The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-15
II is OVER.
Congregationalist's Convention is
Concluded.
INTERESTING REPORT On SAB
BATH OBSERVANCE.
Proceedings of the Final Days Session
The Question of Divorce Receives At
tention-ssThe Youngest Member of the
Church."

The Question OF Divorce hecei'os ~
tention-"The Youngest Member of the
Church."
Syracuse, October IA. AT the after
noon session of the Congregational coun-
Gil, after devotional exercises, the report
of the committee on marriage and dlvor-
ce was taken up.
It recommended a committee to be
known under the name of the commit
tee on family.
Rev. Chas Carveno of Colorado, moved
IS substitute to the recommendations
of the committee that it be instructed
to inquire into the Scripture grounds
for divorce and continue it under the
same name. The substitute was carried.
The report of the committee on Sabbath
observance was read by Rev. Linus
Blakeslee of Topeka, Kan.
The evils which we enumerate and de-
plore today, said the report, Sunday ,busl-
ness, Sunday amusements, Sunday news
papers, Sunday railway trains, Sunday
laziness, Sunday dissipation are but the
echoes of ancient transgression. Still the
Importance of the Sabbath question is as
vital as ever. The vigor and spirituality,
| if not the life, of our churches are in
volved in the solution OF it.
| Sabbath observance has much 10 con-
tend with: "a The money making and
pleasure seeking spirit OF the age. In
most of our large cities the haunts OF
amusement and dissipation are wide
open, calling not only for Christians re-
buke, but also for the intervention OF law
in the interest OF the general good.
| (2) Again there are hindrances thrown
| in the way of successful Sabbath by a
faction of the Christian church which Is
| busily disseminating the doctrine that
Christendom has been observing the
wrong day. and that the present Chris,
tian Sabbath is of necessity failure, and
| ought to be and will continue to be, I'M
| til we read just ourselves upon the OLD
Mosaic foundation.
| (3) Another subtle influence operating
adversely to Sabbath keeping is the sem
timent which would do away with the
distinction between things secular and
| sacred.
! ~ But perhaps the greatest hindfanee az nee
| of all to a satisfactory solution OF the
/ Sabbath problem is found in the wide dl-
yersity of views and practice among
| Christian people There appears to be no
acknowledged standard of what true Sab.
| bath observance ought to be. III sorts OF
theories prevail, from those who refuse
to partake of warm dinner. or ride IN
a street car, or mail a letter on the Lord s
/ Dav on the one hand, to the easy going
ICatholic priest up in Wisconsin on the
other. who refuse to cooperate in move
mont for the Sunday closing of the
saloons, for the reason that he does not
Like to see his rural parishOners "drive
into town on a cold wintry Sunday and
have no place where they can go and take
so,nethine to warm them up before the
church services begin.
There is every sort of custom prevailing
among representative Christian people,
from the brethren at tho Bible House, on
{ the one hand, who by Executive action
last MAY enjoined upon our superlnten.
dents and missionaries the avoidance OF
Sunday railroad trains in reaching their
4 appointments. to prominent divine on
the other hand, known the world over,
who swooped down on a Western Town
i on Sunday, preached to an immense
crowd in a suburban park at the regular
hour of morning service. Shinned out the
con eregation of his ministerial brethren,
pooketed his hundred dollars from the
street car corporation who employed hlm
as a financial venture, and then an
pounced that he must take the first train
after dinner to fill a Monday appoint
ment several hundred miles away. !,
Let it be known, g., how much
validity there is in the argument against
, using street cars because the employees
! are Kept from the enjoyment OF sunday
rest and privileges. Let us IND GU,
whether observance requires tna6 noIe
guests should be kept on colo vlotuals,
that the cooks may have SUNDAY o.
rest and worship; whether the police
, should be taken off the streets, and Sent
: to church on Sunday, leaving the pubic
, the prey of evil doors; or whether on tn'
other hand the universal law OF vlcarlous
, ness does not obtain here, that some mus
, suffer in order that the greatest good may
, come to the greatest number.
We rejoice, both as Christians ana al
patriots. in the movement 1naugurated II
New York and other large cities OF the
: land for the enforcement of Sunday laws,
and that the maintenance OF such laws
. in the interest of labor and morality has
, received ths endorsement OF ons OF tn'
, great political parties of this state.
All was adopted except part Of the las
clause of the Recommendations.
The committee on lynGhing made 1T
report. It deplored the prevalence o
that custom. Various committees
were appointed toward the close OF tn
session.
; ois r. Clark delivered an address on tn
uYoungest member of the Church Fam
lily"
CAPITAL AND LABOR
The Rev. Washington GLADDEN., d. D.
of Columbus, Ohio, presented the report
of the Committee on Capital and Labor,
in part as follows:
1.-THE months have been few, during
the last three years, in which the soldier
of the States or of the Nation have no
, been in requisition in some part OF tn
country, for the suppression of labor dis
turbances.
'.There is a class Of employers who d
not study the things which make TO
peace, and who are not reluctant to hav
! violent outbreaks occur; because. in thei
!, view, the calling of the troops for thei
suppression teaches organized labor
lesson, and weakens the power of tn
unions. We are made aware of the exis
tence of labor leaders who do not try t
avert collisions between employers an
r employees, because they have no expecta
! tion that any peaceable solution OF tn
existing difficulty will be found, and the
Q are glad to have anything occur whicl
will deepen the discomfort and increas
, the exas peration of the working classes
since the final struggle in which the ex