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lity; and to a chosen number has been the very life of the soul; however heretically some of them understood the words。 If its ancient use perish from among us; so much the worse for our country。 And perish no doubt it will; only here in rustic solitude can one forget the changes that have already made the day less sacred to multitudes。 With it will vanish that habit of periodic calm; which; even when it has bee so largely void of conscious meaning; is; one may safely say; the best spiritual boon ever bestowed upon a people。 The most difficult of all things to attain; the most difficult of all to preserve; the supreme benediction of the noblest mind; this calm was once breathed over the whole land as often as sounded the last stroke of weekly toil; on Saturday at even began the quiet and the solace。 With the decline of old faith; Sunday cannot but lose its sanction; and no loss among the innumerable that we are suffering will work so effectually for popular vulgarization。 What hope is there of guarding the moral beauty of the day when the authority which set it apart is no longer recognized?……Imagine a bank…holiday once a week!
V
On Sunday I e down later than usual; I make a change of dress; for it is fitting that the day of spiritual rest should lay aside the livery of the laborious week。 For me; indeed; there is no labour at any time; but nevertheless does Sunday bring me repose。 I share in the mon tranquillity; my thought escapes the workaday world more pletely than on other days。
It is not easy to see how this house of mine can make to itself a Sunday quiet; for at all times it is well…nigh soundless; yet I find a difference。 My housekeeper es into the room with her Sunday smile; she is happier for the day; and the sight of her happiness gives m
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