THE EUROPEAN SUNDAY by WM. PENNIMAN

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 17, 1877

THE EUROPEAN SUNDAY.

By WM. PENNIMAN

Rev. Abel Stevens, LL. D., in a recent letter from Europe, published in the Central Christian Advocate, says:—

“Allow me to say something in this letter on the European Sabbath. The subject concerns you not a little in America, for the ‘Continental Sabbath’ is invading the United States at every point where the European emigration can control it. Its effects on morals, and especially on religion here, may well admonish you. Theoretically and practically the European Sunday is deplorable; at least as considered from our religious standpoint. As to Mormonism, you are aware that it universally esteems the Lord’s day a ‘festival,’ and what that means, in the nomenclature of popery, you need not be told. If the forenoon is partially devoted to religious services, the remainder of the day is a general holiday, and is devoted to recreation—in the villages, to dancing, and wine and beer drinking; in the cities, to the drama, balls, and all manner of festivities. Popery has never admitted the Jewish theory of the Sabbath, nor troubled its theological head about the divine substitution of Sunday for Saturday.

“Theoretically, the great Protestant reformers did not advance beyond Romanism on the subject. Both Luther and Calvin virtually taught that there is no divine authority for the observance of the Christian Sabbath, except so far as expediency may be considered of such authority. Christianity, they believed, had abolished the Jewish law on the subject, as it had on so many other ceremonial matters. This was Calvin’s teaching, and he believed it to be Paul’s. Calvin, however, believed thoroughly in the authority of the Christian magistrate to establish such religious order as expediency, that is to say, the convenience or necessities of public worship and popular morals, demanded. Hence, in his day, Sunday observance was somewhat strict in Geneva. But such a theoretical basis of the Sabbath could hardly be permanent, and, after the early rigor of the Calvinistic regime, in Switzerland, the day gradually became what it is generally in Europe, an occasion of some worship, but of more play. A Hampton lecturer has argued elaborately for this theory of the Christian Sabbath in England; and the late Rev. Mr. Bacon, of Orange, N. J., published a volume of lectures in favor of its adoption in America.

“We derive our notions of the day, through the English Puritans, from the Scotch reformers. John Knox was a student under Calvin, but he took good care not to establish the Continental Sunday in his own country. Scotland and New England, compared with Germany and Switzerland, show the relative moral influence of the two theories of the day.

“After extensive observation over most of Western Europe, I give it as my sober opinion, that (excepting in England) Sunday is the most viciously observed day of the whole week—that, in other words, the ‘Christian Sabbath’ is a moral evil, rather than a moral advantage. Of course among devout people it is indeed a blessing; but as most of these populations are not devout, the day is more abused than rightly used. I have spoken of it as theoretically considered here; this is what I have, summarily, to say of its practical observance. And it is obvious that its practical observance is the logical corollary of its theory.

“Practically, it is a day for not only dissipating festivity, but for many public uses. Elections are held upon it; public ‘shooting’ exercises; military reviews; state ceremonies. The theaters are generally open in the afternoon and the evening. The museum, public gardens, wine and beer-drinking resorts, appropriate it more than the churches. Religiously inclined people go to the churches in the morning, but even they to a great extent throng the pleasure resorts through the remainder of the day. You can imagine how such customs affect the people generally. Of course most of them spend the early church hours in dressing and preparing for the day, and go forth usually only in time for the gayeties of the remaining hours. Hence the churches are slightly attended, but the theaters, beer-gardens, and promenades are crowded. Concerts have usurped the interest of the people from worship nearly all over the continent, and the temples and clergy stand neglected, while music resounds through the cities and villages. Romanism almost alone commands congregations in the morning hours of worship, for Romanism is itself festive in its forms—its appliances of ceremony and music.

“One special effect of such a Sabbath is the almost general impossibility of the American and English Sunday-school. How can you expect to gather the children for religious instruction, on a day of such eclat and hilarity? Slowly the Sunday-school has been creeping into Switzerland and Germany, but it makes almost hopeless headway. The radical defect of the general Sabbath observance neutralizes almost everything truly religious; and the church thus defeated is responsible for its disability—it is self-defeated.

