The Washington herald., 1914-06-01
THE OPEN FORUM.
President Of tie Secular League Re.
plies to Benijah Biselow.

\ PnSS " 0eu1JAn Ol4e30W.
To the Editor: 1 do not wish to impose
on the courtesy Of your Open Forum, but
would IKE To reply to the communicates
by Mr.. Benitah Biselow, published In
your issue OF May a.
This communication. submitted by way
of reply to an earlier communication by
myself. is devoted almost entirely to en-
lphasizing the religious character of SUM-
iday observance. Inasmuch as I not onIy
did not deny that fact. but made it one Of
the main premises Of my argument, IL
would not appear that there Is any occa-
sion for argument between US on that
point Ny position was that in this coun-
try religious Observance cannot be sum
ported and enforced by the civil law
properly and constitutionaIly Ny COM
municafion did not oppose the religious
observance Of Sunday, as Mr., BigeIov
assumes, but It opposed the maintenance
and enforcement Of that observance by
the law and the police. It in IN To neo-
pie Of Mr.. Bigeiow's way of thinking IN
establish the propriety and constitution-
ality OF the enforcement In this country
OF religious observance The assurnn-
ton that those who believe they are
spiritual beings, having moral nature
requiring the help" which the religion.
sunday and its religious observance NAV
anord. have a right to be protected in
that belief by having that rsliriou,
observance enforced by the law and ",o
have the day preserved for that purpose,,
In that way, Is one that will hardly st.na
muster under the theory of our institu-
tons and with regard to our axiomattc
principle Of the complete separation OF
religion and the state. And the fact tha,
such persons may be vastly in the ma
Jority makes not the slightest difference
onoer the theory of our Institutions
religious freedom is not a question Of
maJorities. and the Jurisdiction OF ths
majority does not reach the subject OF
reilglon That is left to the individual.
ana the rule Of the majority applies only
10 those matters which come pronerIv
within the sphere of governmental ac-
ton. a.
The church of God" did not Originate,
the observance of Sunday. though IL must
De admitted that II has. during the So
caheo CHRISTIAN era, done more than any
otner power in the world to effect, by
means or custom and law" especially
the latter, ''the preservation of this re-
hgious institution" But Sunday wa.
ooth holiday and holy day before n
ever became associated with Christianity.
As the encyclopaedia Britannica tells us-
was. preceding Christianity, "the wild
SOAR holiday Of all pagan times" de-
voted to the cult of sun worship. And
tne same authority tells US there ia M
evidence that in the earliest years of
Christianity there was any formal oh
servance of Sunday as a day of rest or
any general cessation of work" So the
church OF God" cannot set I'D an excIu-
slVe claim to the origin and preservation
OF the Sunday institution either as a holy
day or as holiday. The first Sunday
laws were decreed by pagan emperors Of
Rome. though it is true that this was
done under Christian influences" but OF
decidedly political and church-and-
state character. But neither the church
OF 1oo nor the cult of sun worship can
lay any claim to legal support in This
country on the ground Of obligation for
the origin and preservation of the OBJ
servance of Sunday either as a holy day
or as a holiday. II il be true that with
out these religious influences I'VE all
should now be working seven DAYS in the
week., then there are no ADEQUATE req
sons aside from religious considerations
why We should not be working seven
days In the week, and the ground on
which legislation enforcing the obsery-
ance OF the religious Sunday is defended
by many Of its religious champions and
is sustained by our courts, namely. that
weekly day of rest is necessary physi-
cally. socially and economically, Is ficti-
uous. And on the other hand, IL il be
true that a weekly day of rest is neces-
sary on such secular grounds. then there
is no force in the point that we all
should now be working seven days in the
week il those who in the past shared
my secular ideas had prevailed Those
holding secular ideas In this matter
would do away entirely with all legal
regulation resting on or inspired by re-
ligious and theological sentiments and
considerations. knowing that anything
less than that compromises and violates
a most vital principle of our Republic
and of our civilization. And they are
quite willing to have entirely absent from
every community and every country
those moral and religious influences
which are dependent upon the enforce
ment Of religious observances and theo-
logical conceptions.
JOHN d. BRADLEY
President Washington Secular League.
S3 Carroll avenue, Takoma Park, D. c..
May 30. 1914.