The Selfishness of Sunday Legislation
A common plea in behalf of Sunday legislation is that it is the duty of law-makers to “make it easy for men to do right.” It is true that laws should protect all men in their rights. But all men's rights are the same, and are therefore equal; therefore a law that discriminates to any degree between men or classes of men, in the matter of rights, is unjust, unequal. Sunday laws are discriminating in that they make it easy for a certain class to do what they deem to be right, and hard on others to do what they deem to be right. Those who advocate Sunday laws show that they want their rights specially sustained, altho at the expense of others who are entitled to equal rights. They act on the same principles as those men who seek monopoly franchises in order to gain advantage over their fellow men. The plea for special help to do right, to the detriment of others who have an equal desire to do right, is lacking in charity, and displays a spirit of selfishness hardly in keeping with good judgment as to what is right.