Abandonment of Sunday During the French Revolution

During the French Revolution royalty was abolished, and France declared by the National Convention to be a Republic, Sept. 22, 1792. After the Convention had accomplished the judicial murder of Louis XVI., Jan. 21, 1793, the "Reign of Terror" began, under the leadership of Danton, Marat, and Robespierre.

The infamous decree to abandon the Christian religion in France, and to substitute for it the worship of Liberty, Equality, and Reason, was passed at the instigation of Gobet, Archbishop of Paris.

Churches were quickly despoiled of their ornaments, and civic feasts substituted for religious festivals.

The Convention also enacted that time, instead of being reckoned from the birth of Christ, should there-after be reckoned from the birthday of the French Republic, the year to begin anew from that date; and, that the Christian Sabbath might not be observed, months were to consist of thirty days each, a day of rest being granted only at the close of each decade (ten days). Danton was guillotined; Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday; but the "Reign of Terror" did not close until the axe of the guillotine fell upon the neck of Robespierre, July 28, 1794.

In 1795 France received a new constitution, the third since 1789. The executive power was vested in five directors,--hence the name Directory given to this period of French government: each director was to be in turn president for three months. A re-action had set in, the people awoke as from a hideous dream, the laws of Robespierre were repealed, the churches were re-opened for Christian worship, and the decades of the revolution gave place to the observance of Sunday. But the Directory lasted only four years (1795-1799), when the Consulate form of government was established, with Napoleon as First Consul. This change in the government was accomplished without the interference of the people, and was, therefore, not revolutionary. Napoleon was now master of France. He made peace with foreign powers, and applied himself to the internal government of the country. On the 18th of September, 1801, he made a treaty with the Pope, called "The Concordat," by which the Roman-Catholic religion was formally re-established in France, and the liberties of the Gallican Church were secured by a series of carefully prepared provisos.

We know of no other instance where the observance of one day in seven as a holy day, or day of rest, has been abandoned since the command for its regular observance was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. And it is a singular coincidence, that, by keeping this command, there is at the present a perpetual Sabbath upon the earth, since the Greeks observe Monday; the Persians, Tuesday; the Assyrians, Wednesday; the Egyptians, Thursday; the Turks, Friday; the Jews, Saturday; and the Christians, Sunday.