The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-08-04
CORRESPONDENCE.

| SONNGoTONOe
Editor Of The Grange Advance:
Please give place in your paper to a
few thoughts relative to the doings in
our city, on Sabbath, the 25th inst.
noticed that, Notwithstanding it was the
Sabbath, and there is law forbiding sa-
looms being opened and also forbidding
the sale of Intoxicating liquors, still
many of the saloons were open, and
men and boys were to be seen stagger-
ing through the streets, and religious
service, in different ways, was dis
turbed by this bold, high handed desc
Grafton of the Christian Sabbath. Is
this as it should be? Is it right in a
civilized Christian community that law
and order should thus be trampled un-
der foot? Are the city officers dis
charging their duty as the faithful
guardians of the law, and of public
trust? Are these public open VIOLA
tions of law and order to be repeat
ed Sabbath after Sabbath? ? and must
those Of our citizens who are anxious
that our Sabbath laws should be- en-
forced and respected, sit still and with
folded hands tamely and humbly SUBJ
NIT to these violations of law and this
desecration of the Sabbath day? Not
many months since the ladies of our
city presented an earnest and respect
full petition to our City Council, that
the saloons should be closed at IL certain
hour on Saturday night, and that the
Sabbath law regulating the sale of in
toxicating drinks be enforced, in that
the saloons be closed on the Sabbath.
How has that petition been treated
The request was made in kindness, and
for the public good. The merchant
closes his store, and the mechanic his
shop on Saturday evening, at from eight
to ten o'clock, and they remain closed
over the Sabbath, and is it unreasona-
BILE to request and expect that the sa-
looms will do the same? Is not six
days record from Hotel De Kay enough
for one week does not the wife
and children Of the inebriate suffer
enough in six days in the week? ought
they not to have the Sabbath for rest ?
l think if the officers of our city, and
our citizens could look in on all the mis-
cry caused by intemperance in our
midst, they would recoil in horror fro IN
the sight, and all would resolve that for
the Sabbath, at least, these things
should cease. The friends Of Christian
ity and temperance make no unreasona-
BILE or irrational request. Intemperance
is tearing its way to the very vitals of
thousands of the inhabitants of our
country, and temperance men are band
ing themselves together in ties of BROTH
erhood, pledged to do all in their power
to lift up brother man who may
chance to be so unfortunate as to have
the accursed soul-destroying appetite
for intoxicating drinks fastened on him,
and to stay the demon Alcohol who is
stalking rampant through our land,
sending thousands upon thousands of
our fellow citizens to untimely graves,
and leaving widows and orphans in mis-
cry and poverty. o that men would sit
down in honesty of purpose, and look
over the records of crime. in the period
icals' they receive and read day after
day, and try in candor as they see that
the cause of nine tenths of the crime
committed in our country can be traced
directly to intemperance, to estimate in
figures or thought the cost in misery to
our nation, Of the sale of Intoxicating
drinks. [ believe if men would do this,
that there would be such an ingathering
Of volunteers for the temperance army
as was never witnessed before in the
land of liberty and right. Men and
women of Red Wing, will you sit down
and carefully think these things over?
City Council, officers and police force,