American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-11-19

per contract. Candidates anhounc cments- 81. II
Printing Office on Font street, corner Of
Cour, Alley. s.., ,-,,. y ,eas.s s4.ss
From the Philadelphia Eveains Bulletin. 2-
A7r. GEO. f. GoRDcrg,s Speech
on THE sABBATH. Q QUESTION, DELIVERED
BEFORE COMMON COUNCIL,
OCT. 10Th 1853,
The question being to strike ont the
foloving clause from the Ordinance
reported by the Committee ON Rail
roads: '.sIHat no car shall be plac.
ed on or run upon any Passenger
RaslWay on the day of the s0eek
commonly kaown as Sunday.
Mr. Gordon begun his speech with
beautiful allusion to those who had
spoken before him. And after allud-
ing to some attacks made upon him in
the Sunday papers be proceeded as
follows: !. lt
No question Of greater magnitude
can come before human mind, or a
DELIBERATE assembly, than tina. which
now presents itself to us. The ques-
ton of, whether ornot, passenger cars,
shall run on the Sabbath day through
The streets of our city, though it is
tho main question, before us, yet it
is not the question. 1t is altogether
secondary and incidental to the great
question, and the greater principle
which envelopes the whole as eternity
1oes time. [ cannot understand the
Hghtness with which some, even good
men, seem to look at this subject. To
ne it is q question fraught with the
mighticst and most vital consequences;
so much SO that l almost fear to speak
upou it, lest / should detract in the
ahghtest from it's merits and great i'm
portance. But when the enemy comes
with flood and seeks to drench the
community with iniquity, the standard
Of the Lord must be raised. ..sH.s
A motion has been made, and Sec
onded, to strike down the sanctity of
the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath
md even defined it's objects and uses
IN the fourth commandment (; there.
fore to strike down the Sabbath is to
strike at the authority Of God, and if
at his authority, at God himself; and if
H5 God, ut man, at society, at morals
and religious life, at civilization itself.
For on the Christian Sabbath, all these
hang as Christian fruit. Destroy the
Sabbath and these bloom and ripen
10 mere on earth.
Viewing the subject in this light,
and perceiying the boldncss of the ad.
yersary, / cannot keep silence. Un-
worthy as l may be, as the best of us
are, to do justice to 80 great subject,
yet, under all the circumstances, stand
ing here as the representative Of the
people in our glorious land of Sabbaths
and Bibles, in this "Old State House, /"
where liberty, founded on the Bible
and on the Sabbath, was first Official
ly proclaimed, | should feel unworthy
lhe mother than bore me, and the
father who raised me in the "nurt,re
and admonttion Of the Lora"-un-
worthy of the baptism which in my
youth solemnly pledged me in my moth
-er's arms, to be the Lords, if / did not
on such an occasion as this, rush to the
ensign Of Jehovah, with the concentra.
ted energy of my naturally impulsive.
imperfect it may be, yet humbly, with
trustful faith, as a representative Of d
Bible.loying and Sabbath. keeping
constituency~-I "stand up for Jesus. +"
II has been said by those who pro.
pose to desecratc the Sabbath, that the
"poor have as goodnight to ride in cars
on the Sabbath as the rich have in their
carriages" Who denies this Z Not
these who insist on keeping the Sab.
bath holy. Neither the rich nor the
poor have the right to break tho Sab
bath. Yet by such sophistry as this,
it's attempted to justify the act of
dissertation. But the question which
seems to be plausible, is false in all its
particulars. The rich and fashionable
DO not ride on the Sabbath, as gen.
raj thing. It's your "fast young mem
who get money easy and in very ques-
tionable ways. Again, the American
laborer and mechanic have OF no time
s'snificd to us by petition or otherwise,
pat they desired tho cars to run on
INC Sabbath for their pleasure. And
repel the assertion "that they do de-
are it" os SANDER upon the working
masses of our city, They are Sabbath
kcepers. The Ginning Of Church bells
and the melody Of organ and choir
,$ music cnough for them on the
"@bbdth The peaceful and quiet du.