A CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR DEMONSTRATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 10

A CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR DEMONSTRATION.

SABBATH DESECRATION.

The Agricultural Hall was well filled on the 29th, when a demonstration was made by the Dunedin Christian Endeavour Union"" against Sabbath desecration.

The Rev. J. Guy presided, and seats on the platform were occupied by the Revs. Dr Waddell, I. Jolly, J. 07 Lewis, T. G. Brooke, -A. Don, J. Mmrhead, and P. J. Cossum, Messrs C. Watt and J. F. Loie. Apologies for absence were forwarded by the JEtevs. W. Hewitson, D. Borrie, J. U. Epence, D. Dutton, and'E. -\V. Boreham, and Mr Duncan Wright. The proceedings were opened by the -singing of the 100 th Psalm, aiccr which the Pvov. '±\ G. Brooke engaged in prayer.

The Chairman said that the Dunedin Endeavour Union had met together after another year jto consider one of the most important questions before the religious community at the- present time — the question cf the desecration of the Sabbath. l ( 'or two years now they had given prominence to some great social ~r*orm v. ork. Two s'ea.rs ago the foreign mission, question was brought before the community by their holding a very enthusiastic meeting. A year ago they wore dealing with the question of no license. That night their subject was of vital importance, and the Endeavour Union offered no apology for making it the subject' of a popular demonstration. They considered in doing so that they were rendering a public service. Perhaps it was as .well thai an organisation which worked chiefly among the young people should be instrumental in giving <his question publicity, as> the union was a representative body, - including in iis membership the young people of the "Evangelical cliurclierf, and a body in touch with our homes, schools, churches, and society, and above sectarianism. As Christian workers, they were convinced that any want of reverence in the observance of the Lord's Day was a serious hindrance to religious work and a menace to the public welfare. There could bo no question in the mind of anyone who read the daily papers or went about the streets that there was a real evil to be faced. The Lord's Day was being desecrated by unnecessary work, and in many other ways. Mr Guy then went on to quote Dr Parr, Adam Smith, and Lord Maeaulay in support of preserving the sanctity of the Sabbath Day, and concluded by raying that they had met for a twofold purpose: to enter. a protest against Sabbath desecration and to take some stops to >bring about a belter htate of things in the community. There was testimony from all quarters that the Sabbath was a needful institution in the highest and best interests of man, and they objected to selling- their birthright — the " Sabbath — for a Ccr tinental Sunday.

Mr Charles "Watt was the first speaker, and delivered an address on the historical aspect of Sabbath observation. Mr Watt opened by saying that the question was one of such transeendant importance to the community that it could not be over-estimated. Past experience showed that a low estimate of the weekly rest day was an unfailing 1 indication of a correspondingly low condition of individual and national life. Taking it on the lowest plane, and stripping it of all religious considerations, the weekly rest day had been recognised as an absolute essential for man and beast. Of the important human testimony to its necessity, Dr Carpenter said : "My experience is very strong to the importance of the complete rest and change of thought once a week." Adam Smith wiid : "The Sabbath ag a political institution is of inestimable value, independently of its claim to divine authority." John Bright gave it as his conviction that " the stability and character of our country and the advancement of the race depend t t , very largely upon ilae mode

