The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-31
R. F. LACKEY

I | true light on the situation" I R. F. LACKEY
 | Editor Age-Herald:
 l While Sunday observance is mucn
 mooted question:, both pro and con,
 would like to ask a few pertinent ques- | tions and perhaps offer suggestion or
 two.
 | There is no questioning the fact that | Al our laws are based on the Bible, after
 that the resemblance ceases, except in so far compatible with our desires 1 We find ways and means of evadng
 or circumventing such laws as interfere l with our pleasures, desires or business.
 Early laws of Alabama. as well as other states, were very explicit and plain as 1 to Sabbath observance and-were in keep 1 ing with Holy Writ. Has God modified His commands to conform with our
 wishes?
 We refer to those laws now as blue | laws Has God declared those Iaws nun
 and void and not in keeping with nine 1 teenth century advancement? In other words, we seem to think if Christ were ] upon earth today, He would wink at the i fragrant violations of His commands with
 regards to Sabbath observanceJ I think not.
 1 "I cannot help but think that if we
 were more concerned with keeping His laws than we are in finding ways os
 evading dsregardng altogether, as is often the case, we could lay a greater
 claim to being Christian nation than
 we can at present. and I am persuaded
 that if we were determined to obey His
 laws many of our present difficulties
 would disappear entirely and we would | find that we could do just as well, IT not better.
 Lets be perfectly honest with our selves and with God let's don't try to
 ir stify thing against the facts (espec- i tally where God is the author of those facts). simply because wish to fol- l low the bent of our desires True, mor- alitv and Christianity cannot be legis- lated into people but eeoailse this oan not be done. let's don't try to persuade ] God that His laws are obsolete and out of date, bearing in mind that our Mllu. erce is being, used either for or against l Him. there is no middle ground. No | one claims there is.
 | ''Run over in your mind the various 1 things that are being done on ounoay and honestly. fairly, souarely ask your 1 self the question: Would Christ indorse l this? Don't warp your imagination into your soul, and seek to find excuses Tor IL. | 'Many things are now deemed neces- sary. We created the necessity. It seems | to the writer that we have picked out | such of His commands as entail no nara | shin or financial loss and adopt them as our slogan and throw the others III the 1 discard We may close our eyes and
 try to blind ourselves, or flatter our selves we are justified in breaking the Sabbath. but what are we going to say
 when this command Is read out to us again, as it surely will?
 l .Six days shalt thou labor and do all
 thy work, but the seventh day IS the 1 So bbath Of the Lord thy God, on II thou
 shalt do no work; thou nor thy son nor 1 thy daughter, etc T..
 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
 holy.
 Are we doing it?"
 l Irondale, August 90, 1920
 1 Editor Age Herald
 l In view of the fact that the under signed has had part in the campalgi l to make the resources and possibilities 1 of Alabama known to the world rec i that it is proper for me to make some reply to the letter of Mr. O'Connor O | Chicago which has, been given con | siderable prominence in The Age-Her l aid. I [ approach the subject with only thu kindest feelings and thoughts in mint as to the above gentleman. l shai endeavor to answer his letter in al educational way rather than find faul 1 yith his ignorance. My work in diff ! ferent sections of the United State'
 has impressed me with the fact tha l Alabama is not very well known; peo pie in the west central and easteri states have no conception of our tru' conditions, and this is more or les true of other southern states This Il i the reason am in Alabama today. Before I go further I want to mak'
 a brief comparison of my experienc' here over like period of time, thirt, days: From MT. O'Connor's letter h.
 was terribly annoyed by jelly beaus,' "corn whisky" and wild women." makes me just a little curious to knov lust what was the gentleman's busi ness and what kind of associates h. sought. It is a true saving, Birds O
 a feather flock together" and 1t is gen ierally known people find just the kins
 of people they wish to associate with My experience has been quite different Upon arrival here I was invited to tn different clubs of the city, given card
 to such clubs and have been enter
 tained in the homes of most splendi'
 people I think that I have been oi
 most of the streets of ~ Birmingham
 after night, and I have not seen an,
 corn whisky nor have I been held III by any wild women. On the othe
 hand, in strictly conventional name have met many of the most charm ling ladies in the United States today. For the information of MT OConnoi permit me to discuss the work I hay in hand and the opportunities whic | await the settlers who come to Ala 1, bama. The Southern Commercial Con gress has established permener state office in Birmingham, whic
 works in connection with committee
 in each county in the state. This Bir mingham office and these county com
 mittees arc pledged to look after tn 2 interest of all settlers. to see that the are told thetrue conditions. shield then from imposition or -extortien and to To , I cate them on the kind of soil amids conditions they seek.
 There are traditions of the south W : do not care to change and 1 quote a follows from Theodore Roosevelt's ad I} dress before the Southern Commercia }, Congre-s assembled in Atlanta fe, years ago:
 | Here in the south the old America