By K. C. Russell, President of the National Religious Liberty Association
THIS congress was called by representatives of the various organizations of this country and Canada who are seeking to obtain a universal and stricter observance of Sunday by civil enactment.
It was held on the Jamestown (Va.) Exposition grounds, September 25, 26. The exposition grounds are closed on Sunday. The Congressional appropriation was granted on this condition. The friends of Sunday-rest, by civil law, had brought influence to bear upon the United States Congress to secure it in that condition, and obtained it, and it was embodied in the state documents.
It is to be lamented that Congress has committed itself to the religious institution of Sunday-observance by making appropriations to these great expositions on condition of the Sunday-closing of their gates; a precedent has been established that it is difficult to break from. The question of closing or not closing of the gates of this world's fair should be left entirely with the directors of the show, without any governmental interference.
The Churches in Politics.
A speaker in one of the opening addresses at the congress, said, in substance, that if the gates had not been closed on Sunday, they would not have held their congress on those grounds. A prominent United States Senator recently said, concerning the Sunday-closing of the Jamestown Exposition: "I am opposed to any and all phases of Sunday legislation, including Sunday laws. The Jamestown Exposition should not be closed on Sunday. But the truth is, the religious people of this country are getting such a hold on lawmakers that I fear we can not stem the tide in that direction."
This frank statement from the lips of a United States Senator should arouse every true citizen and patriot to the dangers which threaten us when the best element of society has been deceived into a pathway that, if followed to its logical outcome, will ultimately lead to the intolerance and ruin which other church-and-state nations have experienced,—nations that have had a union of church and state.
Among the organizations which were represented at the congress were the "American Sabbath Union," "The Woman's National Sabbath Alliance," "The Lord's Day Alliance," of Canada, "The New England Sabbath Protective League," "The Brotherhood of Andrew and Philip."
The attendance at the congress was small, but there was no lack of able speakers who talked eloquently and enthusiastically in the defense of their unchristian and uncivil Sunday legislation. They were conscious, as well as all others who are acquainted with the growing demand for Sunday laws, that the small attendance of the congress was not an index of the strong extent and strength of the movement. Besides the organizations which we have already made reference to, there are the "National Reform Association," the great "Inter-church Federation" movement, the "Federation of Catholic Societies of America," and other organizations, among which are the noble band of America's best type of womanhood, which constitute the "Woman's Christian Temperance Union," the "Christian Endeavor Society," "Epworth League," and other young people's societies, with their departments of Christian citizenship work, thru which they vigorously, tho mistakenly, champion the cause of Sunday legislation.
We are convinced, however, that many who compose these organizations are conscientious in their efforts to do away with what they regard as Sunday desecration (?). Yet when the principles which were enunciated by Christ concerning the limits of civil authority, and the proper sphere of both the church and the state are understood, they will quickly repudiate their errors, which are subversive of the Gospel of Christ and the principles upon which our forefathers founded this government.
The chairman of the Sunday-Rest Congress, Rev. T. T. Mutchler, D.D., of Philadelphia, read before the congress with great satisfaction a letter from the leader of a great organization which has become a strong ally to the Sunday-rest movement. The letter was from the well-known Samuel Gompers, President of the American Federation of Labor, which reads as follows:
"Washington, D. C., Sept. 14, 1907.
"Dr. T. T. Mutchler,
"President International Federation Sunday-Rest Association America,
"1008 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa.
"Dear Sir: Your favor received to-day and contents noted. I regret very much that circumstances are such as to make it impossible for me to accept your invitation to deliver an address before your association at its meeting in Norfolk, September 25, 26, but as I previously stated to you, it is absolutely beyond my power to be present.
"May I take the opportunity, however, of conveying to you my hearty commendation of the principles and purposes of the association which you represent? Not only am I personally in hearty accord with any movement which has for its object the preservation of one day's rest in seven, but the American Federation of Labor has emphatically declared itself in favor of the Sunday rest day, and it has done as much, if not more, than any other organized body of men and women to enforce the observance of the Sunday rest day.
"Again expressing my regret that circumstances prevent my attending the meeting of your association, with every wish for your success, I have the honor to remain,
"Very respectfully yours,11
(Signed) "SAMUEL GOMPERS,
"President A. F. of L."
It is not difficult to imagine the terrible results from such a combination of forces when all the religious organizations which have been mentioned unite with the great federated labor organizations, which are two million strong. The outcome of this is outlined in Rev. 13:15-17: "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
Nearly all the speakers spoke of their very great interest in behalf of the laboring man and denounced those who were not in accord with their ideas of Sunday laws, accusing them of being against the laboring man. They cited how that one of the results of the victories they claimed to have scored in Canada for the Lord's day was the releasing of seventy-five thousand working men from Sunday toil.
Are these tender expressions of sympathy being expressed for the working man because these promoters of Sunday-rest desire to obtain a day of rest for him in the quietude of his own home? Or is it a desire that he should attend religious services? From statements made by different speakers during the congress, they emphasized the danger of the Sunday attraction interfering with their Sunday services.
