Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · March 10, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 10

On Wednesday, March 2, the Committee on Corporations, of the New Jersey Legislature, to which questions in reference to the World's Fair had been referred, gave a hearing upon the closing of the World's Fair on Sunday. There were present about twenty-five persons, mostly clergymen and members of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Three members of the Legislature attended the hearing. The purpose of the gathering was to ask that a resolution be presented to the Legislature, and passed, expressing it as the opinion of the Legislature of New Jersey that the World's Fair should be closed on Sundays. Rev. Geo. S. Mott led the delegation and gave a detailed history of the practice of previous expositions, in this and other countries, and upon the precedents quoted based his request for legislative action in the case of the Exposition at Chicago. Mr. Mott attempted to put his plea entirely upon a civil basis, but Jas. S. Ford, and Mr. Taylor, of Belvidere, who followed him, being less instructed in the sophistries of the subject, made a religious plea that the Legislature should voice the views of the churches and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in regard to Sunday closing.

The action taken by the Legislatures of Massachusetts, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia, and the Assembly in New York in voting their State Expositions closed, or passing resolutions recommending the closing of the Fair, was quoted as a strong incentive to similar action by this and other legislatures.