The record-union., 1899-06-12
AGAINST SUNDAY CONCERTS
METHoDIsTs ARE OPPOSED TO
THEM.
Rev. S. J. Carroll Protests Against
the Use Of City Funds for
Sabbath Amusements.

There was a large attendance at the
Sixth-street Methodist Church last
night, the occasion being Rev. s. J. Car
rolls address on the Sunday concert
question, which he vigorously opposed.
At the conclusion Of his address the
congregation unanimously adopted res
olutions requesting the City Trustees
to discourage the Sunday concerts by
refusing to grant either financial aid
or the use of city property for the con :
certs.
'.All ought to be interested in church
work and church civilization" he said,
even if they are not religious-and
Sunday concerts are anti-Christian. If
the church is to be allowed to fulfill
it's great teaching and civilizing mis-
sion, it's Sabbath must be maintained
inviolate."
Continuing, the speaker held that
Sunday concerts attract the volatile
youth away from the church, thus in
directly interfering with the work of
Christian teachers. He said there was
always enough time after eight hours,
even after ten hours of daily labor,
for exercise. Sunday concerts, bicycle
races and all forms of secular amuse-
ment, he said, essentially rob the
church Of it's platform, it's day, it's op-
portunity; yet it ought to be fostered
in its work, rather than interfered with
by things that lure people from the path
of duty.
There are some far more direct ar
guments against these concerts" he
said, land one is that they interfere
with the services Of some churches in
the vicinity; and if they do this any
member of the congregation might pro-
coed against them in court. Again,
communications in the press show that
! there are bad, rough characters at these
out-of-door concerts, so that no young
lady is safe to go there, no children, I'M
less accompanied by escorts. Such is
the degeneracy of amusementS that
desecrate the Sabbath.
But 1 understand a man appeared
before the Trustees and said he under
stood that no churches opposed these
concerts. Where can such a man have
passed his life, what can he have read,
who have been his associates, that he
did not know that all Christians oppose
the dissertation of the Sabbath? We
| must protest, and I want to see Christ
the Trustees tomorrow night. Why, one
lssaloon man appeared and complained
that keno was driving the saloons to
starvation, and it has scared the Trus-
tees and we now hear that the police
will close keno; but if keno will starve
| the saloons out 1 feel like thanking God
| for keno.
Fasteners come through here What
do they see on Sunday, on week days
Faro and keno running in defiance of
law, three hundred saloons Turing the
youth to hell, and City Trustees about
| to vote away public money, Christians
money, for the dissertation of the Sab
bath. No wonder they pass US by
AT the conclusion of the speech the
| following resolutions were unanimously
| adopted:
! Whereas, it is proposed to grant
money to aid Sunday concerts out of
the tax receipts, a very large proper
ton of which is paid by believers in
Christian civilization, and hence are be-
levers in the Christian Sabbath, and
| Whereas, said Sunday concerts are
anti-Christian, are antagonistic to the
| churches, and hence injurious to the
youth of our city, and the appropriation
OF money paid in taxes by Christians
for such purpose is a gross violation
or the rights of conscience and
| Whereas, said Sunday concerts also
inJure the good name of our city; there
| fore,
| Resolved, That the City Trustees
are hereby earnestly urged, not only to
refuse to appropriate money, but refuse
TO grant the use of city property to the
| injury of the churches"