The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-06-23


Progress Of Pusliasisna.
The example set by those leading citizens Of
New York who have lately undertaken q cru.
SADIE against the newsboys with view to de-
priving them of their Sunday earnings, is BE-
ing consistently followed by the truly pious
throughout the country. AT Cincinnati. We
notice, Jew ice dealer has been sued and fiaed
for delivering ice on Sunday; the Court refas-
ing to listen to the plea of the prisoner to the
effect that not being Christian, it did not jar
against his conscience to DO business on Sun
day, and that he observed the Sabbath of his
religion-Saturday- due regularity. This
decision is quite in keeping with the CORES.
poDding movement here.
The question as to what extent of Sabbath
observance was suitable, feasible and just in
thiscommunity, has been more than once agita-
ted in these columns There is q sect of reli-
gionists who adhere to the Puritan method of
keeping the Sabbath with austere, gloomy,
Calvinistic exercises There are others again,
chiefly foreigners from Germany and France,
who are accustomed to use Sunday as their es.
peciai holiday and the best day of the week for
light amusements. The question which the
practical man will set before him, in view of
these widely divergent opinions, is, by what
means can each party have its own way with
out interfering with the liberties of the other?
In this country the Puritan was first in
the field and won a vantage which he has
never wholly lost. Time was when man
in New England, and perhaps in parts of this
State, was fined for not going to church and for
enjoying any rational amusement On Sunday.
Enlightenment and the progress of common
sense gradually modified the severity of these
rules Now, the rights of the Puritan over the
rest of society are restricted to the stoppage
of trade on Sunday; to the introduction of ON
nibuses; to the closing of public Offices, and to
the absolute suppression Of theatrical and other
diversions. The Frenchman and German are
not bound by law to go to church. They are
not fined if they take their wives and children
out to breathe the fresh air. They may drink
their beer or wine and smoke their pipes in their
own beer gardens as they please. This much
has the progressive wisdom of the age extorted
from the unwilling federation of Puritanism.
And no one can deny that the settlement as it
stands is o fair one: the Puritan Is unmolested
In his church exercises, while bis gsyer fellow
citizen enjoys what suits him best; neither
grudging the other his form of Sabbath observ-
ance.
to alter this practical compromise. The 6rst
overt assault on the liberties of the non-churoh-
goers was the prevention of Sunday cars In
Brooklyn. This was followed soon after
ward by the publication of q circular, the pro-
duction of an eminent Baptist divine, calling
upon the authorities to enforce more strictly
what was called tho Christian observance
of the Sabbath" This circular was widely
circulated and strongly commended in clerical
monstrances Of the press II il likely that some
steps might then have been taken to sbridge the
liberty Of the citizen TO the old Puritan stand
ard The last attack upon the comfort of that
large class of people who are not Puritans is the
stoppage of newspaper crying on Sunday-evi-
IDENTIFY the mere entering wedge toward the stop
page Of oil trade In news or periodicals. on that
day. This measure, 80 Is owing to efforts
not uniformly characterized by strict honesty,
mas Ior the time prevailed
The question now arises, ought the great
mass Of conservative, moderate men, who have
neither the bigotry of the Puritans nor the
levty Of the continental exiles, to sustain or to
oppose the effort that Is being made to restore
the old puritanical sabbatarian discipline in this
city. This lie not a religious question. For six
teen centuries the Christian religion was pro
fessed ard practised before any one ever limited
that II was wrong to buy or to sell, or to play
at games of chance or strength, or to perform
any other secular act on that day. II was only
when the Puritans of the Reformation revived
the old Jewish fashion Of keeping the Sabbath
holy, that doubts arose In the mind Of any o. to
the right of a Christian 10 20 to theatre, or a
bullbait, or game of cards on Sunday after
noon As, therefore, the religion which Is pro-
fessed by the persons who now seek to re estab-
lish Sunday laws was complete and perfect at
the time Christ died and the Apostles taught !;
ss 1t Is q peculiar aud favorite doctrine of the
Protestant churches that the writings Of the
Fathers add nothing to the inspired books of the
Testament and that nothing has ever been Tor
! can ever beg added to the Christian religion,
since II was given to man perfect out Of the
hands Of its Founder F; question which arose
only four or Eve centuries ago cannot By any
candid person be said to be religious question.
IL Is In fact mere question Of social philoso-
ply. Is it best for society that people should
be forced TO keep the Sabbath after the fashion
| Of John Knox and Gotten Mstber, in q stern
| gloomy and unpleasant manner--and this what
ever their opinions may be--or should the Law
allow every man to practice liberty in bis &C
| tiops on that day, as IL guarantees him liberty
Of consciencef The question can readily be-
settled by every thinking man
l THE ATLANTIC TEIEgRAPH--We continue to-
dav our HISTORY Of the nreliminarx arrnnun-