The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1922-09-30
THE QUESTION is SQUARELY PUT,
WHAT JUSTIFICATION HAS THE
NEGRO MINISTRY OF DALLAS
In SEEKING TO PUT A BAN
ON SUNDAY FUNERALSl

In the first place, it is direct
violation of the fourth paragraph
of the Ten Commandments which
reads thus: Remember the Sabbath
day to keep II holy. Six days shalt
thou labor and do all thty work
but the seventh day is the SABBATH.
OF the Lord thy God: In 1t thou
shalt not do any work: thou, nor
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man
servant nor thy maidservant, nor
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates: for in six days
the Lord made Heaven and earth,
the sea and all that in them Is, and
rested the seventh day, wherefore
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day
and hallowed 1t. "The prevailing
custom of the lodges in collecting
the bodies of those that pass away
during the week is none other than
a direct vioaltion of the sanctity
of the Sabbath. | have known cases
where the person died on Saturday
night Of one week and held to the
next Sunday afternoon for a big
display. The Sunday funeral forces
the grave diggers to work; 1t gives
the undertakers the hardest days
work of the whole week; II keeps
large number of cab drivers and
others hard at 1t all day and there
is no escape from the charge Of
violation of the fourth commandment.
recall that during the times when
we used the horse in funerals two
horses were killed in one day in an
effort on the part of the undertaken
to dispose Of the number of funerals
that had been held for Sunday. The
Christ by his personal example en-
phasized the use of the Sabbath day
for worship, II was his custom to
always be found in the Synagogue
on that day. The practice Of which
we now complain deprives a very
large number of persons from attend
ing church who really desire to do so.
The funeral is to take place at or
O'Clock, the lodge members must
be at the hall by IL or not later
than 1890, hence he cannot attend
morning service They reach the
church about 2:30 or 3. and by the
time dozen resolutions are read.
and the pastor has his say It Is
necessary to rush to get the body
in the ground before II is too dark
to read the ceremonies We prosti-
tute the solemnity of the occasion
in to a kind of galaday; cele-
bration If you please. The minister
is forced to rush through his morn
ing service to make ready for THE
funeral and is kept sitting for three
and four hours through the long
service, he must rush. to the ceme-
tary and return to go at once to his
pulpit tired and in many cases
hungry, while the members who have
been all day in the funeral must
stay home at night and rest to be
in any condition for work next day.
those who force themselves to go
to church any way are tierd AMI
wholly unfit for service. 1t is need
less to say the minister is in like
condition. We are sentimental
people, and some will say that 1t
could not be a violation OF the
/ Sabbath to have funerals on that
day. The Jews did mot permit 1t and
the holy women left us an example
after the crucifixion they went home
and rested on the Sabbath day and
returned early on the first day Of
the week to anoint she body OF our
blessed Lord. 1t Is urged in iustifi-
cation Of the Sunday funeral that
many of the members OF the lodge
cannot get off or any other day. We
fail to see why II is considered essen
tial for every member Of the lodge
to attend every funeral; II is always
the case that many Of the members
have their own time. while Others
work for those who will allow them
to go when there is funeral lei
these be present aud let those who
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