New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-12

Government utterly destitute of any re.
hglous principle to mould its usages, laws,
and institutions. We affirm that our FORE
| fathers, the trainers of our Constitution and
Government, did acknowledge the Christian
religion and the Christian Sabbath. They
acknowledged the Sabbath by exemptng it in
the return by the President of unsigned bills,
and the Christian religion by the authentica-
ton IN the year of our Lord, 1889. In the
declaration Of Independence the God Of the
Christian religion is appealed to as the arbi-
ter IN the nations struggle for liberty. The
charter Of the confederate constitution Of
Massachusetts, New Plymouth. Connecticut,
and New Hampshire, adopted in 1913, con-
tains this clause, viz: We all come to these
parts Of America with the same end and aim,
to advance the kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Other colonies had in
their constitutions similar clauses. In our
national Legislature and in our courts our
laws require every man who takes oath,
whether Christian, Idolater, or Atheist, to
swear by the God Of the Christian religion,
and no other. Now, suppose the so-called
scientist, the skeptc, the native-born anarch-
list, the Turk, the Malay or Chinaman, or any
disafiected foreigner wax exceeding wroth
with our Government as Christian, its usages,
and laws, are we under obligations to change
it to suit all their notions of religion or ire
lgion, their whimsicalities and caprice? If
one mans freedom is outraged by the Sab
bath laws so is another mans freedom out
ragged by laws against slavery, adultery, theft,
and murder, and he might as consistently de-
mand their repeal, asserting that they origi-
mated in ignorance, dishonesty, or the Chris
ti:nity of the Government. The correspond
ent seems to favor some kind of Sabbath, as
a law of our being, but says it should not be
a compelled, but voluntary one. Accord
ing TO this logic the laws should be repealed
which set free the slaves, if their masters
don't do it voluntarily. Criminals tell us in
nine cases out Of ten that they began their
road to ruin by breaking the Sabbath or in
dulging in intoxicating liquors. The Nor
mon rails at the Christianity of our Govern
ment, wants its laws repealed, and the book
and laws of Mormons adopted. We don't
see how our Government can adopt the re-
ligious or irreligious views of every person or
every nation under the sun, neither can we
sec how il can exist without any religion.
Compare the nations of the earth where their
Governments are based on the bible, where
it is an open book for all the inhabitants, and
where the Sabbath is kept, with the nations
whose Governments are founded on other
forms of religion, whore the Sabbath is not
kept, and in which do we find the most liber-
ty, morality, and intelligence: Take any
two villages of our own land, one where the
majority of the Inhabitants keep the Sabbath
and obey the Christian commands, end an
other where the bible is not honored nor the
Sabbath kept; in which of these would we
find the most dissipation and Kindred vices;
in which the most morality and prosperity,
and in which would real estate and other
property bring the highest price? France,
during the last century, Boosting of her rea-
son and science, repudiated the bible and the
Sabbath, and the reign of terror was the le-
Ultimate result. The writer says, eff we
would stay the step Of despotism and trans
nit to posterity the fullness Of republican
freedom, we should hasten the repeal of our
Sabbath laws" We should say if we want
ignorance, intolerance, moral darkness, and
spiritual death to reign predominant through
out the nation, resulting in national decay
and death, repeal the Sabbath laws.
Such lewd recklessness may heaven forbid
A. F. J, Maine.