As evidence of this, I quote from the "Michigan Christian Advocate," Aug. 26, 1890, as follows: "Be it remembered that without a Sabbath there will be no great ingatherings seen into the churches, while with a Sabbath we make it possible to develop a proper home life among the laborers, and make it possible for the church influences to touch them."
So, from this it will be seen that the motive back of this is that they are endeavoring to secure an "ingathering" into the churches. Rest does not always mean a cessation from activity, but a change of activity. The man whose work is of a sedentary character can rest by exercising his body. To illustrate, a man whose work was that of an accountant who had worked with his brain all day was seen running up a steep hill. Some one accosted him by saying, "Why are you running so swiftly up that hill?" To which he exclaimed, "I am resting." To many, physical rest would be a burden instead of real rest.
Again, take the multitudes of men who have no religious convictions to control them, hence care nothing for the church, or its services, a day of compulsory rest would be a galling yoke if they were prohibited from visiting the libraries, the art galleries, the parks, or taking any kind of recreation, even to the reading of the Sunday newspaper. A day of rest of that character to an unconverted man would be indeed a yoke of bondage instead of liberty.
The regenerated man is the only one who can rightly keep the Sabbath, but he does not require a civil law to enable him to do it, for he will observe it regardless of any civil law. He does it upon the authority of the law of God, which is the only genuine authority, for it is both written in his heart and mind.
The greatest bondage that has ever cursed the world is when the professed church of Christ has been armed with the civil power, and enforced her dogmas by civil law, chiefly that of Sunday legislation, beginning A.D. 321, when Constantine enacted the first Sunday law that ever stained the page of history. Therefore the true friend of the laboring man is the one who will enable him to escape the shackles of Sunday legislation. Some argue that a certain class of men are compelled to work seven days in the week or sacrifice their position. To such we say they should be released from the greed and graft of such employers, but not by a Sunday law, merely to give honor to that religious institution. The day observed should be a matter of conscience and not of law; and the conscience of a part should never seek to coerce by law the conduct of all.
Rev. Alexander Jackson, D.D., of Cleveland, Ohio, made a very impassioned speech at the Sunday-Rest Congress, in which he attributed a large per cent of the prevailing and increasing insanity to the disregard of Sunday as a day of rest in these strenuous times. He also said that many of the terrible and heartrending railroad disasters were due to the same cause. We must submit to the candid and thoughtful reader whether the cause is the lack of Sunday rest, or is it due to other causes?
The ordinary laboring man is only required to labor eight hours out of twenty-four, thus allowing him sixteen hours out of each twenty-four for rest and recuperation. Is it not reasonable to believe that the lack of sufficient rest in sleep is the cause of much of the mental diseases which prevail? Many devote a large part of each night to worldly pleasure and dissipation of various kinds. All know that there is nothing which will so affect the mind as being deprived of sleep.
Then, again, another alarming cause of insanity is the intemperate way of eating and drinking which is indulged in to such an alarming extent in these days. Excess in eating and drinking is one of the significant signs of the times as stated by our Saviour in Matt. 24: 38, 39: "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
The Religious Day.
Another prominent feature that was emphasized by the speakers was that of making more prominent the religious character of the day than they have been doing in the past. This is a strong evidence that public sentiment is being molded by these religio-political enthusiasts, for it has been their policy in the past to try to disguise the religious character of the day by the civil Sabbath argument, giving the day anything but a religious title when attempting to secure legislation in behalf of the day.
It was agreed that the title "The Lord's Day," was far preferable to Sunday, the first day of the week, or American Sabbath, to use in their campaign work for Sunday laws. Their line of work which was outlined for the coming winter was as follows: Securing the passage of a bill by Congress, or a Sunday law in the District of Columbia; influencing Congress to pass a bill requiring the Sunday-closing of the Alaska-Yukon Exposition which is to be held at Seattle, Wash., in 1909, as a condition of obtaining an appropriation, as has been the custom since the Sunday-closing of the World's Fair in 1892, in Chicago; the prohibiting of the landing of immigrants on Ellis Island on Sundays; seeking to prohibit the Sunday baseball playing in the United States Army. A representative of the Sunday-rest movement wrote a letter to Secretary Taft, calling his attention to the desecration (?) of Sunday by the playing of baseball by the soldiers of the United States Army. Mr. Taft replied to the representative, and disapproved of the criticism. Hence their efforts to labor more earnestly with the Secretary of the United States War Department.
Numerous arguments were advanced in the interests of their cherished objects which they claim are the safeguard of the nation, chiefly that of Sunday-observance by civil enactment. The arguments were unsupported by both Scripture and reason. The untiring zeal and enthusiasm actuating these deceived advocates of church and state, which will ultimately lead us back to the Dark Ages, should be a signal of warning to every lover of the Gospel and his country to do all in his power in proclaiming liberty to the captives.