, in which the Day of Rest, which saems to hai c bsen specially adapted to- the need's of mankjnd, shall be used and observed?' After qtaoting Lord Maeaulay, Mr Watt went on ' fo speak of the origin of the .Sabbath, and said that Professor Salraond, of Aberdeen, ' said : " Its proved adaptation to the preservaI tion and promotion of the moral life. of so- ; ciety and the religious life of the individual establishes a presumption in favour of its divine claims." But, continued Mr Watt, i there was an important feet to be remembered — viz., the early recognition of the weekly division of time. The week, as they were aware, ] was an arbitrary, not a natural, division. No ', known periodical phenomenon marked off the : weekly division ot time. 1 Eow, then, was it I settled? and how came it that almost all j the ancient nations divided time into sep- | tenary periods, or periods of seven days ; while ! most other things were reckoned by decade; — i.e., by tens? This was the case g± the Assyrians, Egyptians, Arabians, Grecians, I ( Italians, and Ancient Britons. . Professor Salmond said; -'".It is difficult to account for | its extreme antiquity, and its diffusion among j peoples so numerous and so far separated from each other, except by the - supposition of ' a divine revelation oi-it." 'After dealing with the institution of the Jewish Sabbatrrand how-i the change, t in^ the day was introduced, Mr I Watt proceeded to deal with what be termed " the only argument that has given any trouble to the -advocates of a weekly rest." He said if the Lord's Day was fixed for worship -4.t had been contended 'that it could only apply to Christians, and why should those who were not such be compelled +o keep it? Now, | it would not do to reply to this, because the j Creator gave the day to all. For all did not_ f lecogruse the Creator nor their obligation to" Him. How, than', were' we to bring the | divine law to bear on those who may refuse- 1 to recognise divine* authority? Precisely as they brought the same law to bear on tho£.'3 who, committed theft or murder by the arm ] of tho State. Now, he was no advocate for j the unholy alliance of Church and State ; the I question touched was in a different sphere, j I and the rest day occupied a place in both, j But there was another sphere : ,• it was the righteous .boast of the Briton that the constitution of- the Empire rested on the Bible. Now, in that constitution there was a civil | institution called Sunday, and it was the sacretl duty of the State to see that this venerated symbol 'of Britain's power and greatness should "be as far as possible kept free not only | from unseemly desecration, but" from needless i labour. Nor were we without evidence of another kind in connection with the historical. When ' France, under tfle pernicious influence of Voltaire's philosophy, descended .to . I the deification.; of Reason, the people deter-" mined if possible "t'o s obliterate all former recollections of a sacred character, and a new i era was established!;. The divisions of the 1 I year were changed,' and the names of the ! months altered. The .Sunday wa\ abolished, 1 and fixed at every tenth day. Need anyone ' wonder that such an impious measure marked j the most hopeless condition of chaos and mdi■- ■ cated the deepest depth of degradation that j unfortunate people ever reached. He hoped I the clay was far distant when what was 'known I as tho Continental Sunday should bo trans-' ferred to New Zealand. And such a terrible transference could only re prevented by this j colony holding fast the .divine and 'ancient bulwark of its freedom.— (Applause.) As the people but recently rose in_a grandly heroic ■ effort when the old fiag-'was in clanger, do 'let them" rise now and enter their strongest protest against any interference with our glorious constitution. — (Applause.) At this stage Miss Florence Brewer appeared and sang very acceptably " The Better Land." In response to a persistent demand by the audience, Miss Brewer repeated the last verse of the &olo'. " , The Rev. I. Jolly, .was the" next speaker, and dealt with " The iSabbath of T.o-day," I characterising the subjact aa one of prci eminent: imporlanco as a vital factor in the moral and religious life of the community, j We had been accustomed to ppeak of the. I Continental Sunday as. a type of Sunday of j which we had good cause to be afraid. For- | tunately, the people of the Continent were j beginning to take measures to improve this state of things, and many leagues had been formed to urge the observance of a day of rest. The toilers on the Continent found that seven days' work a week made life ' an intolerable burden, and many labour "organisations were demanding a day of r,est.. The j Socialist Congress which met in Ghent in i May, 1886, parsed strong resolutions demand- ! ing that the toilers &hould have their Sabbath rest. The same movement was being held in the United States. In Italy, Austria,, Germany, and Holland there had been legislative enactments in the direction of giving the masses a day of rest. Turning to Britain and the colonies, they found the 1 symptoms far from favourable. Wo were the descendants of' a Sabbath- keeping, race, I but we were far to readily bartering away our birthright and turning our Sabbath into a

Continental Sunday. He had become painfully' conscious ol a tendency to devote Sunday to amusement' and pleas'iic'-aeeking, and even the innocent bicycle was instrumental in desecrating the Lord's Day. We had crowds cf people cramming the tramears to St. Clair and Ocean Beach,' while the tram employees were deprived of their rest that the^e people might enjoy themselves. — (Criss of " Shame.") Was it nol true that in that ! very hall concerts, called sacred, forsooth, had been ■'given, on Sunday evenings, and he • believed the place was crammed to the doors? I Was it not true that at the Princess. Theatrej the people were shouldering each other to get j in to an entertainment he would not characj terise on the Lord's Day? It was time that I the people were up arid- doing to make theiij influence felt as citizens to~ minimise this evil. — (Applause.) Mr T. Kolgate having sung "The. soul's awakening," -'." " The Rev. J. J. Lewis gave, a" short address on " The Spiritual Aspect of the Sabbath." I ( At the close of the meeting -Mr 'David Beath I [moved the following resolution ":.—'• TThatt t as Christian Endeavour ers, we 'pledge ourselves ■not to- use the fcraincars on- Sundays, and- we , earnestly urge the young people" of our city ] and -suburbs also to refrain froinjisMg,ihem, in order that the tramv/ayemployjes may enioy the day of rest, as well aa^otKer -members of the community." '-7C--; ,X-,. : Mr T. ,N." Cuttle Seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. ,; Mr T. Ccatesworth uioved — "That the Dunedin Christian Endeavour Union, view with extreme regret the proposed introduction of the legalised sale of intoxicating "liquor , into the Kinsr Country. We believe ,it to ,b& C the duty of all civilised- Govprmnents' 1,0 pi-o-j tect aboriainal races -from pelf-destruction "by j drink, and we regard the proposal \o -wltbI'drftw this protection, from the Maoris as an j inconsistent and wholly unjustifiable abandonment, in this one particular, . of the generalpolicy of protection, that jns Government has adopted towards" them- r/e appeal to. the parliamentary representatives", of the people to resist the proposal to the utmost '-in 'Fae : interests of humanity." -, . >~, A gentleman in the audience seconded the- | motion, which was also carried. „ - I The proceedings terminated with"the dpxology and the benediction. *' -! - The Westport Times'states that Mrs James Houlahan has drawn the horse St. £)lair in. TattersalPs sweep on the Spring ' Handicap, Sydney. ~ /•„■"* - Mr George Cassidy, of Orange;' -N.S.W./ reported --recently that a tige^r-was about the bush in the vicinity- of»-Summer-hill -Creek.' Repeated! efforts 'to Rapture the > animal have been unsuccessful: ''"lts tracks' ■were visible at several plaqfs; ■'"--.' We learn from the kjcarrelfresSntatives oir Mellin's Food ' Company that'khey have received a cable from their- principals in London advising that the f pllowmg awards had been obtained at the Paris Exhibition nowrunning—viz. : Gold niedal for MeHin's food, silver medal for MelliVs biscuits, and bronze medal for Mellin's lacto-glycose. This is a unique record, and tends to prove the superior quality of these food preparations for infants and invalids.-"