The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-19

for a hotel license should be nipped
| In the bud.
IS. Employment of labor In fac
tories on Sunday should cease forever
| In Virginia. The contention In made
that unless large factories work on
Sunday. overhauling the machinery,
poor girls will be thrown out OF en-
pioyment on Saturday or Monday. The
answer TO 1t 10 this: DO not grind them
into powder six days In the week.
Pay them living wages. with Saturday
afternoon az a holiday. Let the re-
formation commence In the ameliora-
ton Of those very conditions which
necessftate, as they claim. the dis
obedience OF the divine law
IS. Our Sabbath laws in no sense
infringe upon liberty of conscience.
The courts have consistently 80 up
held. These laws do not attempt to
say that one must worship. nor even
that he must refrain from laboring at
his trade on Sunday II he observes
another day in the week Every Jew
merchant can sell goods next Sunday
II he closes his store Saturday. That
small. but respectable. group of Sew
enth Day Adventists. who have used
this opportunity to inveigh against the
Christian Sunday, need not vex their
souls They are allowed. under the
law, to ply their trades on Sunday
provided they keep Saturday. Decla-
nations on soul liberty are out OF
place In this instance The disclaimers
are either ignorant or presuming upon
the ignorance OF the public. and In
either event they do not deserve Gre
dence.
-. The only chance which laborers
will have for one day of rest and be-
levers for one day of worship is by
preserving the sanctity of the Lords
Day. Every capitalist who loves divt-
dends better than he loves human be-
ings knows that. Every infidel knows
that. on the subject Of the Jews day,
he knows that whatever was their an
Client regard for the Sabbath. they
have no scruples that will interfere
with its ,use for any secular purpose
that may De appointed. Some OF the
most enlightened rabbis have advo-
Gated e. aiging their day of worship
to our Sunday.
Du;y Vt Sabbath Observance.
IS. O IT attempt to do evil good
may CoHs N the education of the
public conscience on the duty of Sab
bath observance. Richmond has been
drifting into the whirl- pools OF world
Illness and wickedness. The Sabbath
! Ia too lightly regarded. 1t 10 we'll for
her to stop. look and listen. Through
Lout the world, wherever the Sabbath
| in It's purity has been disregarded,
there marriage. In its true and holy
sense has been disregarded, and there
! idieness- and cheating and gambling
have taken the place of honest toll.
There avarice and greed and tyranny
have oppressed the poor. and there
immortality and vice and polytheism
and pantheism and chance and fatal
| Ism and matertaiism and atheism
have erected their standards. No sab
bath. no God No religion, no moral
ity. The whole social fabric would fall.
Every fallen city OF ancient times
persisted because Il left out God for
earthly gain or fame or pleasure. The
Bible and Euphrates and Tiber carried
that verdict to the ocean ages ago.
The French Commune thunders II In
our ears from the eighteenth century
"Our first president in his farewell
address admonished the people, for
whose liberties he had fought, in a
solemn utterance to which we do well
to give heed;
"'Of all the dispositions and habits
which lead to political prosperity re-
ligion and morality are indispensable
supports. In vain would that man
claim the tribute OF patriotism who
should labor to subvert these great
pillars of human happiness, these
firmest props of the duties of mer
and citizens. The mere politician
equally with the pious man, ought tt
respect and cherish them. A volume
could not trace all their connection.
with private and public felicity. lie,
II simply be asked, where Is the secur.
ity for property, for reputation. 70,
life, II the sense of religious obliga
ton desert the oaths which are the
instruments OF Investigation In the
courts OF justice? And let us. with
caution. indulge the supposition tha'
morality can be maintained without
religion.
Whatever may be conceded to the
influence OF refined education or
minds of peculiar structure. reason
and experience doth forbid us to ex.
pect that national morality can pre-.
vail in exclusion of religious princi.
pie. lis substantially true that vir.
tue or morality Is necessary sprins
OF popular government. The rule, In
deed, extends with more or less force
to every species OF free government
Who that is a sincere friend Of II. car
look with Indifference upon attempt,
to shake the foundations OF the
fabric p"