The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-19
SABBATH OBSERVANCE
WAS HIS THEME
Rev. Dr.. George w. Grannis Delivered
An Address at Congregational
Church Last Evening Before
Small Audience

! Suldii AuuleuCt,
Speaking before an audience of lesi
than fifty people i'll the Congregations
church last evening, Rev. DIR. George W
Grannis, secretary treasurer OF the Lord
Day Alliance, told about the closing o.
the postofiices on Sabbath day along
with other reforms of this nature anc
urged his hearers to assist the mora
movement which he represented fol
strieter observance Of the first .day il
the week. DIR. Granns came to Barre
under the auspices of the local branch
of the postal clerks association and in
the audience last evening were many at
taches of the postothce. Inclement
weather kept the audience down, but the
representative gathering OF clergymen
postal clerks, women and business men,
accorded their undivided attention for
nearly two hours.
The meeting was opened with an in
vocation by Rev. George II. Holt, pastor
Of the First Baptist church, and Dr
Grannls was introduced by Rev. J. w
Barnett OF the Congregational church.
The speaker confined his opening re-
marks to description of the Lords Day
Alliance and of the conditions which first
induced him to affiliate with the move
ment. For the past three and one half
years, he stated, had been years of in
cessant effort and devotion to the cause
which conditions in the south side of
Pittsburg moved him to espouse in 1909.
At that time he had been transferred
from a Washington conference to the
pastorate of Methodist Episcopal
church in an industrial section of the
steel city. Here his church was con-
fronted with a battle for existence and men
whom he met ON the street and urged
to attend his services replied that their
presence inside the walls of church on
Sunday would be impossible so long as
the mill owners demanded their labor
on the Sabbath.
From that hour, continued the speak
er, movement for better conditions in
the great industrial center began to
gather force. Allegheny county business
men and members OF the clergy, as well
as professional men and fraternal bodies
began TO work for stricter Sunday obesrv-
ance. After carefully studying con-
ditions for two years, the steel men
were at last convinced that Sunday labor
was Improbable from a financial view
point. Although deploring the motive
which impelled the mill owners to abol-
ish Sunday labor, the speaker contended
that its outcome was altogether TO the
good.
The Lords Day Alliance, according to
DIR. Grannis' description, is governed by
a board of directors and all of the six
teen denominations that have endorsed
the movement are represented in this
board Its purpose is TO combat the
conditions on the Sabbath.
The fact that we are living in what the
speaker termed "dollar-and cents" age
initiate greatly against the best in
terests of the Alliance and it is in this
respect that every clergyman in the
land should lend his best efforts toward
helping along the cause When men
are measured by different standard
than that of the almighty dollar, the
mission Of the organization will be near
ed to fruition.
During his address, DIR. Grannis in
several cases where the labor
ers' conditions have been improved be-
.ause the best interests of society de-
manded improvement, although he said
that too often the labor tension was re-
ieved through hope of financial better.
nent on the part OF the men who have
The power of improving or imparing the
condition of the workingmen.
The doctor paid deserved tribute to
he postal clerks and all mensconnected
With the service and said that the pub
ic at large gained a greater knowledge
II their own government through the
,ostoffice department than through any
'ther part of the governmental sys
EN-. He considered that any postal |
Jerks in the United States who do not !
AXE an active interest in the branch |
o which they belong are derelets and |
Ie urged all members of the association |
o read the papers issued for their re- /
pective vocations. He mentioned spe-
iic. instances where postmasters were
bliged to call in the police to preserve /
rider in their offices Sunday mornings
nd deplored the circumstances that I
made such an emergency necessary on |
he Sabbath. The speaker did not spare /
is opinion on postotiice heads who work |
t variance with the best interests of i
he service men.
Under the administration of Pres-
ent Taft, the speaker insisted, more has |
cen obtained for the man who handles /
he letters than in any other admins
ration of the past. In closing DIR. Gran
is declared that great victory had I
cen won for the clerks, but added that
he battle must be carried into many
AZ GaIl