The Wonderful American Sabbath
By Editor
The Wonderful American Sabbath.—In a sermon preached in Kansas City, June 4, by the Rev. H. D. Jenkins, Presbyterian, on the American sabbath, we have the following from the very full report of the Times of that city:— "During these two centuries, in which the American sabbath has been shaping the life of the people and confirming its type, we have developed a distinct race without a physical equal in the world. The most careful measurements of millions of men in our present and former armies show mathematically that Americans stand higher and weigh more and can walk farther than any other men in the world." And this from the Journal.— "Physically, America owes to its sabbath not a little of that muscular development which makes its men the best fighting material in the world. It is well known that the American army, tested by the most measurements, stood higher and weighed heavier and could fight longer on less food than any other army of the world. Manifestly something has entered into the life of the American people to conserve their native energies and multiply their capacity for endurance." Wonderful American sabbath! We freely concede that the day has been observed by good men with good consciences, mistakenly believing it was a requirement of God. They did all this with a conscience toward God, not toward America. The men who have observed the "American sabbath" as such have been and are the men who do as they please. Our strongest men physically, our greatest fighters, it is conceded, are the rough hunters and cowboys of the great West; but these men know naught of Sunday holiness, or Sunday observance, except as a lounging day, a "laying-off" day. To attribute to the observance of a day never set apart by the Lord all the Lord's blessings is to make an idol of the day. But it has been ever thus. The more unscriptural a cherished error the more religion apart from the Word exalts and idolizes it. There is no more blessing in the first day of the week above other days than God has put there; but where is the record? What says His Word? He does say respecting the things He has not commanded: "Who hath required this at your hand?" And He also says: "If ye love Me, keep My commandments."