Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · August 28, 1890

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 5, No. 34

“For several years,” says an exchange, “the local bands have given concerts at Seaside, and Washington parks, at Bridgeport, Conn., on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. It is now proposed, by the Wheeler Wilson band, to give Sunday afternoon concerts, at Seaside park, and such a concert is announced for next Sunday. Business men and working people are largely in favor of these concerts, but at the morning prayer-meeting on Saturday, of church people, a resolution was adopted protesting against a profanation of the Sabbath, and agreeing to use all means within their power to prevent the concert from being given.”

This does not agree very well with the claim that is made that they want the State to enforce only a “civil Sabbath.” Certainly it requires no more work to render ordinary music, than it does to render sacred music. How comes it then that in order to “have a “civil Sabbath” these bands must be prohibited from playing while the church choirs are not interfered with? There is no avoiding the conclusion that it is not the amount of work involved, but the fact that the church music is religious, while the music of the bands is secular.