St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-27
REV. w. b. WILLARD SAYS THAT IS
THE GREATEST WANT OF OUR
CITY.
THE SABBATH is DESECRATED
NOT ONLY BY NEWSPAPERS AND
CARD PLAYING, BUT BY
..WANG.'
THE SALOONS ALSO CONTRIBUTE
To the Burden of Sabbath Secular
ism Laid Upon the Parsons
Aching Heart.

"a common sense and not a Script
uraI view was that which Rev. Wat
son B. Willard desired to take of "a
Model City Sabbath" in his lecture at
the Plymouth Congregational church
yesterday afternoon. Regarding the
question from the standpoint Of hui
manity," Mr.. Willard believed that the
present Sabbath day as observed in ST.
Paul was far from satisfactory to the
demands of either intelligence or NOR
atty He quoted from the calm and
alluring picture drawn by Washington
Irving of "a Sunday in London" when
that metropolis, "a gigantic monster,
is charmed into repose"-a condition
which prevails to a great extent on
the Sabbath even to this day IN the
greatest city on earth. But In 81.
Paul. what a difference! According
to a recent Sunday newspaper, which
Mr.. Willard read the following Mon
day, there was to take place that Sun
day a reception to Gen. Kelly in the
afternoon, when the general would de-
liver an address to workingmen; two
meetings of different Typographical
unions-one at 10 a. m. and the other
at 2:3O p. m; ball under the auspices
of a Danish singing society, and vari-
Gus other secular and social events.
The same Sunday Mr.. Willard had
walked along Sixth street. Through
the open window of a residence he had
seen a number of men playing cards
and smoking. AS he passed the door
of the Metropolitan theater he had seen
men, women and even little children in
their mothers care going in to witness
the representation of Wang" Mr..
Willard did not know the exact nature
of Wang" but he was convinced that
it must be something frivolous, if not
worse.
Such were some of the characters
tics of a Sunday in st. Paul. But the
ideal Sunday required above all the
elements of rest and worship. Rest is
one of the prime needs of humanity
in the toll and struggle of life. ALI
business should be dispensed with on
Sunday that is not really necessary.
The merchant should not go down to
the office ito look over the books"
while his family are at church. The
running of street cars could be abol-
ished; the opening of saloons and the
publication Of the Sunday newspaper.
If it be insisted that such changes are
Puritanical, let it be remembered that
Toronto, the cleanest, and perhaps the
best governed, city on the American
continent, permits not a single car
to traverse it's streets on Sunday. Many
said that present conditions prevail in
American cities because they result in
money making. On the other hand,
however, these conditions certainly
produce poverty by inducing the work
ingman to spend his money at saloons
and theaters on a day when he has
abundant leisure. To improve the OBJ
servance of the Sabbath citizens should
abandon all business not obligatory.
They should attend divine worship.
They should, when not at church. pass
the day with their families. Mr.. Mil
lard believed in no ultra-orthodoX be-
havior. He would not say how often
a man should go to church, nor would
he prevent man from visiting the
parks on Sunday afternoon. Matters
such as these were to be regulated by
the individual conscience.
But the adoption Of the reforms he
mentioned would conduce first to rest,
rest more beneficial than that &C
quired by passing the greater part of
the day in bed, as is the practice of
some. In testimony of the value of the
rest he prescribed, Mr.. Miliard men
toned Gladstone'S statement that the
domestic and religious observance of
the Sabbath had been for him zone of
the most appreciated boons in life
filled with responsibility
Wherefore, added the preacher,
was certainly justified when, hearing
Of Lord Castlereaghs death, he ex-
claimed, Poor Castlereagh! His life
was broken! He had no Sabbath"
Again the Sabbath, properly OBJ
served, was conducive to the happi-
ness of the home. The practice of men
taking their families out upon gay ex-
cursions on Sunday was scarcely to
be advocated. Better let the family
unite at home so as to gather up those
threads of domestic intimacy broken
by the absorbing secular employments
Of the week.
More than anything else the proper
observance of the first day of the week
conduces to Goodness. 1t has been
cogently said of this city that what
st. Paul needs is God" We all have
need of divine worship to give higher
views, and to conserve the nobler ends
of life. One could not exaggerate in
asserting that those who spend Sun
day in the way customary to the ma
jority Of st. Paul citizens are little
less than heathenS.
ANNIVERSARY EXERCISES.