The herald., 1893-06-02
SUNDAY AT THE FAIR.

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sary to reason with it. The almost
unanimous opposition Of the churches
of the country to the opening of the
worlds fair on Sunday creates the nee
eHsity for this present attempt to reason
with an influence that 10 unreasonable
churches for their position in the mat
ter, for the most OF them are sincere,
and consider that they are doing the
country a service in keeping the gates
closed. But what are the facts of the
case presented in an unprejudiced way
1t is a strange thing that the churches
that attach the most Importance to the
life and character of the Great Teacher
often do not accept His teachings in
their plain and simple purport, but in
eist on interpreting them in the light of
the teachings of Moses and st. Paul.
Instead of making the teachings of
these worthy men agree with the words
OF Him 'who spake as never man
spake," His words are stretched and
twisted to agree with those of these
great men who preceded and succeeded
him. 1t is in this way that the popu-
lar conception Of the Sabbath has been
formed. The teaching of Christ that the
Sabbath is intended for mans best
good along all lines, as day when all
ennobling and elevating influences shall
have especial freedom OF play, day
from which every benefit possible shall
be derived, day, rs He so incisively
puts il made for man'--this concep-
ton of the Sabbath has been warped
and twisted into an attempt to harmon
ize it with Moses's ideas of what the
Sabbath should be. 1t is as unreason-
able to attempt TO foist the rules of the
old Mosaic Sabbath on the world today
ss it would be to do the same with any
other part OF the old Jewish ritual, as it
would be, for instance, to interpret the
second OF the commandments, given by
that great man when he says "thou
shalt rot make unto thee any craven
image, nor the likeness of any form that
is in the Heaven above or the earth be-
meath, as a prohibition OF the sculpture
and painting of today.
But if the theoretical view of the Sab
bath, held by many today, is without
proper warrant. the attempts at its prac-
tical application are still more illogical.
There are few perhaps who would have
cared to deny the poor man the pleas
ure OF an afternoon stroll through Jack
eon park before the fair was established
there. Why ehould the added charms
of the place, the improved opportunities
for instruction and culture, condemn it
nST mSmperWS WV VINO oA6b8psan 81 psanasy day afternoon en-
Joy stroll through their garden, or
along the lovely shaded streets in the
part of the city in which they are 80
fortunate as to be able to live-why
should they regard it rs wicked thing
for poor man to take himself and lam
ily out OF his little house and barren lot
to some more favored spot, where the
beauties of nature and the genius OF
man will carry his tired spirit away
from the cares OF life and fill it with
fresh hopes and new sspirationsP
AS a logical application of an absurd
principle, take the closing Of the art gal
leries on Sunday. If 1t is wrong for the
poor man to enjoy works Of art on Sun
dsv, it must be wrong for the rich man
too. If public collections should be
closed, so should private ones, and
though the private collection be 80
small that it amounts to nothing more
than few ornaments for the parlor of q
house, it makes no difference, work
OF art is no better because it hangs on q
wall by itself than if it were surrounded
by many othera. But il some Sunday
morning our wealthy church member,
who considers It his christian duty to
close the art galleries of the worlds fair
on Sunday, should give orders to the
Mary Jane that does his housework (snd
who, by the way, might perhaps like to
have come sort OF Sunday closing law
applied to her work. to cover up with
pieces of white muslin, bed eheete, pill.
low shame, or other suitable material
ell the pictures, statues, bric-a-brac snC
; other works of art in the house, in orde
that the religious meditations of tn,
day might not be dsturbed--whs
would his friends think? A commits
t eion Of lunscy would be called at ono
I to sit upon the poor man. But if it i
not necessary for the rich man to 'turl
his pictures toward the walP' on Sun
day, why should Legislation that amount
= to the same thing be applied to the poo
i man?
q Aside from the opportunities that ou
n Sunday offers for the cultivation 0
j. mans moral and religious nsture--op
a portunities that are priceless-the bless
ID ings that flow from it as a day of rest ar
n incalculabe, Better that the world
Q fair ahould prove a colossal failure, tbs
its gates remain forever locked, ths
that the idea should gain ground that
l. is a good thing for men to work Eeve
Of DAYS in the week. As a valuable inst
d tuition the Christian Sabbath outrani
q, infinitely all the worlds fairs that evI
or have been or ever will be held. While tn
at is true it is also true that in the compile
le and ever-moving civilization of today
s. is impossible for all to quit work at til
v same time. Fer those, however, WI
e. work on Sunday some other day durir
,s- the week should be given. The world
of fair committee has offered TO give OF