Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-31

| IL in this capacity and substitute rest day. An
inconceyabie host will arise 20 yindicate the COns
tuition of our civil system under the Constitution,
the higher law under the laws, the heritage and
traditions brought down from centuries OF struggle
in the past before these individual States were
dreamed of
Suppose the State should attempt to reduce the
homes within its borders TO civil condition, TO
take out of them, an air pump withdraws the air
out Of a vessel stroke after STANDARDIZATION after
legislation ali the clements activities, and bless cd
ness that have come down INTO them from a higher
source, and have been accommodating and becoming
beautiful during the centuries, deprlVlng them
OF their priyacies sanctities puries, and throwing
them open TO public inspection and control IN all the
details OF domestic life Would not this assault on the
home Constitution under the Constitution, hereditary
and traditional home laws under the laws, which have
come down to us from other ages fire all the patri
otto hearts in the land to common resistance
How is the principle different II the State attempts
10 yacate by exhaustng legislation, Act after Act
the sauctity Of the sabbath 1t exists in civil
system and reduce it 10 the level Of secular holiday
stripped of divine authority, exhausted, limp, worth
less no longer an inspirer oil Vihue-a breeder oil
No, no. The State has more in its charge in
these unwTitten values, these divine moments
that have drifted down into our civil life these
priceless victories and transmissions Of the past
which now made one into the heart and brain
and blood, and born OF muititudes Of people, than
it with its dull, civil eyes, accustomed minds to
usr things inlagines. Let it stop cautiously before
| it leads off in any such novel experiment.
Fifth propostion-lf the State should 20 farther,
and blot out the distinction Of the days before the
| law, it would be revolutionary procedure.
This carries the sacred day and the rest day both.
add this upturns the structure Of civil system
| in the engnery and methods Of It's moral train
ing from the foundations This against the
law Of God, which pronounces the day rest day
/ and holiday against the moral nature u man,
which requires its periodical days inviting % higher
thought a sacred employment against the physical
nature, which must have It's weekly periods Of res;
to withstand the strain of and labor; against
the genius Of the republic, which sprang into exist
ence under the inspiration and helps Of the Sab
bath against the perpetuity q our institutions,
| which need all the quickenng that eau drift
| iGtO them from the day spent by thousands
in the moral oning of the people, against the great
| army OF Christian workers y no are spending their
means energies and lives with combined and inten-
siied effort that day TO make others and them
selves better; against the welfare and happiness of
the citizens generally, who are stimulated TO good
| largely by influences which first start on their
| social 70 ds OF beneiicence from man TO man, on
| and on endless, the Sabbath. II thus
against God, humanity, the republic freedom but
the poor is the greatest sufferer in his secular
| interests In the end 1t compels him TO grind,
| grind, grind in the mill Of labor, with no weekly
| respite of days Capital pinches him to the mini
| mum, and he has no help for it. Sunday is en-
| phaticly the poor mans day. Ii the State takes
| this away from him it hustles him down to the
grave. Ii he helps the State to do it, he hastens
! suicide.
Sunday laws, providing rest day and more or
| less clearly enshrining a sacred day, have marked
| every age OF Chrstendom. We fud them under
Constantine, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, Henry
W. Edward VI, Elizabeth, Charles H.; in the colo
mics o! Massachusetts,, Connecticut, Virginia, GeOr
gia and South Carolina, and IN every State OF the
| Union, even Louisiana making the sabbath rest
| day. Now for State to undertake by statute to
| blot out this day in both its historic characters.
interviewer with all the sympathies and habits of
the people, so intrs Ted into the usages and convic-
\ tons of the disappearing communities as to
| be regarded by best Judges rs part of the
common lava vital interest in public life, bust
| ND and try. IN ni,,tin
the fundamental methods of society this subject
| is to verge the wild experiment of the French
Revolutionists. State must remember that there
some things in IL which the State hiss not made
some things in it which it must recognize certain
pre- existing vitaties certain foreordained elements
Of its uuwritten constitution which it must legisate
around and protect, and no more think of striking
down than the mountains, or the sun, or the throne
of God The Sabbath 4 double rest day and sacred
day is one OF these.
