The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-21
ON ALL SIDES OF IT.
Some Queer Ideas and Some Sensi.
BILE Ones
EXPLOITED BY THE MINISTERS

The discussion of the Ministerial union
| held yesterday on sabbath Observance
and the Way to Enforce IT. was lengthy
( and interesting. 1t had been proposed to
MAKE an effort to enforce the laws regu-
lating the transaction of business on the
holy day and other dissertations of the
Sabbath particularly base ball playing
and the opening of parks.
Once there was danger that Mr.. Cliff
Bakers street railroad would be serious
Iy interfered with, but it seemed to be a
hard thing to do to stop the street cara
even for day, and the project was final
ly modified.
Rev. Mr.. Norbom of the Swedish
church was desirious of ascertaining if
the railroad trains could not be stopped
! running through the city on Sunday.
: During the discussion Rev. Mr.. Owens
of the colored church said: sit seems to
me that in stopping the trains and street
cars the money interests of the country
are to suffer, yet | think we should stand
up for the right though the heavens fall
The way to do this is to educate public
sentiment to il"
DR.. MCGEE was present with a COM
munication in regard to it from the Pres
byterian church in which he said that
the Christian Endeavor society of the
church had resolved to endorse any
thing the ministerial union should do
in the matter "Personally." he said,
81 am heartily in favor Of anything that
will tend to suppress the violation of the
Sabbath. My heart was panied to hear
the sounds of revelry yesterday when
trainload of Topeka men were going to
a sister city on base ball excursion To
peka's dignity suffers. We should create
a healthy public sentiment against this.
We have a law on the subject which if
enforced would stop it all"
Rev. Mr. Green of the A NJ. E. church
said he lived by the car line to VinewOod
park, and that the cars were loaded Sun
day and people hanging on the outside.
In the crowd was a deacon and his
wife. "If we don't take some measures
to stop this" he said, "the blood of these
people will be required of Us. We
must agitate it. We are the salt of the
earth, and if the salt has lost its SAVIOR,
what will become of the earth?
81 know my collections are much
smaller in the summer than in the win
ter. The parks and the street railways
get all the money. If it wasn't for the
old folks we might as we'll sing the Dox-
ology and close the meetings"
Rev. MIR. Ramsey of the A. NJ. E.
church, laid the entire blame for these
conditions on the Christians. Our
churches seem to have lost their love for
Christ" he said. I'VE don't live up to
the laws of our churches, and the man
who would violate the law of the church
would violate the laws of God. Only
one-fourth Of the people belong to the
church. Three fourths of them belong to
the world and the devil 1t is no wonder
we have excursions on Sunday.
''DQn't pass any more laws. We have
too much law now. If congress met only
once in ten years, we would be better off.
1 believe in having few good laws and
enforcing them"
Mr.. Ramsey knew about the people
who had gone to Garfield park and knew
that lots of church people went there be-
cause he had been over there several
, times himself to see about it. But he had
never gone inside.
Rev Mr.. Wagner of the Lutheran
church did not believe the civil law
!, could do it "And still" he said, ''we
could take steps to enforce the laws.
Resolutions, discussions and sermons
won't do it alone and we can't do it in a
week Perseverance only will ucceed."
This met with general approval
Rev. Stuart Sheldon regretted to see
, that there were forty or fifty business
l houses open in Topeka on Sunday
| Omitted" he said, Eve might have
some influence that would close them
We have laws on the subjec
/ that should be enforced. l believe the
men now in power could enforce the
t laws-especially the prohibitorv law
if they wanted to. But they don't wan
to, because they are in league with
. whisky A man with one eye and tina
, two-thirds shut could see that. The
; governor needn't tell me he can't enforce
, it. I'd enforce it."
Rev. J. E. Hazen, Christian, who il
, a young man and has just come to town
= thought it all ought to be done witt
= ! prayer, and another newcomer tolC
about what bad town Chicago was
Presiding Elder Billingsley of the 81
. E. church, did not want it to go out from
this meeting that the Christian peopl,
, patronized the parks in Topeka HI
: did not believe it. He did not personally
know of one Christian that did, and die
e not believe the children of Christian
8 parents did either.
i when the parks charge ten cents ad
!. mission" he said, "they then put them
" selves under the head of a business en-
, terprise on Sunday and within the limit
of the law. We must fight them will
t the law and it will take money. hav,
= So to give to fund of that kind. Tall
e will not do it. l am not a fanatic and j,
: not wish to be understood as wishing t,
}, fight the little things that the publi
/. would not be with US in but there ar,
fragrant violations that should be pun
4 ished. do not believe the public woult
9 be with US in closing the restaurants, a
:, first"
6 Rev. Mr.. Dobbs was of the firm opinion
e that Sabbath Dissertation was largely OIL
It the increase and deplored it
8 Rev. MIR. Byers of North Topeka said
3 ''In violating this peace of the Sabbat
T the people claim to stand on their per
sOnal rights We must not undertak
too much. There is danger of spreading
ourselves out until we become thin.
do not consider it crime to ride on Sun
day if one wants to. If this be heresy
mark it so. We should go easy. Their
p are things that must be done on Sunday
0 When l was first married we refused t
l. take milk on Sunday, but in year Their
y was a baby at our house crying fo