The Hawaiian gazette., 1877-12-05
Our Sunday Laws.

In the Gazette of Nov 2lst, we took occa-
sion to lay down what we considered certain
sound general principles and rules concerning
Sunday Observances and Sunday legislation.
In accordance with the promise then made. we
will next proceed to examine the laws on the
subject now standing ON our statute book, and
inquire how far the same conform thereto, and
what alteration, if any, would be desirable
and expedient In the article in our last
weeks issue, just referred to, we tool, occa-
sion to say: "Among the matters OF order,
propriety and external morals Of which the
constitutional law making power may pro-
"perly take cognizance, and for the enforce
ment of which it may provide by the impo-
sition of suitable penalties, is the orderly
observance as a distinctively religious holi
day, OF the first day of the week commonly
called Sunday" We also said When
ever the great preponderating majority of
any community are agreed in recognizing
the Christian Sabbath as an institution of
divine origin, they have a perfect right to
embody that belief in their legislation, by
declaring the day legal holiday, and for
bidding thereon such ordinary secular busi-
ness and amusements as would interfere
with the due and orderly observance of the
day, in accordance with the conscientious
convictions of that majority"
Now, we think, no well informed and can
did person can deny that the " great prepond-
Grating majority" of the people of this King
dom are "agreed in recognizing the Christian
Sabbath an institution of divine origin"
and that the constitutional law making
power" has embodied that belief in their
legislation" The fact ought to be distinctly
understood and insisted upon that the great
majority of the Inhabitants of this country
believe in the Christian Sabbath, and desire
to have the day recognized as such and its due
and orderly observance, provided for by law
We feel it necessary to dwell somewhat on
this point for the reason that it it vital one
in this discussion and because it is moreover
one that has been, and still is, constantly
misrepEesented. How wisely the majority
may have acted in the measures they have
adopted for carrying out their belief and what
faults and imperfections of detail there may
be IN the present law. is matter we will dis
cuss by and by. What we are now calling
attention to is the fact that it is the Sabba-
tarians and not their opponents who are the
majority in this country, and that under
constitutional government, such as we here
enjoy, the majority of the people rule.
When we speak Of the people, we mean, of
course, the whole voting population, rich and
poor, high and low, native and foreign. Hav-
ing bestowed equal political rights on all
classes without conditions of race, color or
religious belief, it is now too late to claim
that the opinions and wishes of any one class
OF the community, however white they NAV
be IN color, or however intelligent and liberal
they may consider themselves in sentiment,
can be allowed to outweigh the honest con-
victions of the rest of their fellow citizens. 1t
Is of course very easy for the minority to saw
that the majority is an ignorant and bigoted
one, that they are narrow-minded, preiudiced
and under bad influences, that they are behind
the times, opposed to the spirit of the age, and
that their ideas and opinions are entitled to no
weight. Minorities are apt to say such things
about maiorities, and to claim that their case
is one of intelligence, light liberty, and all
that sort of thing against mere weight of
Ignorance and numbers, and this is the role
which the minority on this question has con-
stantly played and is still playing. 1t is in
the name of " the people" that we are asked
to abolish our Sunday laws; "the people
have grievance" says one writer, etc., etc,