Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1890-06-21
ENDORSES HE EAGLE.
The Tribune Approves Of Its Opposition
to Closing the Fair on Sunday.

The Tribune Approves OF its Imposition
to Closing the Fair on Sunday.
sr- From the Chicago Tribune, June III
The Rev. Z. >. Henson of the First
Baptist Church in this city, in reply
to the Rev. David Utter of the Unita
rian Church of the Messiah, makes
aggressive protest against the latter's
recommendation that the Worlds Co
lumbar Exhibition shall be kept open
Sundays for the benefit of the working
people who will have no other day to
attend. Other clergymen have ex-
pressed their views upon this question
more or less at length, but now that
the way has been opened we may eX-
pect general movement all along the
line.
Before this contest really gets under
way we submit to all coacerned that
the discussion is altogether premature.
1t is idle to argue now how the Fair
shall be run. The President has not
issued his proclamation decreeing a
Fair here, the site has not been deter
mined, and the requisite money has not
been subscribed or paid in. Only a
| few preliminary steps of the most gen.
eral kind have been taken. Under
such circumstances it is altogether un-
seemly and previous" for the clergy
to open up a rabid discussion on the
question of Puritanic and Mosaic OBJ
servance of Sabbath during Fair time.
They can afford to wait for two and a
half wears. By that time the buildings
will have been raised and exhibitors
ready to place their contributions. 1t
will be time then to consider how to
run the exhibition.
In Paris there was regular eEhl-
bition only six days in the week. The
Exposition proper was not open on
Sunday. The art galleries and statuary
hall were thrown open that day, and it
required but few attendants to see
that no harm was done to the works OF
art. Hundreds of thousands Of quiet,
well behaved people visited them on
Sunday. The exhibitors of goods,
wares, and machines, however, did not
make seven days exhibition. not from
"holy- hush" Sabbath consider ations
but because it would have been too Sc
we're strain upon themselves; the
officials, attendants, and employees were
not willing to serve without extra
compensation, which the managers
could not afford to pay.
The Rev. Mr.. Henson would have
the gates of the Fair locked Sundays
upon strictly Sabbatarian grounds. HI
would shut off steam and close the ma
chinery and other goods halls, an(
would shut up the art galleries anC
compel the keeping of a Puritanica
Sunday from purely seyenth-day Mo
sale reasons in defiance of the senti
ments Of Roman Catholic Christians
who are nearly as numerous in this Cit
as all other church members combined
of Lutherans, the next largest sect; o
Unitarians, Liberals, Jews, Agnos
tics, and Metagnostics, who do no
share his belief in what he call
the "holy hush" Sabbath. He for
gets that his view of Sunday is not &C
cepted by an enormous alority Of tn
people of this city. Those who fee
/ like Brother Henson will keep Sunda
in the manner he advocates, and that i
their right 1t is their right also t
, walk and not to ride to church; to &c
. along on cold victuals so that the COO
need not work Sunday; to refuse t
patronize horse or cable cars in goin
to church to stay indoors all Sunda
and read the Scriptures and sin
psalms. These are their constitutions
rights, and no one has the right to nc
lest them. There is common-sens
l line in this business, and it will hay
to be drawn, but it will be time t
draw it when the Fair is ready to oper
$ 1t is premature to anticipate the que'
ton two and half years away, and
is absurd for our clergymen to get e1
cited over notwithstanding" in tn
Fair, and plunge into heate
! discussion at this long distance frol
the event. 1t will be tune for them
It cross the bridge when they get to it.