The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-07
Pastors Card.

We, the pastors of number Of christian
churches in our city, feeling our response
bility to God and the people committed to
our care. desire to make frank and earnest
statement and appeal, especially to our own
congregations, and as far as it may be right
ana proper, and our influence extends, to
our fellow-citzens at large. 1t is certainly
obvious to tie most casual observer, that
with our increase of population and pr s.
perlty In material things, there is fearfully
dlsproportlonate increase of many crying
and destructive evils and vices in our com
munity Two of these evils seem to us to
lie at the foundation and are the direct
cause OF large proportion of the vice and
immortality SO prevalent and depl0rable,
namely, lntemperance and the violation of
the Sabbath day Each of these multi
plies, intensifies and aggravates the other.
But we desire now especially to call at
tentiol to the dissertation of the Sabbath.
The seventh day is divinely declared to
oe rest day, required by the constitution
OF mau's nature and by the laws of our
land, and ought nat. therefore, TO be day
Tor business meetings of a worldly nature,
nor Tor the celebration of worldly events,
nor for secular Clue meetings nor for gath
erings for the transaction Of worldly bust
| ness of any kind. Much less ought it to be
used as day for pleasure excursions,
"HlSh OpciiJ ana OeO1nIiy NlOldUe Ln9 laws
CT God and the laws of the land. No man
can reasonably gainsay the statement that
a scriptural and sensi BILE observance of the
SaDoaIh rest conserves pubic morals, pro-
notes public peace and prosperity and very
| largely contributes to the public welfare
| generally. But the continued and no
| tlceably increasing violations of the
Sabbath law by so large Il portion of our
| citizens, is a matter of deep regret, and
when il lu ,af
ter of very great alarm. We fear that
some of our own people are involved,
directly or indirectly, IN these violations
or divine and human laws, and their
solemn church vows, and are thus being
swept away by the rising tide of evil. We
feel then that the time has come when not
only all christian people, but all lovers of
their country and of their race ought to
make firm and decided stand for the Sab
BATH of Bible, the Sabbath of our fathers,
and the Sabbath of our country, which is
now SO fearfuly imperiled. Every parent,
every humanitarian and patriot, every
lover OF good order, and every good and
true citizen is vitality interested in this
issue. Placards and public notices weekly
urge and infiame our people to violate
the laws of God and the state by steamboat
| and railroad excursions and other forms of
| Sabbath desecration without any rebuke or
protest, and the evil is rapidly increasing
Now we, as pastors of fiocks, and in a GER
tain sense guardians of the moral welfare
| of our people. and as citizens, desire to
make this earnest appeal to ali t. aid us in
trying to arrest and abate these crying
evils Then, in the name of God and his
church, of morality and humanity, of the
| rising generation, our sons and daughters
| Of the majesty of law, of the honor and
good name of our city, and of every high
and noble motive that appeals to mans bet
| ter nature, we most earnestly and lovingly
ask you not only to abstain from these
| things yourselves but to discour-
| age and discounteuance them in
| every way, both publicly and privately,
| and by every proper means seek to create a
| public sentiment against Sabbath viola
| lions, and all kinds of evils, and the enforce
ment of law, until our city shall be relieved
| OF this disgrace and wrong. We feel moved
| to make this solemn and earnest appeal,
under deep sense of our personal and
| official responsibilities to God and men,
believing that all our fellow-citizens, like
minded with ourselves, will appreciate our
| motives and approve our action.
l. s. X. Arson,
J. F. DRIPPs,
Pastors Independ't Presbyterian Church.
w. S. BOWMAN,
Pastor Lutheran Church.
J. r. MCCLEsKEY,
Pastor Trinity Methodist Church.
j. e. L. HOLMES.
Pastor First Baptist Church.
j. w. RoGAN,
Pastor First Presbyterian Church.
A. NJ. WYNN.
Pastor Wesley Monumental Church.
T. H. BLENUs,
Pastor Christian Church.
r. Q. WAY,
Pastor Anderson Presbyterian Church.
j. W. SIMMONS,
| Pastor New Houston Methodist Church.
w. s. royal,
Pastor Duffy Street Baptist Church.
7. Z. DAVENPORT,
Pastor Marvin Methodist Church.
j. E. GILMORE,
Chaplain Seamen's Bethel.