Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-20
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A Lords Day, or No Lords
Ddy, Which?
By BRIGGS
To the Editor of the Telegraph:

To the Editor Of the Telegraph:
Whenever you begin to tinker with
a good thing by trying to make it
meaningless. you get ON dangerous
ground. This is what the bill in
troduced into our State Senate, pur-
ports to do by, repeating what Is
known as our blue laws" having
reference to our Lords day. The
object is to secularize this sacred
day, and is wrong, because God
says, Remember the Sabbath day
to keep it holy" God means this
or he would not have said so. But
now we are to have legislative en-
actments that will give us Sunday
shows and similar amuSementS di-
rectly in conflict with what God has
said.
The bill in question so severely en-
roches in the sacredness of Gods
holy day that it is difficult to see
how 1T does not put away alto
gether this sacred day. No people
can afford to tritie with, or violate
any of Gods commandments. To
do so, Is to do it at ones peril. The
Sabbath is the Lords day, He made
it for Himself. He says so, and di-
rects how we shall keep it. Only
acts of necessity and mercy may be
done on this day.
If any one time could be more un-
befitting than another, to show our
ingratitude and to secularize the
Lords day, that time Is now. In the
face of all that the Lord has done
to show His favor on behalf of JUS
tice and righteousness, we are, by
legislative enactment, to show our
ingratitude for what he has done for
us, by setting aside his command
ments. In none of the wars of the
| olden time was the hand of God
more signally manifest than in the
recent war. with the help of God
and q few marines" see how the
tide cf battle was turned! Victor
Hugo, in his famous description of
THE Battle of Waterloo. says that
Napoleon did not succeed because
| of Cod" Just why the German
! Uhlans that seemed about to annihi-
late the English army at Mons were
| suddenly turned back, has never
been explained. From a military or
material standpoint there can be no
explanation of it. God was in it
| and so God continues in human af-
| fairs now, and cannot be eliminated
with impunity. Woe to the people
who will strive to do so! The ma
ton that forgets God shall perish.
The path of history is lined with
such instances. p
We have stringent laws protecting
| our game and fish and see to it that
they are enforced. But now we
| are to have legislation that will
| abolish the protection of the Lord s
day and make it an open day for
| shows and amusements.l and thus
! put away with the divine idea of a
! Lords day. To thus trife with the
| ascred things of God is to invite
| self-destruction.
The nations that so recently were
at war with each other were not
| deficient on the material side for
| prosperity. What then was the mat
ter? What then was the matter and
| what is the matter now with the
world. Is nothing more nor less than
| the neglect of God. This is why we
! have wars and rumors of war. And
now we are to have legislation that
is to take us still farther away from
God. in the way we have been go
ing-an age besotted with material
ism cannot be trusted to give right
values to what is sacred and divine.
| We must keep near to God III we
| hope to continue safe and strong.
| There are many indications of the
coming of a better day of moral and
| Christian living. and now let there
be no signs of giving offense by
unwise and unpatriotic legislation.
The rich blessings of the keeping
OF the Lords day as divinely direct
| ed. cannot be overestimated. And
| what will it profit a man though he
! gain the whole world and he lose
his own soul. To encroach upon the
Lords day is most serious and
| fatal procedure. We cannot believe
that our legislators will sanction
such a course.
Yours truly.
II. C: HOLLOWAY, D. D.