The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-11-03

Princess nag, a salute Was nreu iToin ID ""'
terry on Punchbowl.
The LIBERTY of the subject is a matter of the
highest consideration, which may be said to
transcend all other questions, and even religion
itself must yield due Difference to the grand
principle of human freedom. The Lord of the
world gave unto man free will, and left him at
liberty to elect between good and evil. Reli-
gion, which inculcates the due respect of the
Deity, has no right to arrogate to itself the
pretension to make men good against their own
will much less has religion a right to expect
| the secular arm Of the law to enforce the Ordi-
nances of religion, except in so far as the body
polite in question freely elects to uphold those
ordinances. Thus, the due observance of the
Lords day is an ordinance of religion based
upon the command itself of God. But the OBJ
servance of this ordinance depends entirely
in our opinion upon the free will of those who
voluntarily submit to the requirements of re-
ligiOn. We hold that no body polite on earth
has a right. for instance. to force any people
against their own will to attend church or per-
form any single act of religion on the Lords
day. Their religious devotions on that day
entirely depend on their own free will and con-
science, rs the Lord of that day himself declar-
! ed,-.The Sabbath is made for man, not man
for the Sabbath At most. we hold that
where a community are SO religiously inclined
generally, that the majority agree to respect
the Lords day by a particular o0servance,-as
religion itself prescribes, by going to church and
abstaining from ali unnecessary serVile works
then, we think that the secular arm of the law
is justified in providing that the due observance
of the Lords day by the large majority of the
people shall not be disturbed by a minority. In
many countries, where the majority of the peo-
pie profess a form of christianity which takes
it's own peculiar view of the observance of the
Sabbath, even the " good people, will go to a SOL
emn service in the forenoon, and about 4 p. m.
they are to be found enjoying the excitement of
a brutal bull-fght, while later at 8 p. IN. they
may be seen gloating over the questionable poses
of a batch of theatrical ballet dancers and, in
fine, at 11:30 p. IN. they are probably discussing
a bacchanalian supper prior to i~ndulging in a
midnight fandango-as a finale to the enjoy
ments of the Sunday. Their mode of keeping
the Lords day does not at all suit the ideas of
sober Protestants nevertheless, in their case,
the secular law does not interfere to enforce q
different observance of the day, because they
form tue majority of the community, and the
framing of the laws depends upon their will.
Thus, the freedom of the subject takes precedence
of the ordinances of religion respecting the Sc
cular laws on due observance of the Lords's day.
In these islands, the majority of the people
happily possess a form of christianity which at
taches especial Importance to the due observance
of the Sabbath. This is undoubtedly a great
IIz.- IL.k. 49, r Il CT
bath brings a moral blight on every land where it
is p~racticed; and on the other hand, Sabbath
observance is one of the best proofs of the moral
health Of a people, and meets with its due reward
of temporal prosperity and happiness.
But, with all due respect for the Sabbath,
(Which we regard as a priceless boon to human
ity) it is often very difficult to determine, legisla-
torially, what should be considered as legal often
cs against the proper observance of the day.
The secular law which ~enforces in any particular
country a certain respect for the Sabbath should
be framed in conformity with the will of the
majority of the people. In fact, its existence at
all depends upon their will. 1t may be swept
away completely from the statute books of the
nation, if such be the will of the majority of the
people, or it may be practically ignored. Reli-
gion itself has no right to dictate the terms of the
secular Sabbath law. Religion can only hope
and strive by its teaching that its votaries will
frame q suitable secular Sabbath law.
To come to the point of our remarks, it seems
that the Sabbath law of this Hawaiian kingdom
may be almost forced to do the Objectionable and
repugnant duty of a penal enactment. Rational
recreation is certainly no sin on Sunday but
m Iow Dokoa II n Oanal Offenca In n mivad
community, where all are not Pharsees, a phar-
isaical observance of Sunday is out of the ques-
ton. Here, are to be found members Of all chris
tian denominations, besides jews and gentlIes-
with perhaps a sprinkling of non-religionists. 1t
is plain that no Pharisaical Sabbath law is suita-
BILE in this society. A due observance Of the Sab
bath is quite right,-all allow-but really our
own Sabbath law is considered by many to be too
pharisaieal. or even may be SO interpreted as to
appear one-sided and partial. Our ministers and
deacons ride to church without scruple, (our
Bishops e~xcepted) and the law does not arrest
them for Harvesting horses on the Sabbath day
AN unnecessary servile work, some think. Both
the ministers and their aocks like nice hot din
ners Oh the Sunday afternoon, which are often
cooked by a gentle Chinaman-also an unneces-
sary servile work-besides the scandal to an un-
belieyer-on the Sabbath according to many
pharisaical Sabbath-keepers. Now those who
drive to church and eat hot dinners on Sunday.
should really make concessions to other people,
who think that it is no harm on Sunday to take
a drive to the Pail or Waikiki or a trip on the
Robbie to Eve, as q rational and sinless amnse-
ment. We hear, by the way, that the owner of
the Robbie has been mulcted for his trip outside
the harbor on Sunday last. 1.-THE master of the
Robbie had no other object than simply an excur-
sion for the convenience of those who think that
a r~ecreatiye pleasure trip does not desecrate the
Sabbath, or enables them to pass the day Of rest
pleasantly without einfulness, (for they may have
no religion at ally We must frankly avow, that
with all due respect for the Sabbath. We do not
think that the secular arm of the law is justified