St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-22
SUNDAY AT THE FAIR.
A Red-HOt Discourse in Favor of
Keeping Open All the Time.

A Red-HOt Discourse in Favor of
Keeping Open All the Time.
Samuel P. Putnam, of San Francisco,
is something of an atheist himself. He
created quite a sensation IN Century
hall last night, where he delivered a
lecture on ''Why the Worlds Fair
Should Be Kept Open on Sunday" The
audience in the hall was large, but it was
interested until the speaker mentioned
that collection was about to he taken
to aid the cause he was an humble ex-
ponent of. Then there was general
exodus, and Mr.. Putnam watched the
retreating audience with establishment
depicted on his countenance. The &c
ture delivered by Mr.. Putnam was one
which WOnld not have pleased the
average orthodox Clergyman, for
it was anything but orthodox. 1t
was setthing hot roast on
religion and Christianity as practIced at
the present time, apropos. however, of
the title of the lecture. The church. he
maintained, had no right to close the
worlds fair on Sunday, and the men
who constitute congress had no right to
pass laws 10 that effect. The govern
ment of the United States was Tor the
people and by the people, and 1t was
not in the power of the church to pro-
hibit the exercising of individual rights.
There was no religion or Christianity
in the Declaration of independence
The word God was used but not de-
fined. In the legal instrument and
constitution no such word could be
found, the fathers of the country who
framed them evidently meaning to
make the government secular with no
god i'll it above the voice of the people,
The constitution was not framed
by the church nor by any MEN,
Plummer maintained that in no sense
is the government of the United States
Christian one. George Washington
himself declared, in treaty with a
foreign power, that this country was
not founded OH religion. 1t is no more
Christian government than q pagan
government. The people were organ
lied for the purpose of mutual progress
and not to make angels.
Leave the making of angels to the
church." said Mr.. Plummer. ave
don't want to be angels. We want
secular government and human ciyiliZa-
tion."
Then he went on to say that the
worlds fair should not be closed Sun
day, even though every sO-called Chris
tian in the country asked it, for the
simple reason that the individual rights
of one man were as great as those of
60,OOO,000 people. He deduced figures
TO show the church of the United States
could only array 21,0O0.O0O people on
its side, while the remainder were
non-Christian. In his opinion, if
the matter were put to vote
and every Christian should vote ac-
cording to his own conscience the pro-
10 foi IL
be voted down TO l. 1t is not ma
tional affair, he said, but one in which
the whole world was interested. Why,
then, should a few Christians close the
gates of the worlds fair to millions of
other people?
''If we close" said he, ''the fair on
Sunday out of regard for the feelings
of the Chrl StlanS, we must also close it
on Saturday because or the Jew and on
Friday because of the Mohammedan.
and SO on until it is closed every day in
the week. The Jew is just as good as
the Gentle in this country, and the
are all the same, and why, then.
should we not have the same re-
gard for their feelings as for the
Christian? If the Christians don't
want to 20 to the worlds fair on Sun
| day let them stay at home. We are en-
titled to do as we see fit as long as we
do not interfere with the rights of
others. Let the Christians do likewise,
say L. Congress, | reiterate, has no
| right or authority to close the fair on
Sunday. This country is not supposed
to be run under the union of church
and state. If the fair is closed
on Sunday the country is placed
| under the heel of the church. Accord
ing to the fundamental principles of
this government, to do SD is treason and
| a crime against state and man. God is
not mentioned. as l stated before. in
the instrument OF the government, and
| if he exists in this universe and desires
to change the constitution he must first
become citizen, one of the govern
ment. This is not an aristocracy but a
| democracy. Everybody is as good as
everybody else"
MIR. Putnam then tackled the word
Sunday. He said it meant a day of Joy
and pleasure, and not holiday. The
word Sabbath meant holy day. The
Christians found the word Sunday in
the constitution, and try to affiX some
religious significance to it as pertaining
to the government. As matter of fact,
the word Sunday is Roman word. and
II the government is bound to religion
because of the word in the constitu-
ton, then it is bound to the pagan
religion. BE challenged any and all
| clergymen living to find anything in the
| Bible relating to Sunday as the day of
rest and worship. The day referred to
was the seventh day, which is Satur-
day, and not Sunday, the first day. at
all. The present Christian Sunday was
founded by the tyrant and murderer
Constantine, the Roman emperor, and
when the people are compelled to keep
that day as the holy one, they are
no longer American citizens, but
subjects of the Roman empire. The
present Sunday was meant as day
when the tired could rest and find en-
loyment and recreation, and not relig-
ion and rheumatism in the musty
churches. To close ths fair on Sunday
would be crime against the poor work.
ing people; would be to 20 back on the
very fundamental principles of the
American government, and a blow at
the religious faiths not called by the
name OF Christianity. II closed, the