p. 245 | Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · August 11, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 31

“Religious Sentiment.”

He insisted that it was due to the religious sentiment of the country that the World’s Fair should be closed on Sunday.—From report of Senator Colquitt’s speech on the sundry civil bill.

WHAT does the senator mean by “the religious sentiment of the country?”—that’s the question. So far as we can learn, the only expression of sentiment in favor of Sunday closing that has been heard thus far comes in the form of petitions from about two million religionists belonging chiefly, if not altogether, to the so-called evangelical churches. Assuming that these petitioners represent the entire body of their several churches there still remain the Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Protestant Episcopalians, Unitarians and Universalists who have either not declared themselves at all on the subject or else have spoken in favor of open Sundays. The numeral strength of these communions, according to the census of 1890, is as follows:—

Roman Catholics........................................8,277,039 Lutherans...............................................1,086,048 Protestant Episcopalians.................................480,176 Unitarians (est.).........................................20,000 Universalists.............................................42,952 Totals..............................................9,906,215

This is nearly half of the 21,757,171 recorded communicants of all the churches in America. If these be added to the large body of persons of “religious sentiment” who are not communicants of any church and the larger number of evangelical churches who do not favor closed Sundays, it will be seen that Senator Colquitt has spoken loosely in speaking for “the religious sentiment of the country.” The “religious sentiment of the country” is not, so far as the record shows, in favor of closing the Fair on Sunday.

But suppose it were. Do we understand Senator Colquitt to say that 55,000,000 of citizens are bound to surrender their consciences into the keeping of the remaining 10,000,000? That is bad democracy and worse republicanism. The majority rules in republics.—Chicago Evening Post.