The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-20
AMERICAN SABBATH In PERIL
ITS OBSERVANCE DISCUSSED BY
PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.

ITS OBSERVANCE DISCUSSED B1
PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.
All Forms of Activity Commemorative
Sunday Newspaper, Street-Car, Train
Railroad and Excursion and WORKING G
Presbyterians Included Congress 4,
Urged to Protect the Day.
Minneapolis, Mimi, May 19.-Sunday
observance was the question which took
the major part Of the Presbyterian as
sembly's time to-day. Most of the long
afternoon session was devoted to ar
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 amendment and
two more We're added. In the discus
sion the Sunday street car, the Sunday
train and railroad excursion, the Sun
day newspaper, the Sunday working
Presbyterians in every form of activity,
which is not in harmony with the lib
eral meaning of the fourth command
ment, were condemned. Indignant
comments were made when another
special special committee reported that
it 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 acad-
emy reservation. In the debate in the
Sabbath resolutions almost every
speaker gave evidence Of being imbued
words of the committee: THE Ameri-
can Christian Sabbath is in imminent
peril; in fact in many of our large cit
les and in other parts or our land, it is
already nearly lost. This means that
American liberty and American insti-
tutions are in peril, for of those the
American Sabbath has been both the
foundation and the protection
DR. Hathaway, secretary of the Sab
bath union, led in the discussion and
Alexander Dixon of Scranton, Pa, Ell
der Jorn Gilchrist of Boston, DR.. e. B.
Wright of Austin, Tex, and many
others spoke in favor of liberal obser-
vance of the fourth commandment. D.
w. Glass of Baltimore deplored Sab
bath violations by Presbyterians, and
remarked that President Cowen of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, which dis
eliminates in favor of Sunday travel,
is Presbyterian. On the other hand
it was pointed out that the many down
town churches would have to be clos
ed If church members never rode to
church. An attempt to get the phrase
christian Sabbath" substituted for
the phrase American Sabbath" in the
resolution was defeated.
AS adopted the resolutions deprecate
the secularizing Of the Sabbath; urge
and young people of the
church to realize the Importance of Sab
bath observance; urge legislatures and
congress to protect the American Sab
bath; commend the American Sabbath
union and the Women's National Sab
bath alliance; recommend every pastor
to preach on Sabbath observance on
some Sabbath of next October and take
A collection for the Sabbath union, and
request the board Of publication to pre-
pare and Sabbath school superintend-
5nts to use a specific Sabbath observ-
lnce leafiet sympathy is expressed
with 3,000.0 900 Americans who, because
IF Sabbath desecration, are compelled
% do secular work on the Sabbath
President McKinley's attention is re-
;pectfully called to the fact that en-
)loyes Of the postofflces and many other
of the government are
compelled to work on Sunday.
The McGiffert case, contrary to ex-
oectations, was not reached to-day. 1t
s likely to come up through the read
ng of DR.. McGiffert's letter tomorrow.
DIR. Sample, the moderator, was pre-
ented with another gavel, DR.. Radcliffe
it. 1T is made Of wood from
he old Jerusalem" Theological semi
lary Of Cannons Burg and the old Nc
MILAN college building, and was given
W Jefferson college friends of the mod
rator.
Tonight the commissioners attended
great public Sabbath observance
Meeting in Westminster church. The
-arious auxiliary boards, societies and
ommittees are holding numerous meet
ngs during the assembly Among 9TH |
RS. the Woman's Board of Home Mis-
ions held it's twentieth annual conven-
ion in Wesley church to-day. St Lou
$, Cincinnati, Topeka, San Antonio.
'ex., and Winona Lake, Ind, are the |
,laces that are desirous of having the
ext assembly, but it is understood that |
It. Louis will withdraw because it |
wishes to have the convention in 1903,
5hen the Louisiana Purchase Centen-
ial is to be celebrated.
Appeal from Moderator Sample.
Minneapolis, Mimi, May 19.-The