"SUNDAY IN AUCKLAND."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14929, 29 February 1912, Page 4

"SUNDAY IN AUCKLAND."

,Sir,—Under the above title Mr ' x-< .!"■ Morton, in tho supplement of your , ranfc of iobniary 24 has another fling™ «n?F be tarianism and ln 6 Puritans. }, xT l> ten states that "in Dunedin no on» 0N ouslv pretends to bo cheerful on j Wn * As one who lived for »mo ,L„ ■ I wish to (jive Mr. .Morton" flit contradiction. It is a elamW en ' 4 of the finest; people in Now*&£ so ®« ide-» of a Sabbath Observance Lpflm, 1,0 Pans fills Mr. Morton's scil Y m Is ho awaro of the fact that in Pari, J* 3 !* some other Continental cities n J i m the formation of such leagues is securing, .so far as possible, of one V„.° re* in seven for fho working J V tehs his readers that "in the city of ft?* Francisco, which is in Christian *&§£ St* theatres are open on Sunday nk& etc He does not state that in San cisco organised Christianity, according ? : authorities on the subject, is weaker thin ! m ai, y oilier city of th United Statw. k ; U'% careful observers have recently dw>W.2 ; San 1-rancisco to bo more paging j Christian. Possibly neglect of Sabbath <£ :&er\ai;co has something to do with »k- ' . state of things. Wltil th « ! Mr - Morton tells us that he occasion*!!. I? 0 . 0 . 3 ,^ 0 church. _ He therefor* has ™ > belief in the Christian religion. He wiR ; interested to l- aC n that the man whom i many deem the greatest preacher of moS j times writes thus: "There is, perhana «« ; surer sign of a falling Christian than a ' ■ growing .neglect of Sabbath Day ordinance I and an indolent, profane use of its prions [hours. Ihere is no bulwark that Plre jean build up round their children's Virion ! an. morality like a well-kept Sabbath day I and thorp is no surer sign that a young mid j is declining from faith than when he l£ ; to find his own pleasure and do his mm work on the Lord's holy day. And con. science ever fastens with a peculiar poinu. uncy on the breaking of the Sabbath K» It is as if she instinctively saw that thai day was a stronghold and tower of strength." vl Lord Bearonsficld said of the SabbathI hold it to be the most valuable blessing conceded to man. It is the corner-stone of civilisation." Was it not written by Glad j stone's daughter that "from Saturday ! night to Monday morning he put away »d | business of a secular nature?" Was General Grant a " gloomy Sabbatarian" when durin« his visit to Paris, when the President of the trench Republic having sent to Grant as President of the United States an. invitation to attend Sunday raoes, he replied: "It is not in accordance with the custom of my country, or with the spirit of my religion, to spend my Sunday in this way.'' Mr. Morton may reply that ho does no.-, favour Sunday work. My reply i s that making Sunday a pleasuro day means to inevitably make it a work day, to d*priro many of their rest day, and to strike it blow at the Christian faith. Mr. Morton tells us that the "Sabbatarian" spirit ii slowly dying out in England." He d»» not also tell us that 2,500,000 workers hare no rest day— largely as a result of mating the Sabbath a day of pleasure. As for the Puritans, I would quote th» ! words of Archbishop Benson: "It is ridicuj lous to talk about Puritanism having i spoiled England t'*d made dull Sundays for us. It is not so. The old observance of j Sunday all over the Christian world was j that it was to bo a day of rest and bolinaa ; and happiness." Another writer tells utr " Tho best Cavaliers agreed in the main with the Puritans- .John Evelyn was wondorfully like John Milton," and Mary Evelyn was just a Royalist Jeanio Deans." The eighteenth century Cavalier and High Churchman, Dr. Samuel Johnson, hid a schedule of religious duties for the Sunday.4 When Mr. Morton next writes upon 'the subject of his pet aversion, th© Puritan!, ; let him. remember that one of our historians has told us that, " Home, as wc conceive it new, i was the creation of the Puritan." When he compares Charles H. and Oiivtr : Cromwell, to the discredit, of the latter, let ,him remember that even the seeptio Htuw declares Cromwell to have merited "in hitifcv. portment as son, husband, father and fries.-'' the highest praise," but admits the "mers' monarch" to hare been in politics » traitor, In religion a hypocrite, and in morals blackguard. Just as the crying of' "wowser" cannot, for thoughtful people, ■ g«ttk thfc licensing question, neither can the mi))'; leading jibes of " Sabbf.tarian M iiad "jrari- ' tanic" frighten thq&e who deem tha-iaifi-tution of the Sabbath as one created to iMp man in that which Ti imajs Carlyle, near the close of his life, declared to be - man's chief end, viz., to glorify God and to en icy Him for ever." "V To Aroha. Wit. 0. Bun.