The Nevada journal., 1858-01-29
OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH.-A

meeting was held at the NJ. E. Church
on Sunday evening last and well attend
ed, to take some action for procuring a
Sunday law from the Legislature. The
meeting was completely unanimous we
are informed, general disposition being
manifested to see compulsory observ-
ance of the Sabbath brought about by
! law.
For one we believe it to be law of ma
ture that man requires one day of rest
in about SEVEN We believe that phys
iolsgical facts demonstrate clearly the
existence of this law, and could every
mind be opened TO the knowledge of the
truth few would be found guilty of sin
ming against their own mental and phys
/ ical organisms, and no human enactment
would be demanded As it is all are
not perfectly satisfied that one day of
rest in seven is necessary to their well
being, or being satisfied, are not aware
of the extent to which they suffer from
an Infringement of the laws of labor and
rest and some for the sake of pecuni-
ary gain are willing to run any hazard.
The former need only knowledge to OBJ
serve the Sabbath, and not a statute
enactment; the latter cannot be CO.
creed. And why? A regard for the
Sabbath is founded on religious belief
with which the Legislature has nothing
to do. No enactment can force Jew
to close his place of business on the
Christian Sabbath though large ma
jority of the Jews of this place are anx-
ious Ito close on that day, and one OF
two may, under the existence of stat
ute as they have done heretofore when
private pledges were attempted to be
gotten up for the same object, thwart
the whole thing. The divine command
which instituted the holy Sabbath is as
imperative that man shall work six days
as that he shall work one. six DAYS
shalt thou labor and do all thy work,
and on the seventh &C. The Jews as
well as other sects, the Seventh Day
Baptists for example, draw from the BIZ
bic the injunction to rest on the seventh
day or Saturday, and observe that day
accordingly These people may hold,
as they have a perfect right under our
Constitution to do, that they are COM
manded to labor on the first day of the
week or the Christian Sabbath if they
have anything to do, and we would like
to see some provision of our organic law
that can prevent them from carrying out
their religious belief so long as it does
not conflict with public morals.
In some of the States, where a law of
this kind is made, various sects are ex-
empted from its provisions for very good
reasons one of which is the Legisla-
ture is powerless to enact law conflict
ing with the peculiar religious notions of
any den omination.
We would like to see the places of
business in this city cl5sed on the Sab
bath, and have signed the petition to
the Legislature in circulation praying
for the passage of Sunday law. By
so doing we only ask that the Legisla-
ture may go to the extent of its consti-
tutional powers without meaning to say
it has any, on which point the members
are competent tojudge for themselves.
A Sunday law, it is well known can
not be enforced in the lesser mining To-
calities, and the question of policy may
suggest itself to Legislators whether it is
wise to have law upon the statute
books which must remain a dead letter
to half the people of the State.
MEAN TRICK.-The Democracy char
acterize the attempt of Mr. Gray of San
Francisco to introduce into the Assem-
bly, a resolution endorsing The course of
Senator Douglas, mean trick and
pounce on the poor old Irish representa-
tive without mercy. What have the
Democracy to say now to the introduce
| ~ Al IL