The record-union., 1892-06-21
Condemnatory Speeches at the Con-
gregational Church.
The Action of the Concert Committee
in Abolishing Them is APP
proved by Resolution.

Deen accomplished, anu many HAL stiy GU
away on that account.
Rev. j. B. SilcoX opened the meeting
by calling for the singing of 'My Coun-
try, 'Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty"
Rev. J. II. Reider offered prayer, and
then Rev. Silcox stated that the meeting
had been called for the purpose of con-
sidering the wisdom of changing the
Sunday evening open-air concerts
TO SOME OTHER EVENING
In the week. The fact that the Open-air
Committee had already met and dis
pensed with the Sunday concerts proba-
bly, caused many persons to believe that
the object of to-nightS meeting had been
accomplished and they staid away-ac-
counting for the small attendance. The
movement against the Sunday concerts,
he said, grew out OF general desire TO
respect the rights of those engaged in
church work. Many young people, who
ought to be under the influence of the
churches, had stayed away from their
worship and gone 10 the concerts. He
was glad to believe. he said, that the ma
jority OF the Concert Committee believed
with those who had circulated the petit
ton to have the concerts stopped on Sun
day evenings, and the meeting might
we'll be called thanksgiving meeting.
The petitions bore the names OF reputable
citizens of the city, he said, who believed
in protecting the church, oven though
many were not church-goers themselves.
DEMANDED PROTECTION.
Rev. r. NJ. Stevenson was the next
speaker. lie quoted tine remark of i cele
brated French statesman: There is no
good government Without morality,
there is no morality without religion,
and there is no religion without the
church" The church and the com
mun:ty had right to demand protection
as well as bad an individual. The great
trouble with the Sunday concerts was the
diversion they afforded the young folks,
on whom the future of the country de-
pended. The church of Jesus Christ was
having enough to contend with already,
and it had the right TO protest against
anything that would divert those from it
who were in need of its influence.
Dr. SiIcoX, before Introducing the
next speaker, said he did not think Sac
ramento quite so bad as ii was painted at
times. He was quite confident that there
was plenty OF goodness and morality out
side OF the churches. lie referred to the
recent experience OF the church people.
The Sacramento Bee had abused him
personally, but he admired it because,
like the other Sacramento papers, it per-
mitted no one TO say aught about Sacra-
mento and go unmolested.
CHURCHES NOT RUN FOR MONEY.
Dr. Herrick said this was a very
! happy day for him on account OF
the decision Of the Open-air Concert
Committee doing away with Sunday
evening concerts. There are fifteen or
twenty churches in Sacramento" he
said, land what are they trying to do?
Make money?' he asked. mo; they are
trying to save our boys and girls. Let
us look this matter in the face. There is
no use trying to conceal the fact that the
Sunday evening concerts have atendency
to divert the young folks from their relig
! ious devotions." lie concluded by say
! ing he did not wish it to be understood
that the churches were trying to deprive
! the people of any pleasure-they were
simply trying to stop the tendency TO di-
vert the young folks.
RATIFICATION MEETING.
:. e. Darlington said that the meeting
was hardly necessary, except as a ratifica-
| ton meeting, now that the Sunday con-
certs had been done away with. He said
he had been all through the East, and no.
! where were Sunday evening concerts in
vogue. 1t had been advanced as an argu-
ment in favor Of the Sunday concerts that
! they were for the benefit of the laborinr
man principally. The speaker denied
! the soundness OF this argument. Satur-
| day night was the time for the Iaboring
man to enjoy himself He needed a rest
| kCLi4IeSf SNSIilL9Ss ItG iidO 10 SCG UD
early the next morning for work Con-
| tinuing, the speaker said he noticed in
! the published reports that the Concert
| Committee had given as an excuse for
not giving Sunday evening concerts that
| they were short OF funds. This was'not
a good excuse. The real reason, he said
J was that many business men would not
contribute to the concert fund because of
the insistence Of certain ones for SUNDAY
| evening concerts.
AN ALLEGED BAD REPUTATION.
| John l.. Speare, Secretary OF the YounC.
! Mems Christian Association. next adj
dressed thenleeting. He said lie did not
believe III fanatics, and tried TO keen
| from becoming a fanatic himself It was
true, he said, That great deal was said
about Sacramento by people living here
| which would be better lett unsaid. Yet
| it was also true that outside o. this citv
| there was general impression that Sac
ramento was one of the very worst
places on the face OF Gods eartl-that it
was the last station this side of hell
There We're many things that should. in
stead of being brought to the front
! De relegated to the rear. He said he
| did not mean the saloons alone-there
were many other things he did not care
| TO mention. The speaker said he had
! little respect for
LAWS THAT COMPELLED
| AiSil VI B0 ssOOl II tn6y NOuId not be
| good of their own accord, it was hard to
make them good by law. IN conclusion
| Mr.. Speares introduced q resolution
| thanking the Concert Committee for
| the action it had taken. The resolu-
! ton was adopted. MIR. SpeareS told Of an
experiment tried in a Michigan city for
Dopularizing church work on Sunday
evenings with people who do not attend
church. An opera-house was hired, an
immense choir secured and popular SER
mons given. People went there because
they were used to all opera-house and not
to church. The experiment proved
success, and the speaker thought that if
something of the kind were gotten up in
Sacramento the Sunday concerts would
not be missed.
NOT so BAD AS PAINTED.
DR.. Silcox, in closing the meeting. took
occasion to refer again to the fact that
Sacramento was not half so bad as she
was painted, even though she had bad
reputation outside. An illustration was
The latter had been told at the other
cities he stopped in to look out for Sacra-
mento-it was a tough town. He was
told that the people here had become too
hardened in sin to be moved by any re-
vivaliSt. But when DR.. Mills was going
away be remarked that he had been quite
agreeablv disappointed Sacramento was
as moral a city as he had visited. Con-
timing, Mr.. Sileox said he. too, had been
told terrible stories about Sacramento be-
| fore he came here. He was told that he
would soon become Disguised with the
4 place, as he would not be able to get
corporal's guard to hear him preach.
/ But his experience here had been quite
! different. ~ want to say right here TO
you church people," he said, in conclu-
! sion, ''the newspapers of this city have
| been hammering away for long time to
! close up the dives. But there has been
| no concerted action on the part of you
| church raople. The neMsnarers arc do