A Los Angeles Sunday-Law Meeting
TUESDAY evening, August 27, A. T. J. of the SENTINEL made a speech at Los Angeles on the subject of the National Sunday law. The meeting was advertised in such a way that it was not definitely known whether the speech was to be for or against Sunday laws. And as a result about one-third of the audience turned out to be Sunday-law advocates. The speaker had not proceeded far before these discovered that he was opposed to Sunday laws. As soon as that was discovered several of the Sunday-law partisans began to interrupt with questions. When the questions were answered they continued the interruptions with counter-arguments. Not content with this they made an effort to take the floor—as many as three on their feet at once and others talking from their seats, calling the speaker an infidel and whatsoever else they pleased. They seemed to be in a mood to continue this courtesy indefinitely, when a gentlemen rose and said to them that as they professed to be Christians and as the Christian spirit is one of meekness and gentleness, it would be well for them to show enough of that spirit to keep still until the speaker, whose the meeting was, should have finished his speech; then in a proper way ask whatever questions they chose. Those who were standing were finally persuaded to take their seats, but even then they would not keep still, though after that no more than one at a time was on his feet. On the following Sunday night there was a meeting at the same hall under the auspices of the American Sabbath Union in favor of Sunday laws. Two or three men stood just outside of the doors with copies of the AMERICAN SENTINEL to give to whoever wanted them. As soon as this was discovered by the managers of the meeting the police were sent for to stop it. The police came and ordered them away. They obeyed orders and went down to the street, but that did not satisfy these Sunday-law lovers of liberty. They wanted them turned away from there, but could not accomplish that. These facts show plainly enough the spirit that characterizes the Sunday-law movement, and how much liberty there will be to the people when the managers of that movement succeed in getting their spirit embodied in a law to be enforced according to their own will.