The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-07-23
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the
statements made, opinions expressed by our
CORES ondents,


correspondents,
Mr.. EDITOR: 1t has been with much
pain and surprise that l have read your
utterances in yesterdays issue of your
paper, conserving Seventh-Day Advent
lists and the Sunday law. Such express
sions are in perfect accord with the
spirit that actuated the deeds of horror
and Suffering during the dark ages,
but are not such as we would expect
from an editor of popular paper, living
in the nineteenth century; especially
one who claims to be Christian.
You say, "Let him (the Adventist)
take the enforced rest of the present
Sabbath as little bit of suffering for
conscience sake" [ had supposed, and
conscience sake" were in the past, but
it seems that you would have the "suf-
fering" system revived. Then you say
it is ''foOlish" for anyone to observe the
seventh day as the Sabbath Can it be
that you mean what you say? Is it
''foolish" to keep the law OF God, as re-
vealed to us in His Holy word? Are
you not aware that God has said, ''The
seventh day mot the first is the Sab
bath of the Lord thy God, in it thou
shalt not do any work" Tx. 20 :8-11.
For an infidel to claim that it is foolish"
to keep the commandments of God
would not be a matter of surprise, but
for a Christian editor to brand as a
foolish Eccentric" ''petty band of
misguided relgionists, those who see
fit to differ from him in religious views,
and think that God means what he says,
and choose to obey him-is matter of
surprise that [ cannot find words to ex
press You say we are "misguided."
Can you show wherein we are mis-
guided? The theory you advocate is a
very pleasant one for the thief, the MUIR
der and adulterer. If it is ''fOolish" to
keep Gods law, then it must be wise to
break it. If those who keep it are mis-
guided, then those who transgress are
guided in the right way. If this rule
will apply to one command, why not to
all the rest? In taking this position, you
have not only arrayed yourself against
the Adventists and the law of God, but
also against the Golden Rule and every
principle of justice.
You are perfectly willing that law
should exist that deprives us of one
sixth of our time, that is granted us
alike by God and Nature. To deprive
our families of one-siXth of their support
that we should "suffer for conscience
sake" by your enforcing" us by ''civil
laws to pay tax to Moloch of sixteen
and two-thirds per cent. of our entire
time.
You say no one will hinder us from
keeping Saturday, but we should be
enforced to keep Sunday, 10y "civil |
laws" and yet you claim that that is !
religious federation"
to some heather land. They have their |
false gods; you worship the true. Let |
US suppose further, that the heathens |
are SO bigoted as to enforce" the "civil |
laws" the worship of some one of their
chief gods upon all the people. You
object on the ground that your con-
science requires you to worship the true
God alone. They would reply, if you
are ''fOolish enough" to worship the God
you do, cit is no body's business" but
your own" but you must naturally
expect that your eccentric conviction
will entail upon you a certain amount of
inconvenience. ''No one will hinder
you" from, worshiping your God, but
''surely you cannot consider yourself
morally bound to refrain from worship
ing ours" you must take the en-
forced worship of our god as little bit
OF suffering for conscience sake" at
will fortify your faith" Then we could
imagine the big heather continuing
something like this: cit is hardly rea-
sonable to expect the country to modify
its civil laws and observances in order
to obviate the inconvenience in which
religious views might other
wise involve him"
The Government has no right to legis-
ate in the interest of any sect whatever.
s You are nothing but petty band of
religionists'' any way. We
propose to enforce you, not only to wor-
ship our god, but we propose to have
you show him as much honor as you do
,our own, and spend the same time in
lis worship. How would you fancy that
lind of position?
Would it 9 fOrtify your faith ?'
But do you say it makes difference
whose OK is gored? Perhaps it does.
n fact that is just the trouble The law
IS it now is, does not interfere with you.
nd you don't care how much it may
inconvenience" others.
You may say you have better authority
Or your Sunday than the heather has
or his god of mud
| say you have not. You have not a
ARTICLE of divine authority for Sunday
nd you know it very we'll; therefore
ou want to bolster it up with "civil
avs" Respectfully yours,
A. j. CUDNEY.