Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-29
SUNDAY IN ENGLAND,
Explanation by the Archbishop Of Can
terbury.

From the London Telegraph
Especial interest conferred on the meeting
of the Young Mems Christian Association
at Exeter Hall, London, the other night, as
1t marked the sixtieth anniversary Of it's
foundation. Like many other far-reaching
organizations. its beginning was very
modest one and 1t owes it's origin to band
OF some twelve young men who In 1874
agreed to do all that lay in their power to
promote tho welfare of others In like posi-
ton with themselves. OF that little group
Sir George Williams. now In his eighty
fourth year. has been untiring in his efforts
to make the association of real educat ional
and religious value. When the association
attained its jubilee. in 1894. Queen Victoria
marked her approval of it's efforts by con-
ferring the honor of knighthood upon its
chief founder, and gave an invitation to the
1000 delegates who had come from all
parts of the country, the colonies. and
America, to visit Windsor Castle. The past
ten years have marked yet further progress,
which was fully emphasized by the reports
laid before the crowded assemblage s,the
other night, when. in the course of his
speech. Sir George Williams. who met with
an enthusiastic greeting on taking the
chair, stated that the associations MEM
bers scattered over the world numbered al
the present day no fewer than $40 392
The archbishop of Canterbury, in the
course of an address which he delivered.
said I'VE had many distinctive possessions
and privileges in English life, but we had
none greater-none. excepting our open BIZ
bic. so great as the privilege of the English
Sunday" He remembered a great French
preacher who came to London some twenty
years ago, and listening to one of his stir
ring addresses on the Christian faith when,
with tears in his eyes. he contrasted what
he had learned about the Sunday as OBJ
served in England with what he knew of
his own land and nation in the same con-
nection Brothers and sisters" proceeded
I, COLI = l,kL
for dear life, with all your power of heart
and soul and mind" He went on to .ex-
plain that a few weeks ago, when in Italy,
he took up newspaper and found state
ment that the archbishop of Canterbury
had just made pronOuncement on the OBJ
servance of Sunday. He could not conceive
what it meant, but decided to leave the
matter alone until his return. Then he
found there had been no small stir because
some little time ago a workingman had
written to him asking him-not his views
on that particular question-but about
something that he wanted answered in re-
la ton to his own affairs and home. He
the archbishop received in the course of
the year many hundreds of letters, and he
tried to leave none of them unanswered,
and in that particular case brief reply
was sent marked ''private"-but not be-
cause he shrank in any way from what was
therein expressed.
To his surprise that letter had reappeared
as though it were a procurement on his
part with reference to the observance of the
English Sunday. On that question he had
fought a good many battles. both in and
out of parliament, and he no more intend
ed making such pronouncement than he
intended making one on the inspiration of
the Bible. He had simply given a specific
answer to particular individual to help
him In his own affairs. Could 1t be sup
posed for moment that if called upon to
make such a pronOuncement he would not
place in the very forefront of that ques-
ton the paramount need Of Christian wOr-.
ship? And would he not have had some
thing to say about the selfishness that led
people who had leisure all the week through
to spoil the Sunday for other men, and in
so doing also to spoil possibly the faith of
such men? 1t was true that in the Bible
there was no rule governing us about the
use of newspapers. or tramcarS. OF DOCKS
on Sunday-how could there be? But we
had something far greater than rule. we
had a magnificent principle. and 1t was our
duty to see that that principle did not suf-
fer. and that we preserved the English
Sunday as a precious heritage.