Prohibition -- Moral and ethical aspects; Prohibition -- United States
"I would forbid the selling of gambling devices such as playing
cards, dice, checkers and chess sets; I would forbid the holding of
socialistic, anarchistic and atheistic meetings; I would abolish
the sale of tea and coffee, and I would forbid the making or sale
of pastry, pie, cake and such like trash."
This at least is consistent. And Mr. Trent is startlingly frank in thus
boldly publishing his programme. In a lecture work extending to all
parts of this country and for a quarter of a century of time, I have
found a great many Herman Trents, and I fear they are increasing, and I
know they are becoming emboldened. After all, are we so far removed from
the blue-law regime of early New England? Be certain of one thing:
=today, we would see just such a regime except for a due regard for the
Constitution and a minimum majority of votes=.
As to compulsory Sabbath observance by civil law, we have the
recommendation of the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church, held
in Chicago recently. The resolutions of this national church body were
as follows:
"That the general assembly reiterates its strong and emphatic
disapproval of all secular uses of the Sabbath day, all games and
sports, in civic life, and also in the army and navy, all unnecessary
traveling and all excursions.
"That we most respectfully call attention of all public officials to the
potent influence of their position on all moral questions, and the
necessity of greater care on their part, proportioned to the exalted
nature of their offices which they occupy, that they may strengthen
rather than weaken by their influence public and private observance of
the Lord's day.
"That the general assembly reiterates its emphatic condemnation of the
Sunday newspaper, and urges the members of the Presbyterian church to
refuse to subscribe for it or read it or advertise in it."
Here is a demand for blue laws, pure and simple. If any American citizen
will read the history of the blue laws of Connecticut, and how Cotton
Mather whipped the people through the streets of early New England towns
for failure to attend Sunday services in the meeting-houses, he will
think seriously before lending a helping hand to the work of
re-inaugurating a social and civil system like that.
Prohibition and Sunday laws are so closely allied, so thoroughly
interwoven in the acts and lives of our modern reformers, that I may
venture to say that should the Prohibitionists ever gain complete
political power in this country =we shall see rigid, intolerant Sunday
laws in comparison to which those early blue laws of Connecticut would
be a delicate shade=.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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