New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-07-29
rAnArlcAI roeYIss1.

EANATlcAL FOGYIsM.
There d nov current most notable illustration Of
The Nay h which the heedlen mares Of our Northern
hrslhrsn az apt to rally shout some old point Of pre-
ndics until excited partianahip takea the bit in ita
teeth and fairly runs away with reason This matter
atAe extaordinasy warfare which d now being waged
h Philadelphia. between viii not say liberal sen
timent- but between ordinary common sense and blue
rcondhead. crop cared puritanism, ON the question
Il Sunday travel on the passenger railways. Thu
city = divided into two great parties, and several
times during the conflict there has been danger Of
mob violence; ipjunctions have been issued against
railway companies, and the issues are appealed te
law; but. meanwhile, The numerous partisans d
either side abate none Of the earnestnes with which
they contest their opinions, the antisunday travel
contestants, indeed advocating the hobby Of their
pharsaism with fanatical fury, the tone and temper
which animates them in the quarrel being demon.
stted by the action Of several Of the leaders, of
whom made in public meeting the threat that il
the companies attempted to run their cars on Sunday
the track rails would b torn up and their property
| destroyed.
Certainly, with such moderate GENTLE christian and
hwsbiding advocates, the cause Of public morality
and religion should prosper though il is hard to see
"
the means Of getting about town, and perchance to
the churches which they would attend. This is the
idea Of the liberal side in the controversy whose con-
suents are Of the opinion that it is great mistake
to suppose that they are living in free country If
man may not 10 allowed 70 choose his own way Of
accomplishing locomotion in any day in the week
il Il ID declared sin against law, religion and mo-
ralty for man to be transported by other motive
xh~r uvIS In
deed, we should not be much surprised to see some
blue law court, In some sanctimonious community
clap injunction, forbidding the citizens to whom
the legs belong to operate their fexors and extensor
in the action Of walking; this could be done with
oil the proprety which the Philadelphia fanatics have
- plead in extennation Of their desire to forbid cti-
zens to cause their horses legs, which are as much
their property as their own to move in drawing cars.
This prominent instance Of the general diffusion Of
spirit Of besotted and intolerant dogmatism, Of
straghtlaced iliberaty, strikingy illustrates how
worthless may DO the title Of apparent responsibility
which the large number Of persons advocating any
measure may seem to confer upon II and how easy
it is for false and erroneous Impressions to spread
through the whole North and exercise controlling
sway in the many communities which are even more
disposed to iberalty Of sentiment and narrow pre-.
judce than that Of Philadelphia If they are 80 Bit
terly opposed to mans riding on Sunday az to be
ready to fight on the ISSUE It is neither surprising
supplementary if they opposed TO Southern
men, manners and Institutions. Verify, it is not in
Mexico alone that great fight Is going on between
Liberals and nibera between the spirit Of progress
and the spirit Of the dark ages. Such conflict is
being waged here As well IS in Mexico only orr fight
10 hundred years ahead Of hers in its manner and in
the less material and definite character Of Its issues.
Bat We must not ignore the dimgreeable fact that
the constitution Of Southern society is not so sound
but that the spirit of iberality with which it is
tainted occasionally outcrops extensively as to call
for prompt denuncation by those who would see the
poison eradcated from our social SYSTEM being an
element radically hostile to the growth Of the prnci
pies Of enlarged liberty and true enlightened repub-
licanism We have an instance right here under our
observation at this moment and precisely similar to
the Philadelphia demonstration. We have before us
q copy Of the Mobile Tribune, which contains re.
port upon the matter OF the projected horseraIroad
passing through that city and out to the adjacent
suburb Of Spring Hill, and in the calculation Of prob
able receipts an exhibit is made of the amount Of
money which will be taken annually, providing the
road does not operate on Sunday!
So probability that the cars will not be allowed
to run on Sunday in the enlightened city Of Mobile
is recognized and il So it will not be the first time,
nor the thousandth, that the spirit OF shortsghted
asceticism has disappointed its own object, for we
know Of no scheme that could practically assist
the cause Of religious observance, which is prime
means Of grace as the contemplated railroad, which
runs exactly the route it should for placing church
privileges within the reach Of many, by affordng
cheap means Of communication with the city. The
enabling Of persons to get in and out from church
would alone be good and sufficient object for the
building Of the road, and yet it is feared that mis-
taken zeal in their behalf will deprive religion and
morality Of the accessory to their advancement which
it should supply Surely Mobile is going to prove that
she is city inhabited by sensible Southern people,
and not by lot Of exotic blue-law Salemites?