The New York herald., 1876-09-23


now forced to recognize the necessity OF
withdrawing great part of their campaign
energies from Indiana and employ them
in struggle to save Ohio. This will oper-
ate like the withdrawal of large part of m
army destined to act against a particular
division of the enemy to protect an exposed
point of greater importance. The Indiana
democrats will be measurably relieved and
their chances of carrying the State be pro-
portionally improved. Our Indiana corre-
spondent, in the letters which we printed
yesterday gave it as his opinion that the
democrats will carry the State by a very con-
siderable majority.
The Sabbath and the He'll Cato Ex-
plosion.
The New York Sabbath Committee has ad-
dressed to General Newton an unnecessary
and, we regret to say, IN lnjudicious noe in
respect to the explosion at He'll Gate on
Sunday. These gentlemen regard the blast
ing of the rocks as if it were like the break
ing of the stone commandments by Moses
when he descended from the Mount They
think that the removal of the distractions
to the harbor on Sunday will be blow to
religion, and give reasons for their opinion
which the common sense of the public will
not accept. 1t is true, as they say, that the
event will attract great crowds of persons to
the vicinity, but it is not true that it will
turn the day into a noisy holiday. General
Newton declares that the explosion will
make little noise, and we think the people
will be quiet. Nor is there any more harm
in great crowd at Hallett's Point on Sun
day than in great crowd at Central Park.
What constitutes violation Of the Sabbath
is in this country to q large extent a
pure matter of personal opinion, and
as no one is compelled to witness this great
triumph of science on Sunday, so no one
has the right to accuse those who choose to
90 of breaking the Sabbath. The other ar
gument, that in other parts of the world
''the fact that Sunday was chosen for the
grand occasion will be understood as in
accordance with the foreign usage, which
makes that gala day, and so will do not q
little to impair the force Of our example as
Sabbath-keeping people," may be dismissed
as pure assumption. Other nations will
understand nothing of the kind, and will
not care at all whether He'll Gate is blown up
on Sunday or Monday. Other nations
will understand that this explosion is q
work of science, not q show, and that it has
no more to do with religion than the rising
of the sun.
1t is always we'll, however, to respect the
prejudices of all respectable classes and if
the explosion could be safely postponed till
Monday the delay would be not improper.
But it ought to be obvious to every one-the
Sabbath Committee not excepted-that the
postponement Of this event would be unsafe.
True, every precaution against premature
explosion has been taken by General New
ton and the experienced engineers who have
aided him, yet the fact remains IL at there is
the explosive agent. 1t is buried under the
narrow river which divides two cities it is
stored in enormous quantities it's powers
of destruction are prodigious. An accident,
the mere falling Of a cartridge, might destroy
hundreds Of lives of workmen, and destroy
vessels passing the scene 1t is not probable
that an accident would occur, but that it is
possible requires that we should not take
even an infinitesimal risk merely because
the Sabbath Committee is afraid Of noisy
crowd or that other nations might suppose
that we store up fifty thousand pounds of
nitro-glycerins to make gala day on Sun
day. General Newton is right when he says
that the appointment of Sunday is a sheer
necessity. The moment the mine is ready
and the arrangements for the safety of the
public are finished the electric spark should
fire the slumbering mass. and when the
rocks nre rended and the water rushes back
to its level all danger will have ended in
that harmless earthquake.
The WEATHER w Westward of New York
the weather is cloudy, rainy or threatening
at nearly all the points of observation. The
low area which caused the easterly wind
and yesterdays rain is moving slowly
over the country toward the Southern
Atlantic States, accompanied by rain
along the northern, eastern and southern
sections of it's rim. In the far northwest
another depression has presented ITSELF fol-
lowing closely behind the first, but has not
yet developed very considerably east of
the .hundredth meridian. The temperature
l.. 4. - ~.