The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-23
MIR. BEECHER ON THE SABBATH.

Mr.. Beecher Believes In Opening Read
ing Rooms, Lyceums and Art Galleries
ON Sundays-Tho Poor Man Needx
Them-Six Days Work and One Days
Rest.
Cooper Institute Hall was last evening packed
] with an audience who had come to hear the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher advocate the opening OF tho
public libraries, yceums and art galleries on Sum,
days. Long before eight O'Clock every seat in
| the Nall was occupied, and standing room In,
| the vicinity OF the platform could scarcely
| BIO had. On the platform number OF ladies and
gentlemen occupied every available Inch OF ROOM
Promptly at eight O'Clock the large audience In
timatcd q desire for Mr.. Beecher'5 presence, and
the eminent lecturer at once put In On appearance
After some remarks by Mr.. Hewitt, the chairman,
stating the object OF the meeting, Mr.. Beecher was
introduced.
He said that when the clergy agreed about the
observance OF the Lords day the aity were sure to
follow and the diverse also true for when tho
laty agreed the observance or that day the
clergy were sure not to oppose. There was no
difference between clergy and laity. The word
citizen swallowed up all. In regard to great moral
questions there were dividing lines, and he count
ed IL suspicious occasion for the consideration OF
the present subject that 80 many thousands had
assembled there that night. He would be sorry to
oppose those who would sanctify the Sabbath; for
he came OF an old Puritan ancestor. He would
have the day do more than 1t now does; II 1t had
done good thing he would have II do twenty
more. He believed In gvingit q fuller and larger
USE 1t could be made to do more. Large num-
bcrs had come to shores who would have It
made a holiday He stood between both eXcesscs,
and wanted, not conflict, but cooperation. Az 1t
was, 1T was an American Sabbath IA church day,
religious day OF rest. In other lhnds there were
games and amusements on Sunday with u little
preliminary rlilie OF church in the morning. When
he was boy he used to think that everything was
birds in the fields the stiffness. And though but
boy, he used to have certain poetic feeling over
him every Sabbath. He honored this man who kept
the old Sunday. and he honored the day for what it
had done for his fathers and for the community.
tty The old Jews made saturday their Sabbath,
but they looked upon It simply as Gay OF
% was and w6r WE had Sn ns
mand from the Scriptures as, 20 how the
bat should be k 20 The With
bolts upon it. What was the Lords Day. It was
that day when Jesus healed, and upon which He re-
buked the Jews for calling to account some OF His
disciples who had eaten In the fields for the reason
that 1t was lawful to do good on that day. In the
and not man for T. i was not made to
Then, what were the benencent uses of itY
1t was a day for physical rest, and that we all
description OF the life Of poor man, his want OF
rest and the need he had for It, and said that the
the judges Of what the poor man needed on sunday.
| He then went on to speak or Sunday IN
the churches and draw vivid picture OF
of that standing to pass the day, beginning in tho
morning with cold reception In some church, or
perhaps treated to some sermon, In which they
might be enlightened that Adam was the father OF
the human race; and then, after spending day,
perfectly meaningless finally at night time seeking
company In an evil place. He would not com
Pei people to 60 to . church. but he would la
enough enough to ' have 70 Gambia cambat the devil for
six days In the week, and it was therefore wei
ship This s sort s Of rest was needed and was the
more needed by those who were poor Tor these
a no
The lecturer then went on to show how sunday ni,y
evening: There was too much preaching and too
much Sunday school teaching Il was I bad to DO
them U'r lie up advooaseS fn the poor mans sun.
be as it was among the Jews, a day OF rest
for the rich only. In every walk OF life six days
whereby, If it were necessary that work should be-
| done on the Sabbath 1t should not be done by those
favor OF running the city cars ON Sunday, so that
the poor might get chance OF getting fresh air ana
sunlight, though he did oppose making any conduc-
AS to the opening OF the public Libraries, lyceums
and art galleries on the Sabbath, he was In favor OF
the project. He believed that young men should
have some place to go on Sundays where they
would meet companionship. In the spirit Of the
Master, whose rebirth occurred on the Sabbath he
would ask that this place be given II 1t were said
that the Sabbath was for religion only he would
answer that it was for humanity. To those who
would say that Ii the reading rooms were once
thrown open they could not be closed again II it
proved Injurious to leave them open, he would an
swcr that we were not children and that the sense
of the community could and would close them.
Mr. Beecher here read a letter from gentleman
In Philadelphia to the effect that the Mercan tile
Library Of that city had now been opened on Sum
days for three years, with good results and con-
Guided by hoping that the opening OF the reading
rooms on the Sabbath would bring down blessings
on the poorer classes.
Resolutions were then adopted calling on the
trustees Of Cooper Institute, the Mercantile Library
and the Aston Library to open the reading rooms on
Sundays, and thanking Mr.. Beecher for his eloquent
lecture.
The Chairman OF the meeting announced that In
the fall OF the year Cooper Institute Reading Room
would be open on Sundays, from two O'Clock r. M.
until ten O'Clock r. M. The meeting then adjourned.