The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-01-12

cs have now ..e ciarcd in favcr o. open ng
| the gait seven days in The week. Among
the most prominent Gle. gymen who
| have thus cxprcs- cd themselves is DIR.
II. W. Thomas. of hicaSo In n Gc-
cent Sc. mol touching on this subject
| lie said:
Imperfect as may bc the present social order
| the public intelligence. liberty. justice, and
general sell cin. aud doing of :ile nineteenth
century very far in advance of TIE first
| tury. But almost every >te:, of this progress
+! has been resisted by an nnwise, "a narrow and
dnE-cG conservatism Royalty I'd ecclesiast:
| risIn have resisted lihCrtr and dcnot racy: the
| new truths OF sci. nee aud religion have been
contt stcd n every ster: and IN the fierce bat
ties r"dlcal!sm has sometimes been destruc
tive In our most inteliis. at and liberal age
dangerous: and where ci ufch and state are
serarate ed, tra-oons.rvatisr has 10 the
| faces. call hard names. silence and cApel
scholar and rrcG chers, ut can no 20 igor lni-
| prison. han:Sh. and tura her.tics: but it still
stands III the way ot tie larger life of man. An
iliuStrat on OF Ills is seen in tie meetings ana
| discussions of the American sabbath Union:
and in the extreme cons. fvatisr. in attitude of
| the churches opposed to opening the gates of
| the Worlds Far sunday The mist Ike of
these generally well int ntinc people is IN two
| things: they fail TO what this. World En-
position Is ard what ( IS for, and their inter
pretation OF the a2l,,g and OF the Sab
| bat i too na.rnw.
| The nat on~ of tie earth have ally con
| scented to unite with our country IN great
| Columbian Ceieir Of its discovery. In
;;ii will he br, Ieit together tie >ults. no.
! of four centuries aiolit. - o: all the cent
u:i"s-tie results of learning, ar, sci nee. gov
srnfnent. religion. Necessarily, 'h,. Cos, is
! arge: hut it Is not 4 |.u>iaes was not prof
! ected TO make money, hrt was made possible
| by the money given ! y tie people of our own
| by the GOV rurI!tnts Of tie world II is not
| iansiuc~s for gain 1.ut great and friendly
| ath.ring Of The millions Of earth each land
| bringing its richest trea asuTcs. that all may re-
!
| wears. 1t is a school. church. such as was
| never possible he ore. r:or can soon be again.
| Its educational, its moral its religious value
TO th"Sf VI" look uIon the galleries
| Of art the halls ot machinery. the collections
Of antiquity, the result of all industry and
| leaning and The Growing beauty and good of
| the world viii he incaicniabic. II means for
| each one la!c life. acd for the millions of
coM;,arat veiy Incr and lahorin- pt opie this il
the ol,l orr unity OF their lives: scene to
eniar-e the iiic OF the ;burc. vision to bless
| the AGED before they 90 hence. And yet these
conservative. pUrtanlcaf Sabhat rians would
| close tie gates Of this world fchooi and church
on ul:day, aDts III the name Of Him who said.
1t is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day"
Let the machinery he stopped Saturday
night: let the morning hours ot sunday be for
| rest ard worship: then open the doors. reduce
the rates and TINS honor the rational observ
alce of the American sabbath by giving the
poor ana the lahoring classes the hest possible
opportunity 10 see and 'niGy this wonder OF
tie ages. Aud the preachers and the edncatod d
classes could not do letter than 10 co and
mncie freely and kindly with .fe l"cple. as
guides and teachers to rHriali the great works
| nj ART. The labor can TINS le (iehtcusd, and
the DAY I've r;"h in blessings to all. And why
nh;.,t u he necessary "n,k and to receiving
money IT The gates? is it not work 10 open
the churches sunday? AID what is the differ
ence between asking the pcorle for moncy at
the gate and asking them fer money As soon
~ they get inside the church?
| All time is sacred: lai or is sacred as rest.
The command t" work sax days Is J"st as bind
ing as 1t is to rest the seventh: Nature makes
no change on Sunday but cod has appointed
one in seven of mans DAYS for rest. and man
hallows the sabbath in thought ard feeling
and act by ,lcvotin, it to bodily rest and the
improvement of the higher life and hence a
portion OF he day should be given to Worship:
bu. the Sabbath is for man." to he used fer
his greatest cG,d and hence cast-irOn rule :
can be laid down tor ii < ohSe rysncc; there may
lie times whcl il is more religions to work
han to rest or 90 20 church. thristianify Is
the liberty of the spirit, and not the bondage
of the letter of the law: and yet II ls for the
letter. and not the spirit OF the Sabbath that
these rigid conservatives are cGntendins
| We should all enjoy n Quiet Sab
| ta:h day at the ENlo>if ion: hut clos"
ing the gates will not bring such quiet,
nor will opening them add to the noise an I
confusion. nor much, if any, Lessen the travel.
II closed on SUNDAY. people will stay over
saturday and 80 hcrle sunday or come Sun
day to he i.e,e Monday. There VIII be two ii,
| three hundred Thousand strangers here every
Sunday for six months: we have to face this
| Conaitio ion of things: and in no other way can
tions to wrong, and SO many opportunities
| and incentives for he good as in opening the
| gates of the Fair. To my mind. it IL not only
narrow and Enwlse o close the gates on sun
| day hut n great wrong.
And must all regret tlct tho advocates of
the Sunday closing have ceased to he reason
able, not TO say gantlemap1y and honest, in
| their methods. II is humiiiating when minis
ttr~ of the GOSPEL declare that it were better
TO have the cholera in our land than to have
| the Fair rIen sunday. and say that those who
are opposed to their views are "dlsreputahle.
and speak snccringy If tio>r who observe the
seventh instead of tie first ea. IF the week as