The field secretary of the American Sabbath Union insists that that for which the organization is working is “a civil Sabbath,” that is, Sunday rest enforced by law, not for religious reasons, but for the physical well-being of the masses. How does that correspond with the telegram received by the president of the constitutional convention at Bismarck, Dakota, from the president of the American Sabbath Union in New York City, urging the adoption of a provision “protecting and encouraging Sabbath observance” by forbidding “work or trades” on the first day of the week, and requiring the Legislature to “pass laws regulating and encouraging the observance of the holy Sabbath by all the people.” This was urged upon the convention that the constitution of the new State might be laid “upon the sure foundation of the divine word.”
The secretary’s denial that what they demand is really religious legislation, will, we imagine, go for very little in the face of such an avowal from his superior officer. We fear that, while the secretary evidently has much of the wisdom of the serpent, he lacks the harmlessness of the dove. The president seems to be sadly deficient in both.