The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-09

condition of the new State will not suffer by com
| parison with many of the older ones. ! eau tae
attention OF those who can find nothing aa sne ue,
| mocratic party but fraud, extravaganza ana
| abuse of power" to the above statement as sum
| cient commentary on the wisdom ana economy
| with which democrats have conducted the moneta-
| ry affairs OF Oregon rhRrosr'
Compulsory Observance OF tho Sabbath.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. ..
| NEW YoRx, July s, 1860.
| One of the most prominent aims of human
ambition has been that Of the priesthood Of
every nationality to govern the masses. Hence
prosecutions have arisen. and hence the Puritans
emigrated to these shores TO enjoy the prerogative
of every man-hberty of conscience But how
these very Puritans found themselves no exception
to this strong bias to obtain power by religious
sway under the sceptre of enthusiasm superstition,
or bgotry, is amply illustrated in their own at
tempts at persecution even to the stake in earlier
times, and in our own day in their efforts ut reli
gious legislation. viz, the Sunday law.
While the infant colonies composed the American
people il possible for them to violate their
constitution and maintain a sort of religious des-
potism; but now our community Is composed Of
thousands from nearly all lands, who have enrolled
themselves citizens under constitution which
guarantees equality Of rights and perfect liberty Of
conscience, all Purtans Notwithstanding
The recent success Of the Sabbatarians in the
State Legislature has aroused indignation TO such
degree against them that they intend to call Con-
vention at the Academy of Music. in order 10 vind
cate their own philanthropic views.
No doubt the greatest efforts will be made to
cajole the public mind by the most insinuatng cant
and sophistry, under the garbs of religion, mo-
rality temperance, law, order, &c. or course
the Sabbath Committee will be sustained
| by many of the stiff-necked, white cravat-
! ed gentry, by the slouched hat philosophers. the
| polite little villains. and sanctimonious Aminidab
| Sleeks whose combined eloquence is expected to
| be able to imprison our cosmopolitan population in
pews and churches all day Sunday-the only vent
left to their emotional natures pent up all the week,
being the liberty to shout hosannas and halleujahs.
But because these pseudo righteous priests,
| philosophers, pagans celestials please to de-
nounce the rest OF the world as heretics, inides.
gaours or barbarians, it does not oblige US to
sumo such titles stop the progress of civiliza-
tion or quench the spirit of liberty. Our age has
advanced beyond the reign Of priests, our
consciences must emerge from superstition, our
country, composed ofsuch heterogeneous materials.
must maintain the liberty religious and civil Of its
citizens.
The question is momentous in its future bearings
nor one Of iCaay only iGt once grant the power
compelling US to fall down and worship any Baal of
its own. lnstigated by the Presbyterians it would
force us to wear long faces, spend Sunday in
church and pray on the corners Of the streets by
the Epscopalians. to listen to none but the church
service; by the Catholics, to 60 to mass and pros
trate ourselves before the procession of the
host in the public thoroughfares; by the
Seventh Day Baptists and Jews, TO shut
up shops and make no noise on Saturdays
by the Celestials, to the rites Of the Pagoda
and by some future Moslems. to cry "Allah--
Allah" on Fridays and touch not. taste not the
unclean thing, those aldermanic sandwiches
There il scarcely people in the world from
whom we may learn more on this subject than the
Moslems themselves: Friday comes for the faith
any way. Saturday i punctiliously kept by the
Jews, unmolested by Christian and Turk; and Sun
| day is sacred to the Christians while Mohammedan
| and Jew buy and sell at pleasure.
We are not pagans nor Mohammedans, but
! Christian nation; yet We have not the union of
Church and State to sanction any prevailing form
of religion, though we may call ourselves a
| Christian community, as we are. But are
| decimated by sectarianism fenced about by creeds
theological cliques house divided against itself.
While one sect chooses TO fast the selfsame day
and hour another prefers to feast. Can any Legisa
ture say TO them you must both fast feast the
| same day.
The governments of the old countries of Europe
| do not restrain the people on sundays, nor make
| laws to compel them TO Sunday obseryances and
the Christians of the East, doubt the Peters and
Pauls Of this day, have such Sabbatical astdi-
BUSINESS. They suspend business of their own free
will not by law. and devote most of the day 10 plea
| sure and recreation. The European idea Of the
style OF keeping the day holy i derived from these
representatives and descendants of the earliest
Christians and doubtless with reason. for all Oren
tai people are most traditional in their obseryances,
and unadicted to the love of change novelty, so
prevalent in modern civilization.
Even the Sultan OF Turkey allows three different
| Sabbaths TO be observed, or seven II needs be.
| What If Abdu-Medjid should issue fJ7idn fore
ing every one in his dominions TO observe Friday
a. the real and genuine Sabbath. and decree gene.
raj suspension Of all business or pleasure on that
| day! There would be crusade of the nineteenth
century 10 extirpate the barbarians.
IL Is against the power and spirit Of Christianity
to employ force or law in any guise. They hattake
| the sword shall perish by the sword. We shall
have Puritsnical inquiston. blOodshed and revo-
luton If we allow any religious legislation II mems
| conscicnces must be trained IL should be from the
| pulpit. not the forum.
With regard to the question OF order and ten.
| perance TO be maintained by the Sunday laws, we
| can cite those countries where no such laws are
heard of a. better regulated and more temperate
than our own.
In the days Of the great Temperance excitement
the sympaihies of our missionaries in Constantine
pie were excited that. we are told, they pro.
posed TO the Orientals TO sign a temperance pledge
These people were as much astonished "a If
they had been asked 10 consign themselves
to the tmdr hdnci Qunauc asylum)
lntemperance l. not vice Of the East: on SUNDAYS
and all other days they habtually resort 20 the COT
Tee houses, which are all over the city, and ateyery
watering place.
Give. then. our people other places OF amusement
on their day OF leisure. access 10 more innoxious
beverages and Refreshments, and then shut up the
grog shops But let each mans conscience dictate
his own religious faith and practices and whether
he viii worship his Maker in the temple or the
grove. D.
Reckiessness OF Conductors on the CITY
Railroads.
20