Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-09-27
OPEN NlDI TIKI GATES
A Pover11l Argument Yor : onn-
~ Worlds Fair.
PUCK" SLOWS 4 sEcEssIII FsR II



Worlds Far on Sunday. n. G. Buanee
Puck. .sIhs Chicago Worid's Fe,r =
likely 10 he the means Of eetfllne. ooSo
aud Tor all, what IL known q the non-
day question. We do not In tie lene6
mean that the settlement Of tho ouca>
ton rests with the directors e. com-
mission ers who are nov oon11dnrioe
whether they shall or shall not keen thS
far open on sundays. Tue ultimate
Judgment lies with The people, whna-
ever the officials of the fair may - ~
20 decide; and u needs only euch "a a.
casion as great and widely attended
pubic exhibition 20 bring the czoe ~
fore the people, and II the same time
10 present them with the eridencr winch
they reed TO pass judgment upon IL
IL is possihie--we tsust il ~ not brot,-
abie-that the managers of The fair
may undertake 10 close Il 30 the puhjio s
on sundays. That wicked and cruu1
blunder was committed IA 1876 q Phil
adelphia. and there may be anaone the
exhibition officials Isen 80 weak and
tiniorous as Gen. Hawley showed him.
self at that time; n fearful of the
clamor of tho ylndicitiye. hitter iiftio
crowd OF professional Sabhxtariant.
and as willing 20 wrong the many
10 avoid incurfing the Wratis OF 3
few. But we DO not believe Il
Whatever may be the faults OF Chicago.
she does not grow that sort At man.
Chicago is not inclined 20 take fha
shrili voice of Hartford. Conn.,. for the
roar OF the whole world. We shall be
| much surprised If the men who have
the Worlds Fair IN charge will scr,ons-
| ly and earnestly undertake TO do the
bidding OF the preposterous fanatic
who came on from New York with
Elliott r. Shepard st their head % de-
| mand the enforcement OF the Puritan
blue laws in 1898. But whether Elliott
+. Shepard or a man with brams gcls
possession of the fair gates on The Sun
days of the summer OF lS93, the Quee-
tion will settle itself in that time. and
not by the "say SO" OF any one nan or
of any set of men, official or unofficial.
III the fair closed on sundays, the
blunder of Philadelphia will be repeat
ed on . scale large enough 70 show ~
criminal folly. Now, let il be rcmen>--u
bered, Philadelphia WAS. In 1875. an ex-
| ceptlonalIy quiet provincial city Of nxfn
| or eight hundred thousand iniahi
IL WAS a "clty OF homes" with Il
| public lifo than most towns Of hG|
size. Yet. when the hundreds Of f1<IC
| ands OF people who attended the c6n<D0
nial exhibition were let loose On ph5In~
delphia for .Jong Summer SundnVo oe
aimless, hopeless. helpless idlcncso, ~
nothing 10 see. nothing 20 do, in tn - 8
Of rational enjoyment. this quiet E
| of hnmee" developed vice enouR1x
metropolis. People who can not
clean and wholesome place of
mens can 70 tho devil, who r
constantly With uo than even o
and idle strangers II Philadelph
promptly TO the devil. who ~
ported from New York and other -
! for their special benefit. And, -
further remembered, that G1I1<~
is . city that is not only uEk :
larger than Philadelphia uoo<<0z
1876, but as different in ciloco1(rt
from that dull old town a BunC11s
COL, is different from Salem, n<a
Every large and active city - ~
vicious side. and mnst have. under ~
municipal system that has yot ~
devised. while vice exists and tho N lz,
ingness of the vicious 70 make n6ou1
IN evil WAYS. Chicago's yicioun11 r
a side of oil but unexampicd maGo
We believe that she lays claim 70 ~
distinction of ranking New York in this !
pnrtscular-but for the credit Of bod
cites, let US avoid futile and o{ren
sive comparison. II is enough 10 ~
that, in her ability 10 satisfy the ape
tites of those who seek for disepatioo
IN any form. Chicago rsust be counted
among the half-dozen great cities ol
the world which cherish within their
bounds other cit'cs of ein and iniQuify.
| of population alien 20 the mass OF
law-ablding folks; Alsatias OF crime and
iniemperance and vile misuse Of life.
There is no Sunday closing for these
cities within cities. Their day IL night:
| their hours OF hardest work the boiidav
hours of honest folk. Their lu,qui<os
show is ever open. aud IL sthe bi1eine
of their livca 10 drag people into il.
There is no admission fee. Is costs
nothing 10 60 n. But there 10 An exit
fee. II costs something 70 60 cut 10
IS 10 the mercies OF tina world Of Tire.
less. ingenious, persistent. ubiquitous
dealers IN vice that the small buf noisy
HANDFUL Of sabhstarians would deliver
the IDLE crowds that Will throng Chi
cago's many streets two yearn hence.
Young men and glrie, inexperlenccd II
the worlds ways, eager Tor enjoymont,
Tor adventure, for new experiences and
for q wider knowledge of the world
about them--tbese are the people ubom
the Sunday ciosers wish 70 expooe 8
| the manifold temptations II = great
city for twenty four hours Of enforced
idleDess, inevitable dulIpess, unrellee<d
WEAKNESS aud emptiness. And that
~ ali these self-constituted defondero
of religion care for Christian pcop3e.
80 long as their fellow men are denied
a rational and whoIeaou1c nmuonnnnut