The Sabbath in the Pennsylvania Legislature.
By James White
It is, perhaps, generally known that the State of Pennsylvania is very arbitrary in its Sunday laws, allowing of no exemption, as do most of the other States, in favor of Sabbath-keepers. In the last session of the Legislature, a very interesting debate was had on the presentation of a bill to exempt the observers of the seventh day from the effects of the Sunday law. Two members, Messrs. Reynolds and Brown, made a noble defense of the rights of Sabbath-keepers. The Constitution of that State, as read in the debate, seems to forbid the existing law. Art. 2, reads thus:— “SEC. 3. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences; that no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support, any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent; no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishment or modes of worship.” According to this, the present law of Pennsylvania is clearly unconstitutional, and it can only be by prejudice and bigotry that it is retained. The bill of relief was rejected by a vote of 58 to 23.