In view of the truth OF these propositions, what IS
the duty Of good people? shall speak now, not in
the interest OF party, but Of society, Christianity
the law of God, to which my office and my convic-
| tions alike consecrate | know the peril to
| which | subject myself with those who sink tn Sc
things in the interests of party; but must speak,
or be false to these higher objects OF which Christ
| has made me guardian.
l. In the first place, all good citizens should rally
for the protection Of the Sabbath in the double
| character in which it comes down to US.
| No present party gain compensate for
the loss of this, no matter if by this
means, auu sweep the state anu
| sweep the country in this and coming elections,
| for a party gain is a superficial, temporary, often
equvocal advantage; and this is revolution, i'm
periling everything Of value in the leading moral
| methods and forces OF our civilization II is not
| question between party and party, but between
country and no country, preservation and destruc-
ton. All party issues vanish before supreme facts
, Again, they should insist on having men to
| vote for and voting for men who will be true to
| the genius of our civil system on this question
They cannot afford to run risks. That would be
| like putting man in command at the front whose
| loyalty is doubtful
| s. They should see through and puneture all the
sophstres by which the enemies OF the Sabbath try
TO get advantage. 1t is eaid, what is the OF
having Sunday law if it is not enforced We have
| had one for years. This year effort made,
generally through the State, to enforce it, and
rarely could a conviction be secured. The law was
clear, the evidence complete and jury after jury
| OF persons who had held respectable posi-
| tons came in with verdict of not guilty What
is the Of having such law on the statute books!
Repeal it. 1t is worthless. No, no; not
| Nine citizens out of tsn, probably, now
keep the law because it is law. Repeal
| it, ard perhaps six of the nine having
no religious scruples on the subject and being
influenced by the interconneCtion OF industries and
the example of others, would open their places of
business, inficting great business loss and ncon-
venience on the other three, whose convictions
would not permit them to do it. The present law,
unenforced it is, when it into the slipper
Of the Courts, is yet q salutary law. 1t con-
trolls the good, law-abiding citizens, and prevents
society from putting on steam hosting the gates
/ throwing open the ware-rooms and dragging itself
weary and exhausted from its six DAYS toll into the
| din and clatter and drudgery Of mammon again on
| the Sabbath. 1t only fails in Furnishing the law
| breaker. And this is not the only law whom the
guilty often escape. Will yourepeal the law against
murder because murderers escape; against extor-
tion because eXtortiOners escape; again fraud, be-
cause those who have committed fraud, escape? 1t
is said, Law is for law breakers" Only in part
and in small part; it is for the training and guild
ance Of the law-abiding; much more-law is educa-
| tional and preventive, as well primitive. | re-
member the same thing said about the repeal Of
the law prohibiting the opening of places OF amuse
| ment on Sundays IN Governor Haight's administra
ton. class of people regularly violated that law
in the cities 1t Is useless it said; repeal it. 1t
| was done The result was great increase in Sab
bath dissertation in that direction, by parties that
would never have thought of doing it if it had been
against the law Be not deceived by any such asser-
| tons in this case.
| Neither be led astray by the pretense that the
Sunday laws as they now exist interfere with the
natural rights of any one. They impose religious
obligation. They leave every one free to practice
| his religion, or no religion. They lay no bur-
| dens any mans conscience. They aimed
| simply at the greatest public good They are
| thoroughly republican and democratic.
| To you, felow-citizens OF California, is intrusted
the custody Of the spirit and genius of our instiu
tions well the adjustment of superficial egisla-
ton You have the care OF the unwritten things Of
civilization the deep springs and sources OF our
| civil system. Carry them softly. Move among
them gently, as one who travels on sacred ground
with the angels looking and God as Judge And
raise the voice of warning, shake the hand of eau
ton and remonstance to restrain those who would
rush in blindy and make havoc among them and
finally settle the matter, once for all, by reaching
cut in the fingers that symbol of ultimate soyer-
| but as effectively a discharge of artillery, and
| drop it for the preservation of the Sabbath.
| HUssARs' PICNIC.-The Hussars' picnic at