Remember the Sabbath and Its Enemies by W. A. C.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 14, 1907

Remember the Sabbath and Its Enemies

By W. A. C.

In urging that a good collection be taken up this year for the religious liberty work, Elder C. S. Longacre, writing to the Atlantic Union Gleaner, says:—

“Remember the Sabbath and its enemies. The best way to do this, is to remember the collection for the Religious Liberty Department, appointed by the General Conference Committee, which will be taken this year on Sabbath, February 2.

“The year 1907 promises to be the most eventful year yet seen along the line of religious legislation and ‘blue-law’ enforcement. The secret forces which have hitherto worked in the dark are about ready to launch out into the open field with glaring banners. They have been molding public sentiment in favor of Sunday laws, and never has the enemy of the true Sabbath been so active as at the present.

“The Sunday advocates, hitherto, usually waited to enforce the Sunday laws until the summer resorts opened,—the soda-fountains, ice-cream stands, etc.,—but this year they are starting the crusades in the middle of the winter. The city of Boston is just now passing through a Sunday-closing spasm, so is Willimantic, Conn., and California is about to enter the arena of religious legislation. Pittsburg, Pa., which has for years been the hotbed of National Reformism, and the battle-field of many a conflict between the advocates of the true Sabbath and the false, is again waging a war in defense of Sunday. Last Saturday evening the police of the east end of Pittsburg, issued a notice that the first newsboy who should cry the sale of Sunday papers would get his mouth muzzled, and would be marched off to the police station. The steam-engines passing through the city were forbidden to blow their whistles, and ‘no noise of any character would be allowed save that of the church bells calling the faithful to church.’

“Are not such people in need of enlightenment? No doubt many of them are sincere. There is no better, nor more effectual, way to enlighten these people than through the mediumship of our excellent little paper, Liberty. Satan will soon blind these men to the extent of taking steps to kill every opposer of Sunday laws, and will make them think that they are doing God service.

“Shall we not take up a good collection to carry forward the work for this year? Remember that this is the only general collection which is taken for the support of this important line of work, and the department has no other resources by which to carry on its work.”

W. A. C.