The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-07-10
DEMOCRATIC STATE TICKET.
FGuTfi. of July-POliticaI Preach
ing.

We have heretofore alluded to the subject
Of dcsecra,ing the Fourth Of July, our great
National Sabbath, by the holding OF party
meetings, for base partizan purposes. AT
ser the exhibition which was witnessed on
Friday last, in this place, We deem any fur.
ther reference to the subject unnecessarily
The intelligent masses Of the people in this
county are with US on the subject.
There ore however, here and there, e,pretend-
ed reformers, infdels in religion, and disun'
ionists in politics. who can see nothing sa-
cred in the Christian Sabbath, and nothing
appropriate in celebrating the anniversary Of
our Independence. Their creed is: that
whatever is right on weekday is right on
Sunday, and that whatever is appropriate on
the third, is also appropriate on the fourth Of
July. Let US illustrate. 1t is right for the
politician to make peeches, farmers to plant
corn, for the merchant to sell goods, for the
mechanic to build houses or make chairs and
tables, on ceekdey therefore it is right FOR the
politician to make speeches, for the farmer
to plant corn. for the merchant to sell goods
for the mechanic to make chairs and tables
on Sunday. This is the sum md substance
of their reasoning. To them all days are
clike and what is right on one day in the
year is right on every other day in the year.
Such a doctrine leads 10 the utter aboli-
tion of all public anniversaries, and to to-
tai ennihilaton Of the Christian Sabbath
Are the people prepared to adopt creed
which inevitably tends to such result II
does seem to US that there is propriety ant
beauty in celebrating the anniversary Of our
nations birth. There should be one day in
the yenr, when people of all perties and
opinions forgetting their prejudces, ,mny meet
together on common ground, and rejoice in
a common prosperity. There are doubtIess
impertections and evils in our government
cut are there not blessings also! not the
measure of our prosperity more abundant
than that Of any other nation on the globe
Have we not civil and social privileges e.
nough, so that we can forget the evil ant
rejoice with joy and Thanksgiving at Ieas
one day in three hundred and sixty five J.
Personal opinions are as dear to us, and w
ere as desirous to promote them as any o
our contemporaries; yet we are willing ant
srxious, at times, to lay by prejadices, forge
the warfare of parties, md join our fellow
citizens in commemoruting the day whici
made the fathers immortal, and tho country
free.
A word in regard to politics in the pulpit
No American citizen should be deprived o
q single privilege guaranteed to him by tn
constitution. 1t is unquestionably the righ
Of ministers to speak and vote the same q
other citizens. But there is time and plac
for oil things. A minister Of the Gospel ha
Just the same right to make partizan speech
es that we have, and no more. II it is hE
propriate for us to coll political meetin
and make speeches every Sabbath mcrnin
at ten o'clock, then it is the ministers rigf
to do the same thing. Suppose one of th
political parties Of Portage county should ca
mass meeting in Ravenna, next Sabbstl
and speakers should be present to address th
people on the Affairs Of Kansas or other to-
les which now ogitate the public min
what would bethe consequence! The who
community would be alarmed and ihdignan
But what is the difference between q p'
litical address In the Town Hall and one
the Congregational Church? Does the fa'
that partizan harangue is called sermon
and is delivered from pulpit by an ordaine
minister. give it any sanctity! No. O
the contrary, the more halIowed the plact
the greater the Dissertation. II there is ar
spot where the Jar, strife, passions and pre-
naiees OF the political world should new
enter, that place is the Church Of the Livir
God. tie dedicated to high and holy pu