St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-12-10
SPALDING'S PLAIN
TALK.

While ministers Of the gospel
have recently held meetings in Va
rious sections Of the country for the
purpose Of raising their voices in
favor Of closing the Worlds Fair on
Sunday. it u interesting to know
that Bishop J. L. Spalding, one Of
the most eminent Of the New Eng
land churchmen publishes in the
Arena for December IN article in
which he takes strong grounds
against the movement. He declares
that s'the essence Of the Observance
of the Sabbath consist in two things {:
In worship and in rest from servile
work, and that it is absurd to ask
people after they have attended
divine services for two or three
hours to spend the rest Of the day
in darkened rooms" making them
selves as miserible Is possible.
Bishop Spalding Is sensible
enough to know that they viii do
nothing Of the kind, and he says it
is much better to allow men to SUBJ
stitute moral and intellectual pleas
ures for animal indulgence, because
it is quite plain to the Bishop as it
is to Ill students Of human nature
that il the Worlds Fair is kept
open on Sunday it will be crowded
with thousands Of men who other
wise will be sure to spend the day
in gin mills and other dens Of vice
for which Chicago is notorious the
country over.
The bishop after reviewing the
argument made by the represents
tives Of the church in favor Of Sum-
day closing, vigorously asserts that
il is not right or fair to thus deprive
the toiling masses Of the only free
day that they have, and he insists
that while Sunday is day for wor-
ship, it is also . day on which the
people should have an opportunity
to cultivate and improve themselves.
This is what he has 20 say on that
point, and it must be confessed that
he says it we'll:
las our Lord declared that man
was more than the Sabbath, let
all those who believe in Him
proclaim now that man Il more than
traffic or money, and that those
who deprive laborers Of their one
day of rest in the week are the enc
mics Of human nature.
ION the other hand, the true
lovers Of God and man will not be
frightened by the clamors of the
norrow-minded, who would make
the Sabbath . rabhinical Sabbath,
for they understand that Whatever
elevates, ennobles and enlarges hui
man life is good !; that we may serve
God when We strive to make man
like unto Him in knowledge, in free
dom and in love. The opening of
the gates Of the Worlds Fair on
Sunday will have no tendency to
weaken the right and rational OBJ
servance Of the Lords Day. On
the contrary, the more the people
come 70 appreciate the Sabbath -
q day Of gladness and liberty, on
which, while they renew and refresh
their religious fervor, they also arc
permitted 10 nourish the mind, to-
exalt the Imagination, and to cheer
the heart by the contemplation Of
the beauties Of nature and study
the works Of genius, the more will
they prize and defend this inestima-
bic boon; and the more grateful
will they be to Christ Jesus, whose
divine wisdom and boundless SYM
patty have made for them an ever
recurring day whereon they may
rejoice and be strengthened and
Bishop Spalding concludes his ar
gument by stating that the Puritan |
which was nothing more
than . revival Of the rabbinical
Sabbath against which the Lord |
protested, has long since pass
ed away, and there Il NO sense in |
attempting to bring it hack because |
his is IN era Ut Christian civiliza-
ion and the whole tendency Of the |
lime is towards liberty and enlight-
nent.
Tie States is quite sure that the |
Of the American people |
will heartily agree with the views 50
IDLY expressed by Bishop Spalding.
Let the Worlds Fair remain open
N Sunday and thus afford the
masses Of the people . chance toi
improve themselves. The Sunday
opening will DOH thousand times
nOvo OI..E<S fhsn harm -nai1s. CfaHo