A Sunday Campaign in Lincoln, Neb.
By A. T. ROBINSON
With quite a flourish of trumpets it was announced in the daily papers, a week in advance, that Rev. Edward Thompson, general manager of the Sunday League, would open a ten days' campaign for better Sunday observance in Lincoln, Tuesday evening, October 3. It was thought by some of our brethren that, just on the eve of entering upon our great missionary campaign, we could not afford to let this opportunity pass without taking some steps to enlighten the people of Lincoln on the principles of religious liberty. This Sunday campaign was announced to be conducted at eight different points in the city. We telegraphed for a supply of religious liberty leaflets, Elder Colcord's series of four tracts. We had envelopes printed, and also slips to enclose with the leaflets. About fifty students under the direction of Prof. M. E. Kern volunteered to put the leaflets in the envelopes, and during the ten days of Mr. Thompson's meetings an army of workers from the College View and Lincoln churches placed a package of these leaflets in every home in Lincoln and its suburbs. To show that the circulation of this literature had some influence, I will quote a statement made by Mr. Thompson in one of his addresses: "The movement which I represent does not in any measure seek to persecute or oppress the people who may believe in any other day. Indeed, we have never advocated any such thing, but ever will make exception in favor of those who conscientiously keep another day as the Sabbath. We do not believe that the people who keep the old Sabbath should be persecuted. Of course we believe they are wrong, and our literature teaches that they are wrong, but nevertheless, we do not believe in persecuting them. I make this remark so you will understand. I am sorry to say that, while we have never had any trouble with the Jews or the Seventh-day Baptists, these Seventh-day Adventists are almost crazy on this subject. They have two short-hand reporters attending this meeting, and following me all over town to take down what I say. I hope they get it—I hope they get every word. • These people have been on my track ever since I have been here, circulating their literature in every part of the city—but that is all right. I want to say that if the people who believe in the Lord's day, if the American citizens who believe in the Sunday laws, would be one tenth as energetic as the Seventh-day Adventists are, we would not have much trouble. We could make short work of it. I have to go around to wake you folks up." We tried to encourage our people to engage in this work with a true missionary spirit and for the love of the truth, and for a love of souls, rather than the20spirit of antagonizing another movement. What the result will be, the judgment alone will reveal, but we believe that the precious truths of religious liberty, as well as the light on the Sabbath question, will find a response in many honest hearts, who may be saved from committing themselves to the wrong side of this question.