p. 144 | The American Sentinel, Vol. 4, No. 18. (5/29/1889)

Earlier text: How Mrs. Bateham Shows Up the Adventists

West Shore Railroad

N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. Co. Lessee.

The Picturesque Route for Business and Pleasure Travel.

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For tourist books, time-tables and information regarding West Shore Railroad, call on or address H. B. JAGGER, General Eastern Passenger Agent, 363 Broadway, or C. E. LAMBERT, General Passenger Agent, 5 Vanderbilt Ave., New York.

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NOW READY.

Number 5 of the SENTINEL LIBRARY, entitled the "Blair Educational Amendment." Price 3 cents per copy; 100 copies for $1.50, postpaid. Address, Pacific Press Publishing Co., Or 43 Bond St., N. Y. Oakland, Cal.

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A Centennial Homily

THE Christian Union is often considerably confused in its theology and its views of National polity, but when it does get on the right track for a while its utterances are as good as those of any other paper that speaks truth. In its issue of May 2 it has “A Centennial Homily,” in which it gives expression to some weak thoughts and some good ones, and among the latter are the following:—

“The church is a corporation of men and women organized for certain purposes, which, whether wholly good (as the church people claim) or wholly bad (as the infidel pamphleteer claims), or partially good and partially bad, are certainly, on the one hand, innocent, and therefore entitled to the protection of the State, and, on the other, non-political and therefore not entitled to any partnership with it. We would have the State appropriate no moneys to institutions under church control; we would have it enter into no entangling alliances with church or clergy in the work of education; we would have it recognize no religious tests; we should be glad to have it abolish all oaths, and punish false affirmation with the penalties now visited on perjury; we would have it enforce no religious observances, except as such enforcement is necessary to protect the religious rights of the individual—no Sunday laws, for example, except to protect the individual’s right to his Sabbatical rest.”

National Reform Ideas of Religion.

The Moral and Scientific Companion, published at Florence, Arizona, prints the following items of “Religious Ideas of the Nineteenth Century.” They are well stated, but they are not peculiar to the nineteenth century, but date from the days of Constantine. We wish to caution our readers, however, against imagining that the AMERICAN SENTINEL subscribes to any of these ideas. We repudiate them entirely. They are championed in this country only by the National Reform Association and the American Sabbath Union:—

“A man may keep the Sabbath by merely being idle!

“A man (irrespective of his belief) can keep the day holy if forced by law to remain idle!

“A man, even though an infidel, keeps the Sabbath holy when forced to rest, not on the seventh day, but on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath of the Bible!

“The United States,—infidels, heathens, and all,—will be a ‘Christian Nation’ when compelled to remain idle on the first day of the week [now called ‘the American Sabbath’], even though they break the whole ten commandments during the week!

“A religious party may count one man’s signature as 7,000,000 when it comes to petitioning for a law enforcing their pet beliefs!

“The minority are atheists and should not be tolerated—the majority are infallible, provided they preach National Reformism or Sunday compulsory observance!

“The Lord [according to their premises] is not powerful enough to struggle against the ‘wicked minority’ without the assistance of national religious laws! That is, they propose to do what the Almighty can’t!

“A national Sunday law is not a religious one; to the saloon keeper and workingmen it is merely a ‘sanitary measure,’ to keep them from overwork; to the prohibitionist it is solely a ‘temperance measure;’ to the religious people it is entirely a ‘Christian measure.’

“Laws enforcing the beliefs of the ‘Christian church’ (heathens, Mormons, Quakers, unbelievers, Jews, Seventh-day Baptists, Sabbatarians, etc., excluded) will not be a union of Church and State, nor will they be religious laws, but merely ‘civil protections’!

“‘Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to [salvation], and many there be which go in thereat.’”

Heterodox Tracts and Disorderly Conduct

THE Alta California says that the local courts of Pittsburg, Penn., have ruled that it is disorderly conduct to distribute heterodox tracts on the streets. We should like to know what judge decides what tracts are orthodox and what are heterodox. If the Pope ever comes to America we know where he will find a congenial home. He could no doubt find employment for his leisure hours in assisting the local courts of Pittsburg.

