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Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · August 4, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 30

Look on This, and Then on This.

THE Pittsburg Times, of July 25, contains two finely contrasted items, the one descriptive of a “ratification meeting,” held to express gratification over the action of Congress as to the closing of the World’s Fair; and the other a paragraph of telegraphic news from Washington, showing how quickly Congress had forgotten its sudden respect for Sunday, when its committees were conferring for a good portion of that day upon the very bill containing the religious clause.

The account of the satisfaction over congressional error and hypocrisy reads thus:—

A ratification meeting of the Reform Bureau over the Sabbath closing action of Congress in connection with the World’s Fair, was held in Silver Lake grove last evening and it was well attended. After a few remarks by Peter Dick, the Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts, the speaker of the evening, was introduced.

Mr. Crafts first drew a vivid word painting of the Senate chamber during the discussion of the Sunday closing bill, and spoke of the great reverence of the members during the reading of the third commandment. He then spoke of this passage of the bill as one of the great decisive victories in the war of reform. He said: “Those who say that the holy Sabbath is gone have their answer in the decision of Congress and Senate, who merely echo the sentiments of 40,000,000 people.”

The speaker then pointed out the importance of following up this great victory, using as an illustration the fact that many generals were changed after some of the battles in the late civil war because they failed to follow the victories they had gained. He urged the people to keep the enemy on the run. He then spoke of the evils of the continental Sabbath, showing by statistics that its triumph in this country only meant more working days for the laborers. He stated that in foreign countries the monarch kept the people intoxicated by the pleasures of the continental Sabbath. He spoke of the great help to the good cause done by personal letters to the members of the Senate, and, in conclusion, urged the people to do all in their power to prevent the repeal of the Sunday laws of Pennsylvania at the next session of the Legislature, by using their influence and writing letters expressing their sentiments on the subject to the members of the House.

The contrasting paragraph is headed, “Working on the Sunday Bill,” and is as follows:—

The Senate and House conferees on the sundry civil bill spent six or seven hours of the warm Sabbath day in the cool chamber of the Senate committee on appropriations, endeavoring to reach an agreement on the sundry civil bill. Their efforts were partially successful, they having agreed on various items which were compromised, as well as to throw out some which were in the nature of appropriations based upon new legislation.

Such facts as this, and there are many—there will be many more also—are a sufficient criterion of the spirit in which this legislation has been passed. What can be the fruit of such as this? “Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?”