The record-union., 1891-03-09

this purpose of its creation. And I am
pleased to know that the great corpora
hons. upon which the duty deyolves of
providing for the pleasures of the people,
arrange it so that the Sabbath-worke has
his day of rest, and that the burden of
toll is somewhat equally distributed.
But one more fact needs to be stated.
1t is probably not enough to tell men
who are clinging to religious traditions,
and reposing confidence upon spoken
revelations of God, that the times are not
in sympathy with their doctrines. So
much the worse for the times they will
say, and go on intruding their views and
promoting an agitation that is not well
for the community. They should be
barred from further interference by the
understood fact that such agitation is un-
American and unconstitutional. And I
have been interested recently in know
ing how early the seeds of political and
religious liberty We're planted upon this
continent, for long before the Constitu-
ton with its supplementary bill of rights
was adopted, and at a time when in New
England the state was so dominated by
the church that the state itself was
vast ecclesia, so thoroughly did ultra-re-
ligious ideas control, Roger Williams at
Salem dared to say, and suffered banish-
ment in consequences, that as TO the
Commandments written upon the first
table of the law, the State had no right
to enforce their observance, that with re-
Spect to the recognition ofthc one trueGod,
to idolatry. to blasphemy, and to the OBJ
servance of the Sabbath, the State as
State had nothing to do; that transgres-
sions in these things are sins, and are for
ever distinguished from crimes, as dis
respect to parents and covetousnesS,
which are at least the stepping stones to
criminal offending, but especially from
crimes without dispute, as murder, theft,
adultery and false witness. Ethics,
which is the science of human rules of
duty, teaches man that to these latter
things he has a right to bring associated
authority and power to promote the gen.
eral well-being, and that this good may
come legislative enactments arc in order
and executive control and judicial sane
ton.
Legislation which is distinctlvely class
legislation, and which oflends II large part
of the community by intruding into the
domain of political ethics things which
have no connection there, is a legislation
to be contemned, and should deprecate il, i,
because of it resort would again be had,
as has so frequently been the case in the
past, TO chicanery and secrecy and fraud
that its provisions should be evaded, as
Judges and juries would become un-
mindful of their oaths and subieTfuge
characteriZe the general dealings of men,
look at facts intelligcntly and without
any bias whatever, ! must yet confess
that / wish things were different from
what they are. That the people miss
much l believe. bat with however crude
a conception of religious duty, men and
women upon the Sabbath day stop to
pray, q confession is made to a craving of
our common nature, which requires more
than rest for its appropriate nourishment.
In what | have said l have not been dis
posed to put the smallest obstacle in the
way of the completest observance of the
Sabbath day as still meaning all it ever
has been thought 10 mean, as Gods grs-
cious gift to the children of men. 1t is a
day which even in the full glare OF our
modern sunlight, is still rich with beauti-
ful association, as the twilight of the past
fingers upon IFS sacred shrines. 1t is Il
day endeared to us by holy traditions
and holier memories, a day upon which
home as summoned now to our maturer
recollection presents its most beautiful
pictures, and the house of God, which in
our imagination still holds the faces of
our loved ones, upon this day becomes
| again the gateway to a heaven of pure de-
sire and reverent feeling.