Year: 1877

A FEW WORDS OF KINDLY MEANT


The Philadelphia Evening Telegraph
thus comments on the late action Of the
Philadelphia ministers in regard to the
Sunday opening Of the Permanent E1hl-
bition:-


"Clerical gentlemen who have a fond
ness for talking out in meeting on all sorts
of subjects would do we'll to bear in mind
two or three things that some Of them are
in the habit of forgetting, to their own in.
Jury and to that Of the cause of true reli-
pion and of good morals. A clergyman
occupies position of peculiar importanc
and responsibility, and he is Judged by a
different and higher standard than are
other men. So far from this being some
thing for clergymen to complain Of, they
should rejoice at it, and should resolve
that, no matter what may happen, they
they will 80 order their ways and their
speech that their sacred calling shall not
be brought into contempt. With regard
to this matter Of the propriety or the i'm
propriety Of opening on Sundays such in
stitutiops as the Permanen; Exhibition, the
Academy Of Fine Arts and the Geological
Garden, the members Of ministerial associ-
ations who think that they ought not to be
open are bound to bear in mind that men
as cultured, as intelligent, as pure, as hon
est and as truly religious as themselves
hold directly contrary opinions. Such
being the case, the clerical gentlemen who
are opposed to the Sunday opening Of GER
tain places of public resort are under par
ticular obligation to argue with some dis
cretion, with some regard to facts, with
some knowledge Of Scripture utterances on
the Sunday question, and with some con.
sideration for the honestly held opinions
of their opponents. 1t won't do at this
age of the world for man, simply because
be holds denomina tioual license to pray
and preach in accordance with a creed
drawn Up for him by some eonyocauon or
synod or conference, to imagine that his
ipse di1is will he necessarily accepted as
conclusive BY men who are his peers in
every particular. If he has esrssin views
and opinions ii Is his right and his duty to
express them strongly and positively: bu.
he is also under special obligations not to
talk nonsense, and not to indulge in sour
rili,y when his arguments -uu short. We
have no wish to dissec. some of the recent
urersnces Of some Of the elergvmen OF
Philadelphia with regard to the Sunday
opening oueslion-we have too much char,
ity to do it-but We cannot help suggest
Ing tbs, = good many people who an
forced to listen 10 these utterances mus
think that men who can talk so foolishly
80 scurrilously and 80 ignorantiv about thi
one subject are scarcely qualified to spesl
with the voice Of authority concerning tn
grsvest issues of life, death and eterni,
which clerymen, by virtue Of their offlc'
are compelled to refer to continually
When a clergyman, for instance, gets u
and expresses the opinion that it was


mean trick on him and his fellows for tt


Permanent Exhibition authoritiesto to decic


in favor of opening on Sunday, at tin


when nearly all the clergymen were out


town and the churches closed, he not on


covers himself with ridicule, but he brinI


the very religion which he processes to


inspired with an intense zeal for into Co


tempt. From first to last, however Il


actions and words OF the clersymen Of tt


city who have elected to figure as zealo


Ssbbatarians have been such us to inju


their own cause and to advance that


their opponents and they may rest assur


that they will never make any headw


with the intelligent men aud women


this community until they change tn


methods"