The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-05-01
Shah the Sabbath be Maintained.

stItution oil the SabDath, anu 10 prostitute
the day to the service Of the deyOtees Of
pleasure, to buying, selling, and getting
gain, just as on other days Of the week.
They have no respect for the divine COM
mand-"R Remember the Sabbath day to
keep ii holy Wherever there are laws
TO enforce the due observance Of the Sab
bath, they band themselves together 20
make those laws odious. In New Orleans,
st. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and some
other cities, the ADti-Sabbatarians have
things all their own way, and very little
moro respect is paid to the day than to any
other day of the week. These results have
been brought about by an influx Of for
oigners who are congregated there in sufi-
eient numbers to give them the mastery,
through the timidity aud timS.serving pol
icy Of those who fear to incur their dis
pleasure or provoke their political OppO-
sition. They combine, according to their
different nationalities, and offer a standing
menace to those who do not sanction their
peculiar views. They are offered asylum
in this country aud placed upon terms Of
equality with our own native born citizens;
they should, therefore, respect our iustitu
tions aud obey our laws. They should
merge their own nationality into Ameri
canism, as far as practicable, and not at
tempt to change American customs, laws
and institutions to suit themselves, When
the Know Nothing organization threatened
their rights and privileges in this country
a few years ago, it aroused a strong feel
ing in defence Of civil and religious free
dom, which were assailed through the blow
aimed at them. But their conduct now
is doing more to arouse that opposition
afresh, than all other causes combined.
Everybody saw what was done in Balti-
more, against the Sabbath law last year;
how it was attempted to render the law
odious by rigidly enforcing it SO as to in
terfere even with the necessary privileges
and with the moral and religious enter
prises and practices Of the citizens. The
power Of legislation was invoked to change
or repeal the law, through petitions nu-
mcrously signed, but whose every name
betrayed their Teutonic origin. While
respectfully received, these petitions we're
consigned to the oblivion Of the committee
rooms. Maryland is not yet ready to
abolish the Sabbath at the bidding Of Eu-
ropean ''liberalism, to call it by DO harsh
err name. And now, what is going on in
Louisville, KY, and in Newark, n. J.
Tho same system of tactics. The beer
sellers of Newark are forbidden by the
statutes Of New Jersey to pursue their
vocation on Sunday. Accordingly they
last year prosecuted with great yigor all
violations Of the Sunday law and deprived
church-going people Of their Sunday horse
cars, aud stay-at-home people of their Sun
day newspapers. In Louisville, KY, they
have gone beyond this. The Legislature
of Kentucky has passed an act, which /,
construed as those who would make the
law odious, would have it, not only pro
hibits all traffic on Sunday but forbids any
person u do any work for hire on that
day The copstabulary Of Louisville
whether set on or not by the beer-sellsrs
Of Louisville does not appear-are dill
gently engaged in enforcing this law ac-
eording to its literal construction. Not
only have they raided the newspaper Offices
and prevented wnyariDg men from hiring
carriages, but they have actually invaded
a church and reported for indictment the
sexton and the organist 1t does not APP
pear why they neglected the further duty
Of arresting the preacher. DR.. Stuart
Robinson-for it was the church Of that
eminent Presbyterian divine that was 10
vaded--is presumably paid for his services
as well as the sexton or the organist, aud
conducting service and preaching is as
clearly working on Sunday as binding seats
for strangers or performing voluntaries.
The magistrates who have instituted these
monstrous proceedings, by emitting to take
tho same course with clergyman that
they have taken with the other paid Off
GERS Of the church, have deprived them
selves Of the only pretext on which they
could defead their actiou-that they were
enforcing the law without fear or favor.
Il il not time for aoEalisis, aud citizens
whe would preserve the Sabbath from des-
eeraiisn and maintain our lava inriolate,
20 organize against those who would lay
their inldeI hands on all that is sacred and
resered by the friends of the Sabbath
who believe that the day WAS sat apart by
God himself Cor bis own glory and for
mmi's benefit, and that man is not at lib-
erty to set it at naught or to disregard his
injuneiion to keep it holy.
a. m