The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-12-22
Sunhag Rrahil1g.
Just Views of Sabbath Keeping.

Hugh Miller, in his First Impressions of
England, makes the following just and
important remarks on the mode Of Sab
bath keeping recommended by our modern
refinery.
"Among the exciting varieties of the
genus Observation-Disclosures men
bent on bettering the condition of the mas.
ses-thcre is a variety who would fain
send out our working people to the coun-
try on Sabbath, to become happy and in
nocent in smelling primroses, and string
ing daisies on grass stalks. An excellent
scheme theirs, if they but knew it, for sink
ing people into ignorance and brutality .;
for filling country with gloomy work.
houses, and the workhouses with unhappy
paupcrs. 'T'is pity rather that the insti-
tuition Of the Sabbath in its economic
bearings should not be better understood
by the unitarian. The problem which it
furnishes is not particularly difficult, ifone
could be but made to understand, as
first step in the process, that it is really
worth solving The mere animal, that
has to pass six days of the week in hard
labor, benefits greatly by seventh day
of mere animal rest and enjoyment. The
repose, according to its nature, proves of
signal use to it, just because it is rcposc
according to its nature. But man is not
a mere animal; what is best for the OK
and the ass, is not best for him and in
order to degrade him into poor unintel-
lectual slave, over whom tyranny in its
caprice may trample rough shod, it is but
necessary to tielhim down: animal like,
during his six working days, to hard, en-
crossing labor and to convert the seventh
into day of frivolous, unthinking relaxa-a
tion. History speaks with much empha-
sis on the point. The old despotic Stu
arts were tolerable adopts in the art of
kingcraft, and knew we'll what they were
doing, when they backed with their au-
thority the Book Of Spots. The many
unthinking serfs, who early in tho reign
of Charles l., danced on Sabbaths round
the Maypole, were afterwards the ready
tools Of dcspotism, and fought that Eng
land might be enslaved. The Ironsides,
who in the cause of civil and religious
freedom, love their crown, were staunch
Sabbatarians.
In no history, however, is the value Of
the Sabbath more strikingly illustrated,
than in that Of the Scotch people. during
the seventeenth, and the larger portion Of
the eighteenth centuries. Religious and the
Sabbath were their sole instructors and
this in times so little favorable to the cult
walton Of mind, SO darkened by persecution
and stained with blood, that, in at least the
earlier Of these centuries, we derive our
knowledge Of the character and amount of
poular intelligence, mainly from the death
testimonies of our humble martyrs, here
and there coroborated by the incidental
evidence Of writer's, such as Bumet. ,
In these addresses from prison and scaf
fold--the composition ofmen drafted BY
opposition almost at random from the
general massive see how vigorously our
Presbyterian people had learned 10 think,
and how we'll to give their thinking ex-
preston In the quieter times which fol-
lowed The Revolution, the Scottish pessan-
try existed as at once the most psovident
and iatellectusl in Europe; and = MORALS
and instructed people pressed outward