The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-05-20
i'HE AMERICAN SABBATH
Presbyterian Assembly Declares
That 1t Is Endangered
AND NDAMBR1oAEL1BERTYINPB

Pastors, Congregations, Legislators
and Congress Urged to Realize the
Importance OF sabbath Observance.
sympathy with sunday Workers.
Minneapolis. May 2O.-sunday OBJ
servance was the question which took
the major part OF the Presbyterian as
sembly's time yesterday. Most OF the
long afternoon session was devoted TO
an earnest and often excited discussion
OF the report Of the special committee
on Sabbath observance. In the end the
committees eight resolutions were
adopted with slight amendments, an1
two more were added In the discussion
the Sunday street car, the SUNDAY
train and railroad excursion, the Sun
day newspaper. the Sunday working
Presbyterian and every form Of ac-
tivity which is not in harmony with
the literal meaning of the fourth com
mandment was condemned. Indignant
comments were made when another
special committee reported that II had
not been able to keep congress and the
president from granting the Roman
Catholics permission to erect a chapel
on the West Point Military academy
reservation.
In the debate on the Sabbath reso-
lutions almost every speaker gave evil
dence of being imbued with the feeling
expressed in the words of the COM
mittee, the American Christian Sab
bath is in imminent peril: in fact, in
many of our large cities and in other
parts of the land, It is already nearly
hnN ayfr h
erty and American institutions are in
peril, for OF these the American Sab
bath has been both the foundation and
the protection"
DIR. Hathaway, secretary of the
American Sabbath Union, led in the
discussion and Alexander Dixon, Of
Scranton, Pa, Elder John Gilchrlst
of Boston, Dr. E. B. Wright of Austin
Tex, and many others spoke in favor
of literal observance of the fourth
commandment. d. w. Glass, of Bal
timore, deplored Sabbath violation by
Presbyterians and remarked that
President Cowen, of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, which discriminates IN
favor of Sunday travel, is a Presby-
terian. On the other hand it was
pointed out that the many down town
1
church members never rode to church.
An attempt to get the phrase Chris
tian Sabbath" substituted for tho
phrase American Sabbath" in the
resolutions was defeated.
AS adopted the amendments depre-
cate the secularizing Of the Sabbath.
urge members and young people Of the
church to realize the Importance of
Cah oh loNV
and congress are urged to protect the
| American Sabbath. Every pastor is
recommended to preach on Sabbath
observance on some Sabbath of next
| October and take a collection for the
| Sabbath Union; the board of publica-
| tion is requested TO prepare and Sab
bath school superintendents to use a
specific Sabbath observance leaflet
| Sympathy is expressed with 9,000 0GC
| Americans who, because of Sabbath
desecration, are compelled to do secu.
| lar work on the Sabbath President
McKinley's attention is respectfully
called to the fact that employees of the
postofices and many other depart
ments of the government are compell
ed to work on Sunday.
The McGiffert case, contrary to eX-
pectations, was not reached yesterday
1t is likely to come up through the
reading of DR.. McGiffert's letter today
Last night the commissioners at
tended a great public Sabbath observ.
ance meeting in Westminster churcn.
st. Louis, Cincinnati, Topeka, Kan.
San Antonia, Tex, and Wlnona Lake
Ind, are the places that are desiroui
OF having the nexta assembly, but 1
is understood that st. Louis will with
draw because it wishes to have thu
convention in 1908, wnen the Louisi
ana purchase centennial is to be cele
brated,