Connecticut western news., 1893-06-22
WILL SUNDAY OPENING PAY?

The United States court of appeals having decided that the Worlds Fair directory has full control of the fair and may open the gates on Sunday, the legal phase of the question IS settled. It IS not, however, settled in the minds of 8 large number of people, that the Worlds Fair directors were morally honest in ac cepting the appropriation made by con- gress on condition of Sunday closing and then avoiding the condition, and no amount of legal decisions can correct the impression that the managers have dealt unjustly in the matter.
 This feeling that nearly $2, ,000, 900 has been secured from the people of the United States through chicanery is sure to prejudice hosts of people against the exposition. The Chicago Inter Ocean, which has consistently favored Sunday opening, confesses that it has been demonstrated to any unprejudiced mind that the mass of the people are not nearly as anxious for the fair to be open on Sunday as the advocates of Sunday opening believed. The Sun- day attendance, hitherto, has not been half what was expected, and the Inter Ocean questions whether money will not be lost by the Sunday opening. It says:
 It seems plain that, without taking into consideration the fact that a great many people certainly will stay away from the fair entirely if 1t is kept open on the Sabbath, and thus lessen the receipts on week days-say1ng nothing of the money to be returned to me governmental is safe to calculate that the open Sabbath would lose the directory more in receipts on the other six days of the week than the opening on the seventh day would gain them.
 The directors have pledged them selves to pay back to the national gov ernment the $1,9OO,OOO they have re- ceived. There are about twenty Sun- days in which to make up this amount, and about 200, GOO paid admissions every Sunday until the close of the fair must be taken in order to meet the obllga- tion. Unless the Sunday attendance IS very much larger than it has been hlth- erto, the directors will lose more than they will gain by the Sunday opening Springfield Union, June 18th.
 The foregoing article says the legal phase of the question is settled. Well, while it is not actually settled it is oir- t,4dlzy settled inasmuch as the matter cannot be reached by the Supreme Court until October. Granting that the legal phase of the question is settled does not settle the moral phase of the question. The moral phase is matter that the Directors must settle with the Almighty. The Directors evidently think that the Almighty Dollar is great CT than the Almighty Ruler of the Uni verse. While the Directors are wor- shipping the Almighty Dollar they will find that others all over the United States are also worshiping the same idol, and that there is legion of heads of families-who care nothing them selves about seeing the Worlds Fair they rather save the expense and keep their money at interest-and they also begrudge the money it would require to send their children to Chicago--to whom the open gates of the Fair on Sunday affords most excellent excuse for remaining at home and also keeping their children at home. This class added to the religious class who con- scientiously boycot the Fair will largely reduce the receipts in consequence of Sunday opening.
 Descending the Sabbath by opening the gates of the Worlds Fair on that day is disgrace to Chicago. and it is also national disgrace. History re- peats itself, and the same questions and answers that are recorded in Malachi III, 8-9 are timely to-day. Twill man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithe and offerings. Ye are cursed with curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation" It will not be surprising if curse follows the premeditated and deliberate act of rob- ping God of his Holy day by opening the gates of the Worlds Fair on Sun- day.
 This wilful desecration of the Sab bath is an attempt to undermine the foundations of morality and religion. In Psalms XI, 3, David asks, 'If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?' The same question is pertinent to-day.
 She: Have you been to the beauty show?' He Cooking at her): No. That's why I came to call. (The cards