The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1870-09-07

! IMPRISONED FOR SLEEPING IN CHURcH.-"A man
in Rhode Island has been sent TO Jail for ten day
sleeping in church" After this who viii deny that
truth is stranger than fiction? We do not know what
the weather is in Rhode Island; but if it is close
and oppressive as it Is with us, we think the I'M
fortunate sleeper has been hardly dealt with. 1t is
to be presumed that the to which the wretch
ed criminal listened was exceptionally brilliant
one, as well as exceptionally short. Otherwise we
quite fail to see what ground the poor was
sentenced TO ten days Imprisonment. 1t is well
for most of US in this oldfashoned country that the
laws not equally severe, few regular church
goers especially in warm weather, would, we sus-
pec escape passing the better part ofsummer in the
salubrous atmosphere of Duke Street Had the
wicked old heather, who in the habit of having
a read aloud to him every night in order to
sermonise him asleep, lived in Rhode Island, we
iremble TO think Of the punishment which would
inevitably overake him Transportation for life, or
at least Imprisonment for year or two, would GER
tainly be awarded him. But are writing in igno
rance Of the whole facts of the case. The Rhode
Island sleeper may have been nveterate offender;
nav, more, though shudder at the idea, he may
have snored. This, Of course, is a mere SUPPOSE
ton, but are almost convinced. it is correct.
Sleepingis bad, but sleeping and snoring is az
gyavaton of the offence which cannot be sufficient
ly deplored. One wonders, on reading the startling
story if the sleeper, being arraigned before the
bar, was defended We suspect be not, at
least, if he were, his agent was "duffer." Weare
confident that pretty strong could have been
got up for the defence. At any rate the prisoner
might surely have raised a counter-charge against
the preacher. If the man who listens to sermon
sleeps and gets Ten days Imprisonment for bis too
ardent devotion to Morpheus, what punishment
should be awarded to the man whose discourse sends
him to sleep? Surely the cause.-the chief promoter
of crime-is what should be first attacked Proven
ton, we have been told from time immemorial is
better than cure. Why not therefore punish the
preacher who induces the offence, rather than the
unfortunate man whom he leads or rather breaches,
into offending? Abolish long sermons and hot
weather. and it, after accomplishing these seemingly
impossible eats sIcrilegious and rreverent hearer
chooses to 20 to sleep come down upon him heavi-
~ There is still another side to the question If
an ordinary church goer who is not a member Of
the church. falls asleep and gets ten day. imprison-
ment for his doing so, what proporionate sentence
should be awarded the member, what the elders,
and what the beadle and precentor? We tremtte TO
think of il. II the somnolent precentor in we'll
known church in Dundee, whose offence in this re-
spect recorded last week, happens to read of his
brother in crime and his hard fate, how he must
thank his stars that he does live in Rhode Is
land. We dare not even imagine the ultimate fate
of the fat boy in Pickwick, who was always falling
asleep, had he been member of the foresaid con
gregation. He must either have eschewed churches
and sermons altogether or consented to pass his life
in prison