New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-24
TIE CITY ORDINANCE AGATNST STREET
PREfCHfAL-


STR: Ihave resi- viii pleasure yonr renl-Ss tbs
"Aaycrs Proclamation ADD Bishop H1glsss Lstsr.' l
hive aso read various statements aud remarks IN ne PIT
rem concerning tire % VI. Parsons. b.
10 ne that geen attention has nos yet bosl gyoa 10
the Cty O-iiraacc unler vhieh me arrest msls IL
Is certainly very remarkable eccament aaa dsnsaAs
No person ssr be ccucerrsd CT Instrumental in col
cling proutng arg esseoo e Il parsons a. Tor pre-
o. or for p1hhc wo1Aip exhostsioa 10 tao PARK
or Battery" Sc sc.
Nothing is sail q meetings under pntease Of f,r
political purposes, she prom1toa Of railroad en,s q ~
mercantile operators public seprovs nen', q icat,l
ornd guati0u inEs Tor nst pablo fllc srisS
rSshrg sgsins, scisnsic or historical ecsr sao mr.
sgsint jugglers. mouneoanA omyics, or d0clanor 81
any description, any subject osceps rel i'n fsr
any object except "paslc worship. exho,iaii,a' or
How, i dis Isn qai,c certain that religions meetings
ere much more dangerous % the pablo peace than ali
fhers thai they must needs Dc placed 81
and exclusively uuder the bon Of ocal suspicion AM
peryision and denied. except under speal en.e the
Use Of the public grounds Nehavo hat 'rregioas ufet
ings in the City lectures against the s'npareS AMI evea
aga'rst the belief in a Srprcmo Beng. | know nOt
whether they have occupied the public groao bat
for auehi that spPeas IN 'hs Sy O.an.iee 'asy might
30 SO without permit from the Cy Aa'noptres or hs
bily 70 arrest Who gave the Mayor Aldermen and
"Copmon Cornell authority 10 uake SUCH ayiilons die.
sinotious-ts degrade AMI dspsrase Pablo worship AMI
exhortstioa IN this manner In Whist clause ofthe City
Charter or State Constitution il the authority CON nitet
to them Be. let rs hook further
Noihns coniSnsd IN IL rrecsi.as '.,1. ofts us bal Be
eoutusd slcEmin Or minister et any no iia
tan s@ psssss,,s IN sy pSee n =, va ~, ~ re,
otie Ald-rmen Assent Aldermen .! ls C.y tatrelos"
But Whist If the persons holding religious meeting be
neither clergyInon minister's suppose they DO
Only Congregational Deacous Methodist Class leaders
eyhorters Ire City Ootnlnre ccaiemplsies no
written permission for them. But some ~ them labor
under tho impression that they are entitled % rlyois
rights And not these alone. Ihoro are unofficial msr
bers Of CHURCHES layuen in the fullest sense OF the 'orn
who remember that their Puritan fathers in Easlant
claimed the right Of prophec ing, eXhogtng Prsach
ing for all Christians, ana they have noticed that Pss
dent Wayand, in his recent SERMON. reviews and vindi
the claim. Then. agsn. there pre- preachers VINO.
Ike the late Lorenzo Dow not cOnsciend0usly
strict themselves to the rules OF existing "denDmna Ins
and therefore cannot be recognized az regular minis
"ters among them. Very possibly some OF ne Now.
Testament; worthless might come anler this description IL
they should rise up among US. may be questionable
whether they would stop 10 ask iN written psfnIs-
"sion' NOT having been accustomed to coafer with
flesh and blood about preaching Bat II thoy seoal.
"the Mayor Recorder Aldermen, or Ass-istani Aliar-
"men," could grant thcm written permission uotsr
this ordinsncel And consequently ever. constable.
