The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-20
sabbatarinn, and the LIbrary,

In connection with the agitation for
the closing of the Pan-American Ex-
position on Sunday, II IS interesting tc
note that Sabbatarian sentiment still
prevents the opening Of the Congress
sional Library seven days in the week
II Is hardly fair to admit the claim OF
the advocates Of Sunday closing Of the
Library that they represent the Chris
tan people OF The country" for the
truth is that there are quite as many
good Christian people who have no OBJ
lection whatever 10 taking q, reasonable
amount Of recreation on the first day Of
the week as there are Sabbatarans-
The trouble is however that the
Christian people who believe IN mind
ing their own business are not making
any particular fuss about affairs IN
Washington, believing, doubtless. that
the authorities thereof are capab of
managing their own affairs. whereas
the fanatics Of all varieties seem to be
q different opinion Il may Be noted
that one man who determinedly and
peTsistently kicks against ANYTHING.
whether 1t be innocent or harmful. IS
more likely TO get his own way than
the Einety-niue other people who make
10 kick Probably ninety-nine out Of
every hundred people IN this country
either do not care whether the National
Library is open on Sunday or not, or
think it would be an excellent idea to
have II OPEN and il is likely that 4
considerable percentage Of these reopIe
60 not know whether it is op=n ar
closed. The one per cent which has
made all the fuss claims 10 represent
the Christian people Of the country,
apparently because the rest Of the
Christian people do not hold mass
meetings and pass resolutions and con-
denim Sabbatarians
It IS unfair 10 take these people at
Their own valuation. unfair to them
as well as 10 their opponents. Prob
ably the best thing that could happen
70 them would be 10 lose some Of their
convictions and become even as other
men, taking the good the gods provide
without demanding that the gods shall
belong 10 their particular Church. ANY
one who has ever inspected a Sunday
school library of the conventional kind
can see where zeal for strictly religions
reading on Sunday leads people. any
thing more absolutely demoraIizina
from an intellectual, or. for that mat
ter, moral point Of view than the av-
erage Sunday school publication would
be hard 10 find In some libraries. es-
peciaiiy in the cities, where enlightened
taste has had an influence. z. change for
the better has taken place, and many
books formerly condemned as secular,
are now given to the young people of
the church 70 read on Sunday. The re-
suit Of this is that the library has aU-
preached more and more nearly the
standard Of . good public library. and
II seems as If il would be a considerable
saving OF time and money to abolish
the Sunday school collection and put the
money and time and thought which il
costs into the town reading roem. open
ing that on Sunday instead.
The Sunday school book in its pristine |
form is calculated TO deter auv beaItbv |
young person from having much resDect
Tor either religion or the moral law.
The hero OF heroine IS generally corr
binatien Of bookworn. martyr. and in /
<uf1era5ie pris. and as priggishness and I
courtesy are at war with one another