The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-11-16
THE FUTURE SUNDAY
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE VICTORY FOR
THE DAY AT THE FAIR.

Rev. Thomas DIXON, Jr,, Continues HIS
New Series Of Sermons on ''The Proph-
eoies % she worlds Fair"--SIan Needs
Even More Hours For Rest.
NEW York, Nov. 12.--Rev. Thomas
Dixon, jr., continued In Association
hall this morning the new series of SER
mons ON 1.-THE Prophecies of the Worlds
Fair" The subject of the Disco
today he called "The Future Of ~
American Sabbath, as indicated by the
Sunday Opening Fiasco." He declared
that the action of the fair authorities
on this question was the one fly in the
ointment of the great exposition. Their
thimble rigging policy he declared was
a disgrace which came near running
the fair at a critical period The work
ing people had repudiated the Sunday
opening when accomplished, and the
public refused to have it. He declared
that this conflict which focused the
national sentiment upon the problem for
the first time had demonstrated some
things pretty clearly-among them GER
tainly that the great truth of tho Chris
tian Sabbath--one day s rest in seven
has been re-emphasized as a primal or
dinance Of humanity, to whose sanctity
ecclesiasticism can add nothing and
from whose glory infdelity can subtract
nothing.
The text chosen was from Mark ii, %,
THE Sabbath was made for man. "
Jesus Christ was not orthodox on the
Sabbath question. The heresy hunters
were continuously after him for his
failure to comply with the form of GER
monial and institutional religion. With
special emphasis did the pharisees ac-
cuse him of breaking the Sabbath. And
they had good grounds for their charge
from the pharisaic point of view.
Upon this question as upon others he
was q reformer. He was the bearer of
new light. He did not destroy. He
fulfilled and expounded. He found a
Sabbath buried beneath dead ceremoni-
alism. He reaffirnied its original divine
purpose. He broke the. letter. He
kept the spirit. He lifted the day from
the degradation of pharisaic form and
made it radiant with the beauty and
freedom of love. AS yet, in America,
while as a nation we have proved our
reverence and loyalty to the day, we
have not given the unbeliever the true
basis of our faith. We have haggled
over the legalism Of a Mosaic statute,
while we professed the fuller revela.
ton of the Christ. The chief source Of
conflict upon this question is found il
this confusion.
THE QUESTION AT CHICAGO.
Grave were the fears of the faithful
what would be the outcome of a ma
tional struggle on this question a
| Chicago.
At this World 8 fair, for the first timt
since the republic was founded, tn,
whole nation came together in on,
| place with one purpose. In the trues
sense of the word this fair was repre-
sentative. Nearly 100000 of peo
pie, representing every state and distric
of the continent, came to one spot, fillet
with the consciousness of common
national pride in a common nationa
life. The means and the extremes met
| The blood of every nation of cart
mingles in our veins or yet floats un
observed upon the surface of our life
We are composite people, with the ele
nents of composition yet unassimilate,
in many states. The amalgam is no
| yet made. What we will be when i
is made does not yet appear.
Let us confess that with the reputa
ton of the west for recklessness on tn
Sabbath we felt sad over the possibl
victory of the lawless element in thi
conflict, coming as it did and when
did. The verdict would necessarily b
national in its bearing. The way thi
question was handled by the directorat
of the fair forms the one serious bic
upon its history. 1t is the one fly i
the ointment of the greatest expositio
the civilized world ever saw. Let Il
try to remove this in the beginning G
our study.
The fact is, we have cause for con
graduation after all, for in the en-
God has taught the nation with ne,
emphasis great and solemn lesson
The directors We're, after all, fallibl
men, and in trying to increase their rev
enue at the expense of the nations cor
science by opening on Sunday they CO
lided with the nations honor, and i
the hour of a possible peril brougf
honor and decency to the rescue of
poorly enlightened conscience. The
went before the nation assembled 6
Washington and asked for an appropr
alton. The Sunday question was sprun
and brought to a finish in congress
The Sunday observers won an ovel
whelming victory, voicing the unquei
toned sentiment of vast majority {
all the people. They accepted the az
preparation and promised to close tn
fair on Sunday.
Then they lied and for the sake {
money opened it.
They outraged the sense Of honor an
decency of the nation.
The people would not have it-peopl
who knew little or cared little abor
the question Of opening or not openin
on Sunday did care as to whether "
should exhibit ourselves as q nation {
liars and tricksters. The success of til
exposition was seriously threatened.
| And before the gathering storm of
nations contempt the managers n
treated and closed their gates.
Then came the enemy and invoke
the magic jugglery of the law and tn