The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1886-02-11
Sunday Laws.

lanl They are of foreign growth
and are = dangerous importation.
Nnthing has our great Republic SO
much to fear IN day as the transfer
ence uf continental Sabbath to our
shores. When that IL done our so
cial and political fabric will topple
tn it's ruin. Not for the lHrpcse Of
controversy, hut to give your read
ers the American and moral side Of
this question, / offer you these
thoughts.
Anti Puritan's whole article pro.
ceeds upon common error-that
Sunday laws are to protect or com
PED religious worship. That is q
popular but radical misconccption of
their sphere and purpose. Sunday
is a cirH day. With its religious
observance, the laws can have moth
ing to do. A failure to make this
distinction leads to a hopeless and
helpless confusion of ideas. SO
against the enforcement Of Sunday
laws we hear the cries of puritan
ISM. religious persecution! and
"apridging the rights of con
science! But they are born of ig-
norance. Sunday is subjected to
statutory regulations only for the
great moral and industrial end of
society. Not to make men religious
not to compel attendance upon
any church service-n0t to com
mand the adoption Of any particular
crced-not to force any one to spend
the day in saying prayers and sing
ing psalms-but to conserve the
civil interest of governmcnt-its
moral, commercial, social and in
dustrial welfare.
The necessity for a Sabbath is
founded in the very constitution of
a mans nature. His physical life
demands it. Its continued violation
will greatly shorten human exis-
tcnce. This is also true of society
and government. France tried the
experiment of abolishing the Sab
bath and inaugurated the ''rcign OF
terror" which drenched the land in
blood. DeTocgue,ille said to an
American on one occasion, "France
must have your Sabbath or she is
ruined" The testimony of Other
eminent writers on this point nigh,
he valuable. DR.. Adam Smith, the
great political. economist, said
The Sabbath as political institu
tion is of inestimablc value. indie
pendently Of its claims to Divine
authority" The late Benjamin
D'Israelli Earl of BeaconsfielD, o
Hebrew origin and sympathies, said
II hold it (the Sabbath) to be thu
most valuable blessing ever conced
cd to man. 1t is the corner stone Of
ciUilizotiOn and IT'S fracture nigh
even affect the health of the PEG
pie" Rt Hon. VIM. f. Gladstone
the present Premier OF England
once sail From a moral, socia
and physical point of view, the
observance of Sunday is duty Of
absolute consequence.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great
American philosopher, said "The
Sunday is the core Of oar ciril,za
hon."
The Hon. Thos. F. Bavard, Score.
tary of State, in Mr.. Clcveand's
Cabinet. once said in a public adj.
dress II most sincerely approve
of the civil institution of the Sab
bath. l heartily desire to see its oh,
servance under statute law, and the
stronger laws of habitual and uni,
versal custom and popular acquies
ence." Bishop in his works on
criminal law says 1T is a mis-
take to suppose that Sabbath keep
ing is thing merely of religious OBJ
servance. 1t is the corner stone of
public morality and happiness,
viewed merely as civil regulation;
its observance contributes to the
public rcpose, health, morals and
convenience, as well as religion"
And so these utterances might be
multiplied an hundred fold from
law writer's, statesmen, political
economists, educators and dirines
"Anti-Puritan" boldly asserts
that Sunday laws are unconstitu,
tional and promised to prove it, but
we failed to discover single argu-
ment or authority in support Of the
statement. II is rather a bold de-
claration in face of the fact that
Louisiana is the one exception of