not incumbent more upon good
people to gay what ought, than what
ought not, to be done? Does not the
same obligation lie to provide the right
form of rest as to prescribe the wrong
kind? 1t Is they who ought to be en-
c%oureging, not disoouraging, these Sun
day concerts.
Suppose the whole world took the
Church at it's word! Suppose every
body-Tman, woman and child-in this
city came to Sunday service one fore
noon and then said: Now you have
us on your hands. We are our guests,
your wards, your children. VIII o let
us 60 and play, now that we nave per-
formed our devotions? If so. where and
how? 1t is strange the Church does
not see that he whole problem Of
amusement comes in under the heading
OF rest.
The Great Need
There Is need both for a saner con-
ception of rest and for a more cheer
ful view Of religion /; that Is, far more
cheer in the whole observance of this
lay. There Is precedent for this latter
10 be found. even by those who seek
tneir sanctions in the oldest cults. The
old-time spirit Of Sabbath, and the early
spirit of Sunday, alike were joyous. The
rest aimed at was recreation. It was the
building up, not only of the soul but
OF the mind and body by pleasure in
worship and by play after worship. 1t
ought still to be the same.
But this meal that the whole day
IS one day. Says your pseudo reformer:
You may do things that are not hurtful
IN themselves, that do not cause others
to work In ministering to your enjoy
ment m that do not interrupt seriously
the religious observance of the day.
But that treats you as outsiders. This
day is your day. Nor does that pro-
gram take him very far. The Church
must do more than merely allow or for
bid. 1t must encourage, provide and en-
join. The trouble Is, for many, that they
simply fritter away the day in aimless
fashion, through sheer lack of initiative
n invention. They need help. not
hindrance.
1T is not enough to open the church
doors one or two hours a day and say:
DO thus for this PERIOD and then, for
the rest of the day, provide nothing.
This is all the more strange in view OF
the Church's aim at social service, 80
called, all the other days of the week.
Why Is there not the same enthusiasm
for constructive and creative planning
n providing for the other six hours as
well of this day as on the other six
days of this week? Why do they not
do for ~six-sevenths of this day what
they do a~ssiduously for six-sevenths of
each week? In short, why are they not
among the foremost to approve these
Sunday concerts by the orchestra"