St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-08-06

10 ISStSU Juc WlnJeE SAFE
ly, and Il heavy crop will be the result
ii American Agricultural.
a Strong Plea for the Sabbath
Editor Smith in the Chronicle
Mans nature cries out for it
Laws guarding the purity and peace OF
the family, prohibiting the sale Of
splrituOus liquors to be used as a bev-
erage, and cOndemning the circulation
OF obscene pictures and literature, are
enacted III the interests of his moral
nature. On the same grounds the state
should protect every man in his right
to weekly sabbath. Not only reve-
iatiOn, but all history and human ex-
| perience, af1irms mans need of week
! ~ sabbath. His whole complex being
demands it. The uniform testimony of
! the ablest physicians and mOraiists
goes to establish this fact. 1t is, there
fore, the plain duty of government to
provide by suitable laws to secure, as
far as it is possible by law, to every
community and every individual a
weekly sabbath as day for rest, and
for moral and spiritual cultivation, on
the broad grounds of human necessity
and individual right. Especially in the
! interests of the hard working classes
| those who are wearied with the CON
! tinuOus physical or mental toll of six
successive days-should the state in
terpOse to prevent the greed of cOrpO-
TatiOns, or the eXactiOnS of luxury,
from forcing or tempting the poor Ia
bOrer to surrender his divine right to
the weekly day for rest and for the i'm
prOVement of his intellectual and NOR
al nature. Many poor and unthink-
ing man may be tempted to sell, for a
mess of pOttage, offered him by soul
less corporation, his birthright to a
weekly sabbath but alas for the la
boring class i'll any country where the
demands of business and pleasure are
suffered to blot out this divine safe
guard to human health, happiness and
moral improvement.
We defend the right and the duty of
the state to pass laws restraining rail-
road corporations from running Sun
day trains for other causes than those
that can clearly be defended on the
grounds of necessity or mercy, because
by so doing they plainly threaten to
make a weekly sabbath impossible to Il
large number of citizens and thus inn
peril God given right to men and to
society At the present day there are
no other corporations that are doing so
much to undermine the sabbath and
deprive the labOring man of his needed
rest and opportunity for social, mental
and moral culture, as railroad corpora
tons. They WELD a greater amount
of capital and political influence and
employ larger number of laborers
than any other corporations. They
! touch the public at more points than
any other corporations, entering al
most every town and village of any
size, and have it in their power to in
| terfere with the sabbath rest of more
individuals than have any other cor
pOrations. They can set wider pub
lie example of Sunday labor, draw
more individuals into completely with
it, and disturb more seriously the as
semblieS of those who wish to use the
day for the worship of God than any
other corporations. They furnish ia
cilities, inducements and temptations
to more persons to use the sabbath as
day for business, pleasure and travel
than do any other corporations. 1t
becomes, then, the bounden duty of
every state to pass such laws as will
save, to the labOring man especially,
and to every citizen, his weekly day of
rest, and make it possible for all class
es to reap the social, intellectual and
spiritual profit which the day is de-
signed to give. The sabbath, as given
by God and demanded by mans ma
ture, is too precious an institution, too
intimately connected with the progress
of the race toward more perfect state,
for legislatures to sit idly by and see it
trampled upon by any corporations.
! None too soon can the Legislature OF
any state guard the sabbath, and the
rights of its citizens to the peaceful
enjoyment of the day, by reducing to
the minimum all running of Sunday
| trains, under heavy penalties. 1t
should establish by law every mans
right not simply to Il conventional sab
bath, but to the sabbath, which has its
| foundations laid in every mans being
and which God has made every mans
own.
| SUNDAY laws may also properly take
shape not only from the fact of each
mans right TO the sabbath as u day oil
rest, but also from the fact that large
part of the citizens of this country be-
! lieve in the day as sacred, rs set apart
by divine authority for the reVerent
| worship OF Almighty OOu. IHcy Seeh
to use it in accordance with its legiti-
mate intent-as day for the cultiVa-
ton of their minds and hearts i'll a
knowledge of divine truth and for the
public worship of God. In doing this
they have a right to be protected from
all unnecessary disturbance. 1t is toi
the public interest to encourage such IA
use of the day. 1t helps to make 1t
one of real and healthful rest to body
mind and spirit. 1t tends to promote
intelligence, good morals, purer and
happier family life, genuine reVer-
ence for God, and to fit men for bet,
ter discharge of all their duties as gooc
citizens. The blessed influences of &
weekly sabbath on individuals and so
ciety in the past has been such tina
the law making power cannot sa'elN
allow this institution to be destroyed
and society to suffer the loss OF III
healing and sanctifying power.
A Slave Gang on the Congo.
There are rows upon rows OF uar'
.l-.1naSS ralieVe1 here and there 10