The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-02


most part our rulers are Christian men.
The Christian Sabbath is Officially observed
and State governments. Chr,st's glorious name
10 adored In prayers In our legislative halls Jesus
o. Nazareth is enthroned in thirty millions ms o.
is" the boundaries of the kingdom Of Christ are
being extended with glorious rapidity. Under the
Christ we are covering this glorious land with
Christian churches and Christian schools. Unaer
ali we are leading into the divine mock OF Christ
tens OF thousands OF the lost sheep OF Israel every
year. Would it be 80 II Christianity were to become
an official force or dictator l fear not This dan
gerous experiment has been tried In Europe for
ages past. and 1t proved to be- the greatest OBJ
damning curse to the nations. America is the seat
OF Christ's sovereignty. We know IT, We feel It,
lion Of the United States Of America. with unyied
Ing oyaty to Christ and HIS GSspe am Tenpscs
'u NEW fGYS YORK, Feb. %, 1873 ''' '-'OD' D '
Christians N Convcntion-The Public
Library Sunday Question.
To THE EDITOR or THE HERALD:-
The consideration and courtesy which 1t has been
my good fortune to receive at your hands in times
gone by, and before the fair fame Of reform had
been furnished with the slime OF vicious and viii
flying tongues, give me the courage to enter my
protest In this wise against not only convention
OF Christians" but the whole world of them who
OF public libraries ON Sunday.
And ''hardiho0d" is too mild an expression to APP
ply to such spirit shown, for in my opinion 1t Is
both barbar0us and criminal; criminal, because
crime mostly comes from ignorance, and the ign0-
rance Of the present day Is due almost solely to
that very Christian spirit Of repression which
shuts the lower classes out from the enjoy
ment of books at the only time they have
for such indulgence. Hence every Christian
who opposes any movement or any chance by
which those classes might become enlightened
ought to be adjudged as accessory before the
fact" of every crime committed by the ignorant,
and punished accordingly; for he who conduces to
crime Is himself criminal.
The laboring classes are accustomed to be con-
stanty occupied. Sunday comes, and although it
is day Of rest 1t is also day of idleness, and,
from mere force OF habit these people must be
busy. There are no places of rational and eevat-
ing diversion open to them, and they are naturally
forced thereby to seek the irrational and degrad-
ing.
1t is by this very Sunday idleness that drunken
ness becomes confirmed in the Old and is taught to
the young, Tor proof Of which, II any needed,
one has only to watch the extra liquor traffic
of Saturday nights in those neighborhoods
where drunkenness and debauchery abOund-that
is, when the sunday liquor law is enforced Chill
dren Of all growths, from those who ought to be in
arms-if their size and puny appearance are cri-
nn W asm ~ NJ Tro,, +ho SEnr,nn dans anJ
their own, bearing in potts. pans, teapots, tea
any hat ~ "v s Sh sv ~ do ~ t %n
bauchery. Why DO they do thisS Simply to be.
rnov ~ osont siSo us W =" 0 10y @
They can go to church, you say. BAIL there are no
churches for these very poor and, besides, church
These nennis want Hiversinr nnt Gamnaton. and
they need 1t for the entire day or Ior such portions
tho Sme ""S 90 '' oAoo'0 NV 90 o''" '"'S'' 'o'
AS ! understand It, Christianity comes by
r. Is comes A. al, Thev are me civi,iyers and
saviorS Of nnmapidv Can Inc irnnrant than onS
t%a Sanrnina ana tho ,rnhr nun WY , 90"
wy ah1 ~ .aI M h. NV SUo uon
sapt o how and when are theiRe neoSe =" en;oy
Se,1 a. al tines accesshe =" tSa S omrs
nS leisure vnncSsaTed nv com. chance onS SunSevS
ana holidavs ? / do not sav that these nriviieSes
wnnid no eagcrv snnoht and immrowaS nv the cIs 90
who most need them: perhaps not at ali at irst'
come until we give them chance. and we Ger.
tany cannot know If they will avail themselves Of
nn, onv onen sr tha S ~ h
time. That is the Important point OF all The
privileges OF the world would be nothing to these
These Chrisrians we Wot of want 70 save aou,s
Is secusion from books then, an essential to saliva
tionr and II So what is the religion worth that
rance for its snnnort and nernetnation for IN its
last analysis that is Just what the Christian OppOs
ton TO open nDraries on sunday amounts toY Inus
times onIv as When thew cannot he read is ennai
to refusing altogether so far as the erect is con-
cerned-and tnat OF Itself Is eguivaent TO denying
This rom a1hristians Who want to save souIs ia an
indirect admission that a certain amount OF igno-
rance IS necessary 70 saivation Ihls brings us TO
lowed IN case the iibraries were onen on sunday
Well, II only the Bible and Pilgrims Progress are
allowed tne moraries mignS as wen De kept closed
my already too long letter by stating simple fact
OF my own OBSERVATION. having nysei entel-
or nearing them read. I have noticed that the bet
ter feeling impaired BY the mere act OF reading
extendea isr beyond tne memory OF wnat haa 4een
that the refnfng Effects are due more TO the nro
cess Of reading than to the subject matter itself
am speaking, OF course, IN reference TO nD.aries