Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-15


| Exposition on the Lords Day. We make
this petition for the following reasons:
THE RELIGIOUS REASONS.
First-It is the religious conviction Of the
| great maj jority of Christian people that man
needs, and God commands, the observance
| of a Sabbath.
Second-The opening of the Exposition on
| Sunday would violate the Sabbath. Keeping
traditions of the American people and their
Anglo-saxon ancestry, y,a and also the laws OF
Third-The Columbian Exposition ought
| TO exhibit to visitors from other lands
Characteristic Christian American Sunday,
rather than weekly secular holiday.
Fourth-The proposed opening on Sunday
| would deprive the thousands of employees in
| the service of the Exposition of their right
| TO one day in seven for rest and worship.
The same injustice would be done to the
many thousands in the service OF the trans
portation companies 1t would also furnish
an excuse to employers Tor retuslng to & grant ant
position, which would otherwise be given 20
their employees
Fifth-The spirit of the movement to open
the Exposition on Sunday is not philan-
thropic, but merecenary. 1t is not primar-
lily TO give the workingmen chance to visit
the Exposition, but to increase the gains OF
the transportation companies and others
who are large stockholders in the Exposi-
ton.
THE EXAMPLE OF PHILADELPHIA.
Sixth-As an offset to the plea that the
stockholders will lose money if the Exposi-
ton is not open on Sunday, we beg leave to
remind you that the Centennial Exposition
at Philadelphia was success with its gates
closed on Sunday.
Seventh-We have reason to believe that
many OF the exhibitors from Great Britain
and other Christian lands will refuse to ex-
pose their exhibits on Sunday, thus render
-l,s1Nf tt-fn nffNrxT
to visitors and at the same time silently re-
buking the mercenary spirit that would
open the gates on that day.
Resolved, That copy Of this petition
duly certified, be forwarded by the secre-
taries of this conference to the secretary of
the United States Commission of the Worlds
Columbian Exposition.
Mr.. Atkinson, NJ P, of England. hoped
the report would be adopted. There would
be no financial loss from closing the Exposi-
ton on Sunday, and the church people of
Europe had succeeded in similar cases by
like means. Rev. DR.. Gibson, of Paris, told
of the results of keeping the Paris Exposi-
tion open on Sunday, and favored the reso-
luton. --..-..
Rev. DR.. Humphreys suggested as an
amendment the addition of the words, ''It is
in direct violation of the laws of the States
of the Union, and particularly of the State
of Illinois" Adopted.
Several delegates from other countries OBJ
iected to the term continental European
holiday" and the phrase was modified to
read 'weekly holiday" The conference
adopted the report as amended without di-
vision.
THE QUESTION OF FEDERATION.
The Business Committee next reported
back a resolution on the subject of Metho-
dist federation. 1t recites that the Confer
ence recognizes the desire for Christian CO.
operation among evangelical churches, and
especially among the various Methodist
churches; that while the time for organic
union might not have arrived, yet con-
certed action was now possible. Therefore,
it was recommended that the churches
represented in the Conference consider
whether such concerted action be possible, |
and if so, by what means. Half dozen del |
egates spoke in terms of praise of the reso-
luton, but before the debate closed the |
further consideration of the subject was |
postponed until tomorrow.
The topic of the morning session was.
Education" and the first paper was one
proposed by W. NJ Fitehett, OF the Austral- |
asian Methodist Church, of Victoria, en-
titled, "The Religious Training and Culture |
of the Young" In DR.. Fitehett's absence, |
the paper was read by Rev. DR.. W. Morley, |
of New Zealand.
The writer urged strongly the duty of the |
Church in the education of the young. He |
held that it had failed so far in that. Even |
the Sunday school failed and failed where |
it was most needed, and that was in the |
older scholars. The pulpit had too often |
forgotten mission in the training of the |
young. In the English hymn book there
was no child's hymn.
THE STATE MoNoPoLIzING EDUCATION.
But facts must be recognized, and the
tendency of the time was toward State edu-
cation-toward free, compulsory, secular
education. When the State entered the
was possible. It is great monopoly And
therein lay the danger of the Church. In
ten years the primary education of the
young would be secular. The peril was that
it might not only be non-Christian, but
anti-Chistian.
Rev. Thomas B. Appleget, President of
the New Jersey Conference, Methodist
Protestant Church, spoke on ''The Family"
In regard to the forces which have in these
later days been devised for the entertain
ment and so-called culture of children, there
whether they be of God or not; but all will
admit that the highest and most sacred re-
sponsibiity of maturity for the training of
youth finds its divinely ordained expression
in the parental relation. In the holy Or
dinance which makes twin one flesh; in the
abiding love and tender pity of parents for
children; in the quiet and retirement of
Christian homes; in the sweet communion
of freside affections; in the gentle restraints
of the household; in mothers kiss and faith
er's COUNSEL in the daily reading of the
family Bible; in the sacred breathings
around the family altar-here are the
springs of the great river which is to bear
our children into the church and unto God.
ENGLISH SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
Rev. DR.. Robert Culley, of London,
treated Sunday schools from the English
point of view. Not only should the teach
ers understand the truth as taught by Jesus,
but they should be able to teach that truth. |
Much of the teaching was incoherent and |
indefinite. In rural England the Church |
had to contend inch by inch for the ground |
it had already won.
Rev. L. J. Coppin, A. NJ. E. Church, of
Philadelphia, said it would not do to carp |
at the Roman Catholics for bringing their !
children into the churches when the Meth |
odists did not bring their own children to |
the Sunday school If child less than 12 |
years of age was bound to go to heaven,
why was he not good enough for member |
ship in the Church?
Rev. DR.. Waller, of England, said the |
salvation of a country depended on the sal /
walton of the children. BY strange irony,