Gunnison news-champion., 1921-01-07
THE BLUE SUNDAY
(By the Rev. Glenn Davies)
have been asked several searchir


campaign for Sabbath observance and
relative to the recrudescence in New
York and the gcneral application Of
these blue laws" all over our country.
First then: "Do you favor restrictive
legislation in the matter Of Sunday
Observance :" The question has two
main sides. favor legislation which
makes it easy to do right and hard to
do wrong. Much legislation caters to
our baser instincts and is advanced in
the name Of personal liberty" I rea-
lie the grave difficulties in the way
Of legislative reforms which are con-
trary to the popular desire. But
also recall that the abolition Of slavery
and the saloon was formerly unpopu-
lar. The "man in the street" is not al
ways q safe interpreter either of the
laws of God or of the welfare Of the
community. Il would seem that the
church must regenerate the masses
with the Evangel if reforms are to be
sane and permanent. Spasmodic eff
forts to shake of the demoralizations
of life are useless. Only by asserting
her control thru moral suasion can
the Church check the injurious pre-
dominance of greedy and secular
amusement interests.
oeCOuus was not tne SlDDatH
made for mani" Yes, but those who
own hurt. Woman was also made for
man, but not to do as he likes with her.
The gift of the Lords Day is a
precious one, demanding that we use
1t discreetly and revercntly and not
turn il into continental saturnalia.
True, the Sabbath was made for man.
Man surely needs rest and never more
than in this age and country. We are
living at such pace and competi-
tion is so strong, excitements follow
so rapidly on one another's heels that
men fear they cannot give up as much
as one day week. Even cart wheel
needs one day in seven rest in these
terrific times. Witness 32 murder re-
ports in one daily two weeks ago.
What does II mean. The everlasting
round hour after hour, day after day,
month after month, never days
rest even here and there to vary the
monotonous cataclysm, clang. whang,
bang, jazz, pep, snap, go-get-'em, is
beginning to tell The alarming in
crease of nervous disorders, suicides
and murders bears eloquent and ter
rible testimony to the penalties of the
violation of mans Sabbath rest.
Third: "Do you agree with legal
istic method of enforcing the Sab
BATH" No, and yes. No, if it means
to enforce men and women to church.
1t can't be done and nobody, not
even the nuttiest reformer proposes
such an absurd thing and the sugges-
ton that such a thing is proposed is
simply propaganda.
This is free country and nobody
has to go to church if he doesn't want
to, and | would be the last to force
any man to church. Yes, If it means
to prohibit the engaging in all un-
necessary labor and business as well
as from giving public performances
or exhibitions, such as plays, motion
picture shows and games, such as are
thrust under the noses of the Ameri-
can people by the organized amuse-
ment trusts, who have proved that
money has neither religion nor morals
and will destroy the American Sab
bath, the American child or the Ameri-
can anything else If they can get their
claws on the dough.
Fourth: Cant man take walk,
or enjoy game of golf or some in
nocent amusement not under the con-
troll of the amusement trust ?" That
depends. Pm not dogmatic about it.
at is lawful to do good on the Sab
the spiritual man must have attention
means church attendance. would
much rather man go to church once
and play game of golf, and would
have a great deal more respect for
such man than / would for the man
who spends the day indolently at
home over-eating, over-sleeping, over
smoking and with nothing better than
the murder section of the Sunday pap
er, while that same man would scorn
to swing a racquet or club or bat on
Sunday. The man who doesn't at
tend church at least once on Sunday
is nothing short of pagan.
%
Boulder Camcra:-Because they bot
furs and silk shirts and limousines
they now complain of hard times and
and they are really owlish in predict
ing worse. No longer can we consume
ali that was made on high wages and
costly products basis and congress pro-
ceeds to lift up the nation by boot
straps by enacting tariff laws to ex-
clude the cheaper commodities of the
world. By excluding them it precludes
trade possibilities with people who
only have goods and food to exchange
for what we make. The hasty drawn
laws may stave off the panic farmers
and manufacturers SO tremblingly
prophecy, but they mean less produc-
ton and they mean idle American
shipping, and in shipping now we lead
the world. A split in tow all round,
workman and employer alike recogni-
ing changed conditions, not new laws,
would most likely restore what Mr..
Harding calls "Hormalcy." And that,
we recognize, can come only by degrees
America cannot eat and wear all it
produces. That is self evident be-
cause America produces with our fine
machinery several times per man what
other nations produce. Being the
creditor nation Of the world has its
disadvantages which are found in the
poverty Of the rest Of the world which
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