The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-11

M
tiry sufferers may receive civil dam
ages Tor the consequences OF an alien
atom oil the affection SO sustained.
The present Sabbath laws are about
all that are left OF the blue laws which
at one time burned witches and at
tempted to make all mtn conform to
one moral and religious standard, and
the Sabbath laws are enforced with
extreme laxity and will probably be
| ultimately repealed as not in accord
| with the genus OF our constitution,
which, harboring those OF every rel'g-
ion a0d denomina ion, guarantees
equal liberty to all, but denies the
Jew, the Adventist and Seventh Day
Baptist equal religious rights with The
Protestant Christian, iGa'much as
while he hss the right 10 observe bis
own Sabbath it compels en- observance
OF the Christian Sabbath also. AS q
measure OF self defense prohibition
may or may not obtain, but why 1t
should be claimed as d stinct|y re-
liglous M easure any more than laws
against murder, theft or arson | cat
not conceive. have been an
advocate of total abstin nee for
years Though by no means
cow need of the practicability CT pro-
hibit'on) aod have ct all times held
that the Introduction OF prayers and
other religious ceremonies i0to tbs
exercises of all temperance societies
obslructed tber progress by naturally
excluding the Jew, the Roman CathO-
lie and sll not in accord with Protest
ant Christianity, but your average
PfohibitiDnist cannot be brought to
believe that the cause can possibly
succeed exc apt by the sid OF his r1lig
ion. The Issue, one Of the leadiI
prohibition papers Of the c1untr,
published at Ma hyille, recently pub.
lished the following gratu t1us insult;
1T is not reasonable 20 expect that
an in6dsl, or free thinker, or dunk-
ard, or mora stiaddier hes the inc J.
nation or honest spirit in him to shape
public policy that 1t be made to give
the lie to the principles underlying
his moral conduct and daily wa k "
To the faratcal editrr the free.
thinker, druoksid aud moral st adder
are synonymous and interchaDgesb
terms. / wrote the editor en- article,
in viii h | tried to convince him TIA
such language was deroRatJry to the
cause he was trying 10 aid; told hin
that the Boston Investigator, Truth |
Seeker, Iader aud her leading fr, Q
thought journals had had exhaustive
articles pro and con ia their pages dis
custing this grave question; that there
is no more division among leading |
liberals than among leading church
m'n on the subject; that, Indeed, to
zee in the cIlumns OF his paper the
cons ant references, week after week,
to the rum drinking and rum soaked
deacoDP, that the ohurchman was the
great oDstructionist; and concluded
by telling him what was possibly an
unpalatabls fact, ss follows:
Having made the arquaiDta
OF many prominent temperance
workers in eeveral States, | am
in position TO state without disclosl
ingn ames "a; four noble women, all
Of them in the active s rVice of the
Women'a Cniislisn Temp rance Ia
ion, and who have done inCalculab'e
good, are infidels and agnc sites; and
others ara, TO say the least, OF well
known hetefodox tendencies These
four are obliged, because OF toe far attic
liliberSlity OF the movement, to act the
hypocrile to the extent OF preserving
a discreet silence on religious topics,
and requesting the ever pres snt p3s,cr
to lead in prayer or pronbunce the
be,nediction, aud they justify this ON
the giounditAst o them the tempr
ance cause ia paramount, and were
their real relig GUS opinions to be pub
icly known tueir usefulness would be
Toe edi or, as exp cted,
lid not publish this iette r, but in
lew weeks he iepublished the came
| complained of. In dis
,ussing this pers sttnt attempt to COM
pine religion with prohibition with
and b sral pastor of this
,ity (who agrees with me in the b
lief that it is hampering the
'auss) come months age, he stated
hat he should withdraw from any
cooperation with the party las party
= ilst he sh Juld continue t. advJctti
until this policy was
For my part, though my
poor sup ort would be OF little value
% any pa ty, SIN of the same mi, d
,.nce it IS AZ pa'ert that they have no
dea Of stonpiOg AZ prohibition OF the
iqu1r traffic, but, joining hands with
he Goi-in-the Constitution parly,will
never be content with less than a COM
Dlete uuion of Church ard State and
enforced Christian Ssbbath obserg-
ance, at least t. the abstinence from
Ill amusem ent en- that day. One OF
he lssding lights in this city pre-
,laimed from his pulpit some time ago
hat at is tue duty Of the Church to
lssis, the State in The enforcement of
he lava"
Their eddrss es have always BIT er
illusions to the prepcnderance OF ior-
,ign salo u keepers, particularly Ger
nan and Irish, and from the tenor OF
such remerks, il Ia slpposable ard
that had they the power they
w uld return to Knownotningism to
he extent OF excluding these races
rom immigration. The APPEAL in
loises history when 1t says, "A rellg'
GUS Issue is subversiva Of ire edom
lud leads to despotism." Y1urs. etc.
REF0RMER.