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Religion by Law

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Jun 22, 1905

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 82, No. 25.

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Religion by Law

By W. A. COLCORD

FROM an article in the United Presbyterian, of May 18, it appears that the Allegheny County, Pa., Sabbath Observance Association is making efforts through appeals to the mayors of Pittsburg and Allegheny, to have the State Sunday law more faithfully enforced in these cities. The officers of this association have presented to these mayors quite a lengthy paper, in which they give various reasons why this should be done. They argue that “disregard for law and for rightly constituted authority has assumed proportions that are positively alarming,” and that “our greatest danger at this hour is the increased disregard for law and rightly constituted authority.” This thought runs all through the paper.
They further state that “the organization which we represent has for its primary object the preservation of the first day of the week as a day of rest and religious worship,” and that “we are here to make a plea on behalf of the enforcement of the law that safeguards the Lord’s day.” They argue that “all men should be compelled to keep all law because it is law.”
Near the close of the paper they say: “We feel assured, that an order from this department, and a few examples of prosecution, will accomplish in a fortnight what our efforts as a voluntary association would require months to do, while the effect of the closing coming from the constitutional authorities would prove vastly more wholesome in the interests of law and order. On all these accounts, therefore, we appeal to you to enforce the law in the interests of our civil sabbath.” The paper is signed by J. D. McCrory, chairman, and E. C. Lane, secretary.
From all this it will be seen that this association is on the war-path, and intends to have the Sunday law enforced. It is desirous of having at least “a few examples of prosecution” under the law. This, it thinks, will accomplish as much in a fortnight for “the preservation of the first day of the week as a day of rest and religious worship” as its efforts as a “voluntary association” could do in months. Here is religion by law plainly, and the church endeavoring to make use of the power of the state for the furtherance of her ends.
The last quotation given above is a forcible reminder of the experience which the association had in Allegheny a little less than a year ago, when, on the night of Aug. 30, 1904, as the result of the work of some of their paid detectives spying upon the people, a mob gathered, in which one of the detectives shot and killed one man, and shot another through the hand. An account of the occurrence is given under the subhead “An Eye-Opener,” near the close of Number Four of our new Religious Liberty Leaflets, entitled “The Civil Sabbath.” The association evidently is not desirous of having this experience repeated. It is not to its credit to have mobs, murder, and wounding occur in connection with its “voluntary” efforts to enforce the Sunday law. It would rather the law should be enforced by the “constitutional authorities.” This, it thinks, would “prove vastly more wholesome in the interests of law and order.”
W. A. COLCORD.