Mr. Crafts and His Opponents

THE ubiquitous field secretary of the American Sunday Union—Mr. Crafts—is nothing if not refined in his language. In a recent speech in New York he said that his Sunday-law movement is opposed only by “a little insignificant set of hair-brained, woolly-headed fanatics, of about one hundred men.” Well, well! If that is all the opposition Mr. Crafts finds, we should think he would stay at home and take his ease, and let his religio-political machine run itself. He must be traveling about the country because he likes change of scenery.

The Crafts-Jones Debate

By Editor

WE have already announced the debate between Mr. Crafts and A. T. Jones, to be held June 12, 13, 14. This discussion will without doubt be one of great interest, and will be worth hearing. Many people will doubtless travel quite a distance to be present; but still only a few of those who are interested in the matter can hear the discussion. But we are resolved that they shall lose nothing of it except the tones and gestures of the speakers, and have made arrangements to have all the speeches reported stenographically, so that the next SENTINEL that appears after the debate will have the first installment of it. If possible, we shall publish the whole of one evening’s session in one paper, so that no injustice may be done to either party. The numbers of the SENTINEL that contain the matter w’ll be of special interest to everybody, friends of Sunday legislation as well as opposers—as much as both sides will be presented impartially. We cannot at present tell just what numbers will contain the discussion, but those who wish extra copies to distribute can send in their orders just the same. State that you want the numbers containing the discussion.

The National Reform Machine

The National Reform Association does not receive much aid and comfort from the St. Louis Christian Advocate, although it believes in National Reform principles. In a recent issue it spoke as follows of the Pittsburg Convention, which was then in session:—

“We have closely watched conventions, conferences, and general meetings of this kind, and are free to say that they have not, as a general thing, been promotive of much good to the great body of the people. In many cases it was evident that the zeal of the leaders was far in advance of their discretion, and intelligent, sober-minded men were rather turned against than for that which they advocated. We must, however, be careful what we say about such proceedings, or, rather, about the spirit which prompts them, as the principal actors are usually of the class that not only think themselves right, but are exceedingly sensitive and impatient of anything and everything like contradiction or opposition.”

This is a very just estimate of the men who run the National Reform machine. The AMERICAN SENTINEL is fully conscious of the fact that they are exceedingly “impatient of anything and everything like contradiction or opposition,” yet it calls on all its readers to bear witness that it has endeavored faithfully to do its duty. We would that we had less reason for opposing them.

A Pope Wanted.

SOME papers are very indignant over the fact that Mr. Bennet has invaded London with his Herald, and is actually selling it on Sunday, thus destroying the rest of the people, because the paper is sold by the thousands. We have yet to learn that any efforts have been made to compel people to buy the paper, or that anybody has bought a copy who did not want one, therefore we cannot tell just where the invasion of Sunday rest has come in. But the following from the London Christian shows what idea some who would fain be called Christians have of the way to propagate Christianity:—

“In the days of Nehemiah men of Tyre brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath to men of Judah and in Jerusalem; but that wise governor put a summary stop to their operations, and set his servants at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath-day. We need a Nehemiah in like manner to prevent this man of America bringing such a Sabbath-day burden into our country.”

What they want is a Pope.

The Cause of Persecution.

By Marcus

OUR Government, having existed over one hundred years under a Constitution tolerating all religions alike, has been more prosperous than any country on earth under any other form of government. Therefore we would let well enough alone, knowing that intolerant religious legislation of any kind, in favor of any religion, has always been attended with disastrous consequences. The student of history searches in vain for an exception. It is a principle of logic that when one event follows another for a great number of times without an exception, one is the cause; the other, the result. Therefore religious intolerance is the cause of persecuting barbarity, whether the religion be heathen, Hebrew, Mahommedan, or Christian. Similar barbarities were practiced by Nero, Mohammed, the Pope, the Presbyterian, the English Church, the Orthodox, and the Puritans; burning, torture, banishment, are used alike by all. In all countries, at all times, in all religions, from the Druids to the National Reformers, intolerance, with its attendant barbarity, has been instigated by the priesthood.—"Marcus," in Alexandria (Minn.) Post.