Religious Liberty Notes
By K. C. Russell
ELDER C. H. BATES, of Bayfield, Colo., made an earnest protest against a Sunday-closing crusade which was inaugurated by the local churches at Cripple Creek, Colo., last spring, an account of which was published in the Cripple Creek Times, and has also been reprinted in tract form. The religious liberty secretary of the Lockport, N. Y., Seventh-day Adventist church, Mrs. D. A. Ball, writes: “I am more than ever satisfied that there is a close connection between the W. C. T. U. and the National Reform Association. This conviction, which I have entertained for a long time, was strengthened last night as I listened to a lecture delivered by Wilbur F. Crafts, of Washington, D. C. His lecture was entitled, ‘That Boy and Girl of Yours,’ but his whole aim was to advance national reform, and he related many instances where he had influenced governors, mayors, and railroad presidents to desist from giving their influence to Sunday desecration.” The Washington Post, under date of Oct. 23, 1905, commenting editorially concerning the municipal political campaign now on in Philadelphia, in which the clergymen of that city are taking an unusually active part, makes the following sound statements: “The Post has not relaxed a single iota of its opposition to political preaching. It holds that the mission of the pulpit is to preach the gospel of the Founder of Christianity; that in the house of God the voice of the political partizan should never be heard. There are texts enough in the Bible with which to rebuke sin and sinners of all sorts and varieties. The ten commandments, with the ‘new commandment’ ‘that ye love one another,’ hit every sin and sinner; there are thousands of texts with which to supplement them.” We have learned that a large number of the State legislatures will not meet this winter. This fact, however, should not cause us to lessen our interest in doing aggressive work in the dissemination of the principles of religious liberty. It should also be remembered that, notwithstanding the fact that there will be no new legislation in many of the States this winter on the Sunday question, the laws already on the statute-books of such States may be vigorously enforced by the promoters of Sunday legislation.