Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-22
The Eloquent Pulpit Orator
Consecrated at Boston.
A MOST IMPRESSIVE SCENE.
Leading Bishops and 1866 Clergymen Of the
Episcopal Church Present.
The Methodist Ecumenical Council Dis
cusses the Question of Secular Edu-
eation-The Body Resolutes on
Sunday Keeping.
Against Sunday Opening.

| Against Sunday Opening.
WASHINGTON, Oct. l4-The ecumenical
| conference this morning were unanimous
in the adoption of the following petition to
the United States commission OF the Chi
cago Worlds fair, protesting against the
proposed opening Of the fair on Sunday:
To the United States Commissioners of the
Worlds Exposition.
The ecumenical Methodist conference,
composed of 500 ministers, representing
| Methodist churches throughout the world,
! respectfully petition your honorable body
to prevent the proposed opening of the
| Worlds Columbian exposition on the Lord s
day. We make this petition for the follow
| ing reasons:
l. 1t is the religious conviction of grea.
majority of the Christian people that man
and God demand the observation of the
| Sabbath.
p That opening on Sunday would be q
violation of the laws of theSabbath-keeping
American people and their Anglo-Saxon an
| ceStry, and also the laws of the United
States and Illinois.
| g. The Columbian exposition ought to ex-
pect visitors from other lands to see char
| acteristic Christian American Sunday
rather than weekly regular holiday.
4. The proposed opening on Sunday would
deprive thousands of employees in the service
of the exposition of their right to one day in
justice would be done to many thousands in
| the service of transportation companies.
| 1t would also furnish an excuse to employ
ers in refusing to grant holidays for the
purpose of visiting the exposition which
would otherwise be given to their employees.
3. The spirit of the movement to open the
exposition on Sunday is not phelanthropic
! and mercenary. 1t is not primarily to give
! working men chance to visit the expo
| sition but to increase the gains of transpor-
| tGtion companies and others who are large
| stockholders in the exposition.
=. AS an Offset to the plea that the stock
| holders will lose money if the exposition is
| not open on Sunday. we beg leave to remind
| you that the Centennial exposition in Phil
| adelphia was financial success with the
| gates closed on Sundays.
Z. We have reason TO believe that many
| of the exhibitors from Great Britain and
| other Christian lands will refuse to expose
| their exhibits on Sunday, thus rendering
| the Sunday exhibit very unsatisfactory 10
| 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 to by the secretaries of this
conference be sent TO the United States
| commission Of the Worlds Columbian ex
position.
The business committee next reported
back the resolution on the subject Of Meth
| odist federation. 1t recites that the con-
ference recognizes the desire for Christian
cooperation among evangelical churches,
and especially among the various Methodist
churches; that while the time for organic
union might not have arrived, yet concerted
action was now possible. Therefore. it was
recommended that the churches represented
in the conference consider whether such
action be possible, and if so, by what means
and ways.
n1c Tod 30
copies of the resolution to the senior bish-
ops and president of the conferences repre-
scented here. Half dozen delegates spoke
in terms of praise of the resolution, but be-
fore the debate closed further considera-
ton OF the subject was postponed until to-
morrow.
The topic of the morning session was
education, and the first paper was one pre-
pared by Rev. William Fitahett of the Aus
tralian Methodist church of Victoria, en-
titled, Religious Training and Culture of
the Young" In DR.. F'itahett's absence,
the paper was read by Rev. Dr. Morley of
New Zealand.
Rev. Joseph Ferguson of the Primitive
Methodist church, England, presided at
the afternoon session. Rev. John Smith of
the Primitive Methodist church of England,
read the first essay on Elementary Educa-
ton and How it May be Best Promoted
He said that the United States was the only
in education than in war-like preparations;
that had given in aid of the cause more ter
ritory than was comprised in England,
Scotland and Ireland together. Education
did not consist in conforming child to
mould, but in the unfolding and training of
whatever powers and faculties may be in the
human heart and mind. 1t was strange thai
education should have been made the foot
ball of political parties and rival church,
yet fierce battle was still being waged in
England.
Rev. ]. D. Hammond of the Methodist
Episcopal church, South, Covington, KY,
spoke upon 'The Ethics OF Elementary
Education"
Secular State Education was the topic as
signed to Rev. DR.. Holiday of England, but
as he was Ill Alderman Crossfield of Man
chester, Eng, spoke upon the subject.
Hon. ]. c. Deny of the African Methodist
Episcopal Zion church, Wilmington, n. c.,
addressed himself to the subject of Secon-
dairy Education. Scholarship, he said. was
not the heritage of any race-it lay in the
Individual. Scholarly education was the
ruling force of the world to-day. Metho-
dism in America was indebted to education
for its marvellous growth. Secondary edu-
cation included character making. As re-
suit of that education in the case of his own
race the auction block had been turned into
a school house.
Rev. A. NJ Greer of the African Meth
odist Episcopal church of New Orleans
spoke of the difficulties Of giving religious
instruction to youth, when the examples
around them were SO at variance with these
teachings. He hoped the Bible would be
taught as necessity in all public schools
on both sides of the Atlantic, and that no
surrender should be made to those who OBJ
jected to the very fundamental principles
OF society, which were founded upon scrip
tural morality.
Rev. L. r. Fiske of the Methodist Epis-
copal church of Albion, Ohio, called ;.tten-
ton to the conflict Of understanding be-
tween the Eastern and Western delegates
respecting the sectarian school
Rev. DR.. Walter Of England advocated
ncn-sectarian schools within the reach of
every home.
The conference at this point adjourned.
Bishop Phillips Brooks.
BOSTON, MASS. Oct. 14-With services
as solemn and impressive as were ever wit
messed in this country DR.. Phillips Brooks,
rector of Trinity church WAS TODAY made