Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-07-25

Sunday Closing of the Worlds Fair.
Whence springs that hard, dry, mar
row meaness in so-called Christians
which exerts itself to repel rather than
attract people to a religious form of life?
1t is the still rampant bigotry of the Pu-
ritan fathers, we presume, nurtured and
fed by their unprogressive progeny.
Certainly it seems as though certain
element takes every opportunity to as
sert itself over the less aggressive citizens
of the country, and seeks in every way
to not only make religion compulsory,
but to force it into public questions
where it has no place. The most I'M
pleasant recent instance of this is in the
persistent crusade that has been carried
on by fanatics, with the object in view
of closing the worlds fair at Chicago on
Sunday. A limp and hypocritical con-
gress has supported the absurd demand
by passing bill, and all Europe will
soon be laughing at us for our ridiculous
and deformed ideas of religious conduct
Aside from the gross injustice of this
offensive action, the result of it is going
to be so disastrous that one would fancy
even narrow-m minded bigots would recog
nize it and strive to avoid it. The limo.
cent and instructive entertainment that
fair would provide on Sunday, as well as
on week days, is sufficient argument to
all reasonable persons that it should moi
be closed, but heavy-headed and hyster.
ical professional religion workers, the
men who advertise themselves as being
possessed of abundant heavenly virtues,
will not even discuss the situation, and
refuse point blank to consider that clos
ing the fair means an enormous increase
in the immortality of the crowds assem-.
bled in Chicago, who will only too gladly
avail themselves of the innumerable
methods of enjoying themselves that
will be offered them.
There will be three times the drink
ing, three times the sacrlege, three
times the actual infamy accomplished
in Chicago on Sunday with the fair clos
ed than if it is open. But the fanatical
mob cares nothing about this. In it,
hard, uncompromising, aggravating way
it shrieks: "Close that fair!" Accord
ingly, the fair is closed, and the satisfied
horde triumphs over the vanquished
liberals, not knowing, or, if knowing,
not caring, that the devil is delighted
with their victory.
We had thought better of congress in
this matter. 1t is another case of nerve
less men lying down like poltroons to
win votes. Not one-fourth of the house
of representatives could honestly vote
in favor of the Sunday closing of the
fair; but when few hundred voters
control things in their various districts,
and when those few hundred voters
may perchance be cut ON the stripe OF
Elliot Shepard, your Congressman gives
shiver, buttons his coat tightly over
his conscience and votes against his con-
victions. 1t was politics, not religious
sentiment, that carried the Sunday clos
ing bill through the house.
1t is bad enough for sensible people to
have to listen to the worst sort of balder
dash relative to the Sunday closing of
the exposition in our national senate, but
that we must listen to it from the lips of
such notorious corruptors of public
morals as Matt Quay is an insult to the
plain common sense of the public
That man who has been openly brand
ed with malfeasance in office, with such
political actions as lead logically to
bribery and the worst abuses of ballot
corruption, and with long continued
Identification with the worst that his
party could achieve, to such an extent
that the reputable papers of his political
faith have openly denounced him, and
many of the leaders of his party been
forced to ignore his presence in the
party; that such man as this should
have the effrontery to stand before the
American people as the champion of
pure morals is almost too monstrous for
belief.
Appearing as Quay does as the sena.
torial spokesman for the Sunday closing
movement, we do not hesitate to voice
what we believe to be the opinion of the
greater part of our readers and of the
non-partisan public as well. that this