St. Paul daily globe., 1895-04-16
DEMAND ITS OBSERVANCE
As a Day Of Rest From Trials
e and Labors Of the
Week.
BISHOP GILBERT EARNEST
And Other Clergymen Vigor-
Gus in Their Speeches at
the Mass Meeting.

-. The mass meeting IN faVOc or Sum
day observance, held last night at
the Peoples church, was largely at
fended. Vigorous speeches were
made by several clergymen, and a
permanent organization resolved
upon. -, @ ~
After some pleasing organ selec-
tions by Miss Jennie Morrow and
the singing of a hymn led by c.. H.
Fem, Rev. j. w. Conway, of the
First Baptist church, invoked divine
blessing, and stated that there was
general feeling among all denomina-
TionS: THAT the American Sabbath
was not adequately observed in st.
Paul, and he would call upon sew
eral speakers to voice the sentiment
of reform. There were then upon the
platform, in addition to Mr. Conway,
the following representative clergy
men: Bishop Gilbert, of the Episco-
pal church; Father John Gmeiner,
of the House Of the Good Shep-
herd; Rev. David Morgan, of the
Bethel; DR.. S. G. Smith, pastor of
the. Peoples church; Rev. L. S.
johnson, pastor of the First Swed-
! ish Lutheran church, and Rev.Will-
liam Mckinley, Of the Methodist
{ Episcopal church.
Rev. L. S. Johnson, introduced as
a new arrival in the ranks of local
clergy, said that week without
Sabbath was like a summer without
the sweet scent of flowers, a year
without summer, night with
|, out morning l rs.sf
I'VE need" he continued, ithe
Sabbath as a rest from the trials
and labors of the week, and for a
full religious life. We have many
. laws in this country fer the proper
observance of the day, yet we read
OF a rioteus procession at Chicago,
sparring match at Boston, a horse
race at ST. Louis, all upon the holy
Sabbath! In society receptions and
various minor entertainments are
now given upon the first day of
the week. Everything is tending to
make the day more secular. All
CLASSES ARE AFFECTED
by this growing abuse, but none
more than the laboring man and his
family. Upon Sunday the workman
has his time to himself, and he is
too apt to spend it in drinking and
carousing. The man who raises his
hand against the Sabbath day is
the enemy Of the nation, his race
and himself. Voltaire said that to
destroy Christianity it was first nee
essary. to destroy the Sabbath"
Bishop Gilbert followed with an
energetic argument in favor of the
Sabbath, and from the standpoint
of the laboring man.
"It is constantly asserted said
he, that we who work for. the OBJ
servance of the Sabbath are striv-
ing to bring back the blue laws and
restore the unhappy days of the old
time PuritanS. This is a manifest
impossibility. Nor are we trying to
deprive the working man of his
right, to abrddge his liberty, or to
force religion upon him, willing or
unwilling. 1t should be clearly un-
derstood that Sunday comes as the
day of rest to the workingman. He
should spend at least a part of it
in becoming religious worship, and,
above all, he should cling to it tena-
eiously as one of his strongest ram
parts against the steady advance of
greedy capital. Here, at any rate.
so long as the present laws are OBJ
served, is one day upon which the
Iaboring man is free, one day upon
which he is not the servant of that
capital which reaches out for every
thing, even for the health, the life.
the souls of those who fall under it's
graSping control. It is significant
fact that in France, the very coun-
try where had hitherto prevailed the
loosest observance of the Salbba tn
day, there arose, a few years ago.
among simple, practical business
men society to secure a better rec
ognition Of the day as a day Of
rest"
Another hymn was sung, and
Father Gmefner spoke in the place
OF Archbishop Ireland. He called
attention to the attitude Of
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
upOn the Sunday o11ast;o, uA+ ~,