A Legal Rest-Day

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 23, 1908

ALTHOUGH there is a union of church and state in England, and an established church, yet the demand for religious liberty is making itself felt. In the recent discussion of Lord Avebury’s Sunday closing bill in the House of Lords, a statement was made by Earl Beauchamp which was reported in the Daily News (London) as follows:—

The question was not so simple as it seemed. There were large numbers of Sabbatarians [those in favor of the strict observance of Sunday] who regretted the bill on the ground that it allowed more Sunday trading than was really necessary, but he thought he must warn their lordships that there was also an increasing body of opinion, especially among trade unions, that it would be better to follow the example of France, and enact a one-day’s rest in seven, without insisting that the rest-day should be Sunday.

In commenting upon this matter the Present Truth (London) says:—

If the general well-being demands that business be dropped one day in the week, that is all that the government is entitled to demand. Where there is a difference of opinion and practise as to which day God requires man to observe for purposes of spiritual refreshment and worship, it would be contrary to religious liberty for any government to interfere in such a question, and enact a law that one of the rival days be observed by all, under penalty of heavy fines.

The fact that Sunday-law advocates are unwilling to adopt the example of France shows that the real purpose of the legislation demanded is not to provide a rest-day for the workingman but to compel regard for a religious institution. This is the vital issue in all Sunday laws.