“I state the simple facts of the subject. They need no comment. Good men see and lament them, but they do not see how to rectify them. A great convention was held this year at Geneva, for a foundation of a better observance of Sunday; delegates were present from many parts of Europe; the Emperor of Germany was represented by one of his functionaries. But it was sad to witness the perplexity of these good men. They admired the British and American Sunday, but could not see how to introduce it into the Continental States. The most important, or, at least, most practical aim of their deliberations, was the securing of better laws for the exemption of railroad and similar workmen from labor on the day—that is to say, for their better enjoyment of its leisure, which means here its recreations.

“My friend, L. W. Bacon, who has resided in Europe some years, thus states the difficulties of the question:— ‘The hopelessness of the situation is summed up, to my mind, in this statement: There is no Sunday in Europe, because there is no Sunday-school; and there is no Sunday-school because there is no Sunday. Which end to begin at in order to get society out of so bad a tangle, is the question. Probably at both ends. I would love to have the Sunday-school of America follow up the noble plan that was set on foot some years ago by Mr. Woodruff, of Brooklyn, to endow the Protestant churches of Europe with a Sunday-school system on the American pattern. It would be a most ardent undertaking. It would be hard for the system to flourish at home, if it had all the ball-matches, the excursions by rail and steamer, the target-shootings, the election days, the public balls and concerts and theaters, and the family dinner-parties, running opposition to it on the same day. And it would be harder yet, if all the public schools kept in till dark on Saturday afternoons, and gave out extra lessons to be learned at home before Monday morning.

“I have had to warn my French, Swiss, and German friends that they never will have the American Sunday, unless they also introduce the American Saturday afternoon. Furthermore, if you will undertake this grand mission, you must make your account of difficulties of other sorts. You must expect actual flat opposition in a multitude of cases from the state-church pastors, who like to keep everything going in a slow, quiet way, and especially dislike to have laymen or women interfere with religious affairs. You must count on finding the whole Christian public in that inert condition which such a discipline would engender—unaccustomed to do anything for the church, even so much as to raise money to pay the minister. And instead of the abounding resources—books, songs, lesson-papers, and comments, and all the Sunday-school appliances that surround you at home—you must begin with a meager little repertory, mostly translated from the English.’

“I have said that the statement of these facts should suffice, without comment, to enforce their obvious lesson. That lesson, to American Christians, is, Guard sacredly your Sabbath! Whatever theory there may be, regarding the divine authority of the day, whatever the opinion of Calvin, or Luther, or Knox, respecting the substitution of Sunday for Saturday, most earnest Christians here envy your quiet, holy observance of the day: they admit that, on grounds of expediency, if none other, you have the true Christian style of its observance. Keep it if you would keep the life of your religion, and the life of your nation.

“In spite of all these discouragements let us not despair of Christianity in Europe. There are two remedies for this deplorable state of things—a revival of personal religion among the ‘masses,’ toward which I think there is a tendency; and ‘disestablishment,’ which must sooner or later come, as I have argued in previous letters. With the separation of church from the state, religion will necessarily come more under the control of the better classes of the people; popular religious activity will follow; church discipline will be established, evangelical life will increase, and individual religious opinion and conviction will define off a class of godly men who will ‘contend’ more effectively for the faith once delivered to the saints. Europe will then have a Christian Sabbath among its true Christians at least; and this will be a beginning of a better day for all its churches and people.”

The candor of the writer of the preceding seems unquestionable. It is very true that “popery has never troubled its theological head about the divine substitution of Sunday for Saturday.” It is equally true that the great mass of Protestant churches are as little troubled about it, since they are so closely allied to their mother. The great trouble is how to promote a better observance of Sunday.

The great Protestant reformers, Luther and Calvin, taught that there is no divine authority for the observance of the Christian Sabbath; yet many of their followers, notwithstanding this and the additional light of the Sabbath reform shining upon their path, cling tenaciously to this pet institution. John Wesley taught the perpetuity of the law, yet many of his followers contend that it is abolished, especially the law for the Sabbath.

The most important feature of Mr. Stevens’s letter is in regard to the great convention at Geneva. The most “practical aim” of their deliberations was the securing of “better laws,” etc. It is plain to be seen that legislation in some form is the only hope of the Sunday agitators. A convention in Chicago, another in Europe, aiming at legislation to effect this difficult problem.

“Guard sacredly your [Christian] Sabbath” is the motto of the hour among the leaders of the Sunday Reform. This is a remarkable sign of the times. The wide-spread recklessness in regard to the observance of “the Sunday” will urge on legislation, and thus the prophecy will be fulfilled.

WM. PENNIMAN.