"inaTshni other officer who shall neglect or refuse 10
perform his duty in the emlses shall for every neg
"loct topevent all such assembios) forfeit aad pay
1.-THE OF i've dollars
ministers people OF any Church. usually called Zap
lists for assembling in proper places wthln tie City
Of New York. for the purpose of performing ne rites II
baptism, according TO the cer' monies OF said Church
Why this official preference of Bipts;s o,hor setsf
ard Of the rites OF baptism over other acts OF paec
equal OCCUPANCY of The public grounds Strictly
stiued funeral procession il connected with religious
rites Sabbath School procession singing hymns ora
proscrptiye ban Who gave City Authorities eccle-
sostical jurisdcton How are they TO decide who are
clcreynen or ministers of any denomination 70 What
authority have they TO grant licenses to preach or To
Judge OF clericalcredentias
Orco more Section G. No person shall ii siurb, m'lsst
cor INTERRUPT any clergy man or minister who shan have
obtained permission, &c.-a pregnant intima.ion fnS
any others holding religious meeting may be dH-
"tubedr Aud this 10 our municipal regulation iof pro-
The assumption Of authority to grant permission to
preach or "exhor" or hold meetings for puDhc vor-
"shp carries, the very face OF IT, tho clam oil AnuCr
iy to forbid and suppress meetnss Ter pl9hc worship
"and eAhortation when they $50 M Inc Chy Autnon-
ties this assumption may permit what PRISONERS
they please and arrest whom they please IL themselves
Catholics or oourg Catholic favor they may prescribe
Proiestants If they Po,esanis they may prescribe
Catholics If Foreigners they may prescribe Native
@Amercans ii Naive Americans they may prescribe
foreigners by the rule any Protestant sec Gaining
the ascendency Of the City Government, may pi' down
nzafionist and A6oonist both of whom hold meetings
for "yublic wonlip ard ezhoration,' may alternately
prescribe each otlor Bat il the party under the pro-
acrpiiye ban viii only refrain from pubic ~lrshP OF
"oxhor.ati0n and prayer they may ireey assemble ani
make as many ishamnatory POI Teal hifan6lss ,or 0,
against Colonization or Abolition as tey my Fiesot
A political meeting of Native Amsroans wlnll have
been liable to no arrests YET Is easy to see Aai our
CITY Authorities may forbid religious meetings, ley may
forbid political meetings, and thon one political party may
exclude meetings OF the other party, Ne. oncn
sro some Of he Legitimate beangs Of this New York
CITY Ordnance Of December 1882 worthy OF tho dark
ages and closely resembling the acts under which Blnyaa
and Baxter were imprisoned. Our worthy Mayor 20 de-
der and fraud perpexed by the proglalOnl ofshs
anomalous ordnance and hardly knows wha. 70 do Win
proper respect for the welfare OF the city and tho
Supremacy of the laws no officially e1hSfis 10 .na
tual fofbcarance aud moderation All thit may be
timely and wise. But with this ordinance aud Us slPpo-
sod Obligations his shoulders his exhoraton taxes an
Objectionable least questionable shape he wolid
have our czens abstain from the unnecessary dicisoa:
in public thoroughfaes of topics calculated % excite and
arouse the passions preiudices Of any portion 81 our
citizens "A Mayor Of The City he says this Aud Ia MO
same oncal capacity he requests that al good ciizeDs
will abstain frgm any assenbeges, especially on tao
Sabbath in the public srees ihoroagniafos, OF otuer
apubc places the tendency OF which Is to create or tend
Ito breach of the public peace, aud tnas thcy WIZ 40
"yotc the day to the purposes Tor Wnch WAS osuy
Fa;hul preaching against vice and is commonly
calculated n grouse the preHdces or passions o. ipDr-
"tou Of our czens, aud sometimes tends 10 breacn
of ths pubc peace Lectures against rum selling and
slavehodng often tend to these resas And tho Proicn
ing of John tie Baptist Of Christ himself and OF Paul. as
wen Of whte6ed, Wesley and their saeee.sors ,ifs
quently in the public and horoughtare or other
pubc places tended powerfully in the sam; direc1oa-
Whether such preaching necessary or IN accose-
ance with the "purposes for which the saobah was orr
gnally apart the preachers judged for themselves
though often in opposition to the opinions OF inc msSs-
tracy in the Giles where they preached
Tie Mayors exhoaton but for this strange ordinance.
would doubtless have taken better direction Instead
OF exhoIing ministers not 70 preach OF eahots ~ Peono
horouQhfares on the Sabbath and instead Of exporting
the citizens not 10 go and near them ne mght nave ex
horted all TO peaceful demeanor, and warnei as no
omitted 10 do, all persons from disturbing ethsr mo
preacher or the meeting. Instead Of dssuadng aen from
he exercise OF their right Of free speech, the msgsrae
should distinctly announce when necessary, his detor-
ninaiion to protect them in the exercise Of that right
No adequate be mede for such an ordnance
a. that under review. No people can trathfaly can
be free people who consent that such an act s Stani
over their heads unrepe6lcd.
The only apology for any ordinance the subject must
be the contingency that the pubic Streets ana t.2roash