THE St. Louis (Mo.) newspapers report that “the matter of Sunday closing” is being given attention by the retail grocers’ association of that city. It was reported from Indianapolis, Ind., on February 24, that “the Indiana House of Representatives to-day defeated the bill to allow Sunday baseball games, by a vote of forty-eight to forty-four.” A similar measure was defeated at the former Indiana session. Brother Connerly writes from the Porto Rican field as follows: “After a long absence we are home again. I have made two trips to San Juan, one to oppose the plans of a confederation of the churches of the island. In this I had splendid success and a good experience. The other trip was made to do what I could against a Sunday bill that has just passed the House of Delegates.” It will be remembered by many that Elder Baharian and others of our brethren in Turkey were arrested and imprisoned by the Turkish government in August, 1904, for the crime (?) of preaching the gospel. Word has recently been received that they have already had two hearings, and ere this have doubtless had their trial. It is feared that unless the Lord interposes, they may have to forfeit their lives, to meet the demands of that intolerant government. Elder Geo. I. Butler said in a recent communication: “I was president of the General Conference when those persecutions first began in Arkansas, and we bestirred ourselves as well as we could, and the law was changed so that we have never been troubled any more. I have always kept posted on those subjects. We often hear it said that the question of Sunday observance is a live question of late years, more so, perhaps, than ever before. Of course, as a people we have been expecting this; but we have, from time to time, taken measures that have seemed to put off the persecution a little longer. I greatly rejoice at every effort of this kind. You who are at Washington most certainly have the best opportunity to work of anybody, and I wish you the heartiest success. We used to have troubles here in Tennessee, but of late years they have seemed to dry up, though the people are a little particular here yet.” Elder Allen Moon writes in a recent communication concerning the present issue in Washington: “I have been following with interest the movement for teaching religion in the public schools in Washington, and I think this is one of the strongest indications of the times in which we live that I have noted in many a day. I have been very sure in my own mind for the last four or five years that something of this character would be sprung upon us in Washington, and for this reason, this does not come so much as a surprise, except that I had looked for it to come in a somewhat different form. The author and promoter in Congress of the only national Sunday measure that has ever been forced upon the attention of the country, the ‘Blair Sunday Rest bill,’ which was pending seventeen or eighteen years ago, and over which there was considerable agitation at the time by those classes of citizens who are in favor of, and those who are opposed to, such legislation, Ex-Senator Henry W. Blair, of New Hampshire, is still active. He was in Washington early in March in attendance upon a conference for the discussion of the race question, at which he was one of the principal speakers. He is interesting himself in the improvement of the condition of the negro race.” We glean the following from the Wisconsin Reporter, under date of March 8, in which a most interesting account is given of a brother who has been engaged in the petition work against Sunday legislation: “We were subjected to many abuses and hard speeches from them, but in spite of all their opposition I secured the names of nearly all the business men and county officials, from the judge down. Many became really interested in the principles underlying Sunday legislation, and men congregated in stores, and followed me from place to place, to discuss the question. In the post-office there were about thirty men present. Many of them took part as we read and discussed the Sunday bills for the District of Columbia. While church-members railed on us, non-professors took the arguments out of my mouth, and defended the true principles of religious liberty. An evangelist who is here said I would get a few fools to sign it, whereupon a member of the M. E. Church, who has for some time been interested in the truth, said, ‘I will sign it, whatever they call me.’ I found that many did not understand the principles involved, and at first refused to sign, but after I had talked with them from ten to thirty minutes, most of them signed. It gave me the privilege of reading to them from the Bible the claims of the true Sabbath, and we distributed a number of the new tract, ‘An Appeal to Clergy.’” K. C. RUSSELL.