Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-02-21
SUNDAY REST

IHCIc are TWO SOllu grounds on which
Sunday laws rest: one, the right of the
prevailing religion OF the country (be 1t
Jewish, Christian. or Pagan to have its day
OF worship free from disturbance: and the
other, the right OF every man to an equal
share i'll Il restday from toll.
As regards the first. if this country were
Il Jewish country the Jewish worship on
Saturday should be peculiarly protected
from molcstation. fit were Mohammedan
country. the Friday should be in like man.
ner protected. This simple common sense
applied TO things as they are, and no action
of doctrinairc theory. Where there is n
conflict Of sacred days, as among Jew
Christian, and NIohammedan. all cannot be
protected and hence the majority must
determine the question. This certainly dis
tlngulsheS the sacred day. but docs no harm
10 those who do not count it sacred. 1t
only obliges them to be courteous The
inequality in the matter is only such as in
some things must obtain among the freest
people.
As regards the second ground physiolo-
@ists, physicians. statisticians. and sensible
observers in general. have agreed that mans
body and mind need n complete rest at an
interval OF about seven days But man will
not take that rest from labor unless he is
obliged by law TO do so. His greed for gain
will make him ruin health in his own case.
or worse still make him force his en-.
ployces TO ruin theirs by continuous work.
The law. therefore. must make and enforce
rcst-day. But what day shall it take? Again:
common sense says, '"Iakc the day which the
mass Of the community, from religious rea-
sons, already regard as Il rcst-day" So the
civil law. providing for mems physical
wcll-bcng, appoints and cnforces rest-day
from labor, which is the same day on which
the great Christian community worship
and i'll which the same law, for other rea-
Suns, protects them in worship.
There is the whole Of the Sunday cues
ton is nutshell There is no compelling
men 10 he religious, no supporting Il state
church. 10 puritanical bue-law. The Jew.
or Mohammedan, or Pagan simply must not
make u boistcrous demonstration. such as a
noisy parade, on Sunday. Why? Because
the vast majority Of the people sec fit to
worship OH that day. The Jew, or NIoham-
mcdan, or Pagan must not keep open shop
that day. Why? Because the people have
decrccd rcst-day from labor once week
to help humanity, and that is the day.
The only objection that has any color in
ii is that the Jew then must keep two rest
days in the week, and hence is at disad-
vantage with his ncighbor. Well, as we
have already said, in the most equal admin
istrations, there must. i'll the nature of
things, lie some inequality. Laws, for cx-
ample. require Il notice Of danger" to be
put up in dangerous places III the city: but
nj nc
The laws are unequal to the blind man.
They have to be. so here the Jews con-
science tells him to keep from working Sat
urtiay The law tells him to keep from
working Sunday. 1t is Il pity but it cam
not hc helped. The other alternative would
be no rest-day, and that would be de-
structivc 10 the whole community. We
must ali bear some burdens for the public
good
Our American liberties are largely con-
nected with the weekly day Of rest This
day has given the people time to think,
and read. and enjoy family life, and without
it we should have become an ignorant bru-
tish, machine people, like the low peasantry
of Continental Europe. Take away this
| rcst.day, and YOU undermine our high NOR
al and educational condition as u people.
| You turn us into Il nation of mere work
les" The cry OF religious oppression, as
against Sunday observance, is u device OF
the enemy. Ii is but the voice of soulless
corporations, and oftbe proprietors of drink
| ing-saloons and other demoralizing places.
who wish to make their great gains on Sun
day, and care nothing for the welfare and
happiness Of the people. They are the op-
prcssors, and the advocates of day of rest
arc the stanch supporters ofa true freedom
America has three bulwarks of liberty-a
free ballot. Il free school and free Sunday
and neither domestic treachery nor foreign
impudence should be permitted to break
them down.-Ccntpty for March,