The San Francisco call., 1899-05-20
OBSERVANCE OF
THE SABBATH
Discussion Before the
PreSbyterians.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi, May 19.-
Sunday observance was the question
which took the major part of the Pres
byterian Assembly's time to-day. Most
of the long afternoon session was de-
voted to an earnest discussion of the
report of the special committee on Sab
bath observance. In the end the COM
mittees eight resolutions We're adopted
with slight amendments, and two more
were added.
In the discussion the Sunday street
car. the Sunday train and railroad ex-
cursion the Sunday newspaper, the
Sunday working Presbyterian and
every form of activity which is not in
harmony with the literal meaning of
the fourth commandment was con-
demned
Another special committee reported
that it had not been able to keep Con-
gress and the President from granting
the Roman Catholic church permission
to erect chapel on the West Point
Military Academy reservation.
In the debate on the Sabbath resolu-
tions almost every speaker gave evi-
dence of being imbued with the feeling
expressed in the words of the commit
tee: The American Christian Sabbath
is in imminent peril; in fact, in many
of our large cities and in other parts
of our land it is already nearly lost.
This means that the American liberty
and American institutions are in peril,
for of these the American Sabbath has
been both the foundation and the pro-
lection
Rev Frederick A. Doane of Califor-
MIA testified that he never rode in a
street car on Sunday and that he
stopped over Sunday on his way to the
assembly.
D. w Glass of Baltimore deplored
Sabbath violation by Presbyterians,
and remarked that President Cowen of
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
which discriminates in favor of Sun
day travel, is a Presbyterian. On the
other hand, it was pointed out that the
many downtown churches would have
to be closed If church members never
rode TO church.
AS adopted the amendments depre-
cate the secularizing of the Sabbath,
urges members and young people of the
church to realize the Importance of
Sabbath observation; legislatures and
Congress are urged to protect the
American Sabbath; the American Sab
bath Union and the Women's National
Sabbath Alliance are commended:
every pastor is recommended to preach
on Sabbath observance on some Sab
bath of next October and take a col
lection for the Sabbath Union; the
board of publication is requested to
prevail on Sabbath school superintend-
ents to use a specific Sabbath observ-
ance leaflet; sympathy is expressed
with three million Americans who, be-
cause of Sabbath desecration, are COM
PEELED to do secular work on the Sab
bath.
President McKinley's attention is re-
spectfully called to the fact that en-
ployes of the Postoffice and many other
departments of the Government are
compelled to work on Sunday
The McGiffert case, contrary to ex-
pectations, was not reached to-day 1t
is likely to come up through the read
ing of Dr. McGiffert's letter tomorrow
morning.
Tonight the commissioners attended
a great public Sabbath observation
meeting in Westminster Church.
The moderator of the General Assem-
bly, has issued the following appeal to
all Presbyterian churches in the United
States:
Inasmuch as all boards of our church
have closed the year without any indebt-
edneSs save the freedmens board I
eral Assembly, in session at Minneapo-
lis, Mimi, do hereby appeal to all Pres
byterian churches throughout the United
States to make offering for this cause on
the Sabbath, May 81. and report the same
to me by telegram Monday morning This
twenty-five years our assembly may con-
clude its sessions free from the burden
of debt. which amounts to $4,000
ROBERT F. SAMPLE, Moderator.