Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-08-02
To Quote from Blaine AoaIn.

~ ShOAC ilOlil fNHdlns
John Harris says editorially in his
| newspaper, the Morrisville Messen
ger: "The Phoenix attempts to justify
the endeavor of M. j. Savage to dc
away with the Christian Sabbath as a
day of rest and in so doing applies epi
thets to me which are unfit for publi
cation"
Mr.. Savage has not endeavored to
do away with Sunday as a day of rest
The Phoenix has not attempted to jus.
tify him. Also The Phoenix has not ap.
piled epithets to Mr.. Harris. Other.
wise Mr.. Harris's statement is correct.
This paper used one word which might
be construed as an epithet, and only
one. This word was in saying that
one was moved to exclaim in the
words of Blaine, and then quoting
from the Maine statesman when he
was handling Roscoe Conkling without
gloves.
Not content with his intolerant and
bigoted attack on Rev. M. ]. Savage
in his own paper Mr.. Harris has writ
ten an extended signed communication
to the st. Adams Messenger, in which
he says in part:
"Mr. Savage, in teaching that If any
thing could properly be done any other
day of the week it could as properly
be done Sunday abolishes a day of
rest and makes all days alike. This
teaching allows that stores, farms, fac
tories and mills can properly be oper-
ated seven days in the week and three
hundred and sixty-ive days in the
year.
This contention, by itself. heartily
condemn. Any leader or teacher of
the people who will argue against any
day of relaxation, rest and change
Sunday, Wednesday, Friday, any dav
and humanity.
81 repeat that, in it's inevitable re-
suits, such teaching is both terrible
and damnable. Humanity could not
endure ceaseless labor. One day in
seven of relaxation and change is as
necessary to mind and body as food is
to the physical being"
Mr.. Harris is simply arguing from
wrong premise. He sets up a man of
straw and then punches the stufing
out of him. The trouble with Mr.. Har-
ris apparently is that he does not
know what Rev. NJ. j. Savage said.
Mr. Savage did not argue against a
day Of relaxation, rest and change.
He argued for such a day as will be
seen from the following quotation
from his sermon:
"Set a part Of Sunday for commun-
ion with God. Then use the rest of the
day for ecreation-walking, sailing,
driving, playing golf, or anything that
will make you better physically"
There is not a word in Mr.. Savage's
sermon that shows that he believes
in Sunday as anything but a "day of
relaxation, rest and change" He did,
however, indicate that he was not op-
posed to amusements on Sunday that
were right on any other day in the
week. The Phoenix is not prepared to
go as far in it's advocacy of amuse-
ments on Sunday as Mr.. Savage is.
A careful perusal of his sermon, how
ever, will show that it contains moth
ing terrible and damnable." Instead
of being IAN enemy to God and hu-
manity" Mr.. Savage is one of the most
earnest and reverent of the Christian
ministers who have consecrated their
lives to the uplifting of mankind.
This advice is furnished Mr.. Harris
without charge: Read in full the SER
mon condemned, not few garbled
words which give no idea of the CEN
tral thought. Find out all you can
about Rev. NJ. j. Savage and then
make up your mind as to the manner
of man he is.
In considering Mr.. Harris as the
critic of Mr.. Savage and having in
mind the distance between them-a
pygmy to a giant, as Friend Ropes
would say-The Phoenix was moved to
exclaim in certain quoted words of
Blaine. Mr.. Harris having taken these
words as epithetic to him personally
they are cheerfully withdrawn, and
these other words of Blaine substitut-