The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1860-05-16

worship, but they yrecognisedC Christianity rs ths
religion Of the country. In our laws relating
to oaths, to biasphemy, and to the Lords day
in the appointment ot chaplains, and in those
obseryances of days Of tasting and thanks.
ing. we have paid national homage 10 the God
of the Bible. II is the recorded opinion o
the Supreme Court Of this State that Chris
tianity, general Christianity, has always
been part of the common law Of Pennsyl-
yana. This imports that we are Chris
tian people. and not Mohammedan, Pa
gan, or Atheistic people. 1t neither suppo.
ses nor involves an organic union between
civil and ecclesiastical powers, much less the
concession Of special privileges TO any reli-
gious sect. But IL proceeds upon the ac-
knowledged fact that Christianity has, IRON
the beginning, been the religion Of the great
mass Of our people ; that as such they claim
the protection Of the laws in the exercise Of
their religious rights; and that to deny them
this protection would be the essence Of ty-
ranny on the part Of the Government-espe-
cially Of Government which, like our own,
recognizes the will Of the majority as its
fundamental Law.
This is one Of the grounds upon which
our legislation on this subject rests. Anoth-
er is that the State needs the sustaining in
fluence of that morality which derives its
code, its sanctions, and its efficiency from
the Bible. Republican institutions have
never survived the general decay of public
virtue. Ii is as essential to their healthful
action as The atmosphere is to animal and
vegetable life. The instinct Of self. preser-
walton, therefore. admonishes the State to
abstain from all acts which may weaken the
restraints Of morality. And such is the OBJ.
yious tendency of enactments designed to
secularize the first day Of the week. For. in
respect certainly TO communities and nations,
true morality is the offspring Of Christiani-
~ and Christianity cannot reach the mas
ses of the people without its Sunday. What
ever consequences might ensue to religion
by obliterating from our statute book the
moderate and reasonable laws pointed at in
the petitions, the State cannot afford TO re-
peal them. IL these laws are repealed or
essentially modified, no rejecting person can
suppoe the so-caled reform will stop until
the other laws which recognise Christianity
and its institutions have been abroga,ed. And
this accomplished. the food.gates Of vice
and immortality will be thrown wide apen in
every part Of the Commonwealth. II would
be suicidal in the State to sanction this
policy.
"The allegation that the Sunday laws
sss --..-r-.:~- a.9n fhe nersnnsl r,shis, al
the citizen is a sheer assumption. That
they may be regarded as burdensome by in
diyiduals or insects which do not accept the
I Christian system. is very true. But this is
an incident which pertains to all legislation.
/ In our country, at least, laws must reflect
! the will of the majority Of the people. II
/ the working of law is attended with incon-
yenence, it is better that the few should suf-
fer than the many. But in the present case
there is very little il any room even Tor this
plea. For the laws in question are merely
negative. They establish no church, they
impose no creed, they exact no service. they
leave e,ery mar free TO adopt what religious
dogmas he chooses, or to discard all faiths.
They require no one to attend a place ol
worship or 10 contribute to the support ol
religious ordinances. They institute no in
qaiiy into the mode in which people spend
the Sabbath. They simply orjain that sun.
DAY shall be day Of rest; that thnse who
choose shall have the opportunity Of worship.
ping God without molestation, and that oil
secular ayocaliOnswhich would conflict with
these ends shall be suspended. Il there an.
real hardship in thisi The hardship would be
all on the other side. Let the Sunday law be
repealed at the bidding Of small minority
OF our population, and the residue, compris.
ing the great mass OF the people in every
part Of the Commonwealth, might with rra'
son complain that the State, in deprisine
them Of their peaceful Sabbath. had virtual
" robbed them Of their right to worship
God. Here would be positive invasion o
the rights Of conscience. We are not able
TO perceive that these rights are inlringed By
enactments which simply inhibit certain
worldly emplnyments on sunday"
Alter careful review Of the whole sub
jeet, the committee conclude that the abro
CATION of the Sunday laws would be oppres
sive to large mass Of laboring people; voul,
tend directly 10 the increase Of sIcej wnul'
be contrary 10 the known convictions Of th'
founders Of our system Of government. an'
in contrasention Of all previous legisla
tons would be reppgnanl TO the great mas
Of the best citizens throughout the State
and 10 conflict with the statutes ot Rcvela
tion. For these reasons the committee asl
. TO be discharged from the further considera
tion Of the subject. The report does homo
10 those by whom IL was prepared.