American Sentinel. Simple Justice

"IF ANY MAN HEAR MY WORDS, AND BELIEVE NOT, / JUDGE HIM NOT; FOR I CAME NOT- TO JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT TO SAYE THE WORLD." Vol. 11, No. 1. NEW YORK, JANUARY 2, 1896. Price, three cents. prayer of the Seventh-day Adventists for respect law-abiding citizens have been haled American Sentinel. simple justice. before courts, and have been tried and unjustly PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE In England religious persecution, waged convicted. And but for an appeal to the Su- PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, against the same people, has run about the preme Court, now pending, these men would No. 43 BOND STREET, NEW YORK. same course. Here, as in Basel, it was car- be suffering imprisonment at the present Entered at the New York Post-Office. ried on under color of the Factory Act; and, moment for the exercise of their God-given, as appears from the statement which we take constitutional, and statutory rights. from the Daily Graphic, published upon page And what has been the attitude of the peo- r".42,0 T. JONES, 1. EDITORS. .7„..GYIN P. BOLLMAN, 4,* the greatest sufferers have been those ple toward these persecutions? Largely one Leh)/ A. SMITH, ASSISTANT EDITOR. whom the act styles " protected persons." of indifference. This has been especially true The facts, as set forth in the appeal of the in foreign lands. In London it is said by a RETROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE. Board of Directors to the Home Secretary, to high government official that the numbers which we have just referred, unmistakably concerned were too insignificant to justify 4ITH this number the AMERICAN SENTINEL stamp the action of the authorities in this in- any action looking to relief, by the govern- en ers upon the eleventh year of its publica- stance as religious persecution. ment. * In this country, a considerable part Intolerance in Our Own Land. of the secular press has spoken out nobly in When the first number of the SENTINEL In our own country bigotry and intolerance defense of the rights of conscience, and in was issued, few, comparatively, even of its have been no less pronounced. The first condemnation of tyranny. But a majority of friends, realized the real necessity there was quarter of the year saw ten Seventh-day Ad- the religious papers have been either silent or for such a paper, and very many thought ventists convicted and imprisoned in Rhea have given their voice in favor of restriction that there was in this country no field for a County, Tenn., upon the technical charge of and oppression. journal devoted to the advocacy of religious " nuisance," their offense being the perform- With the single exception of the American liberty. But subsequent events have fully ance of ordinary secular labor on the first day Baptist Publication Association, the various justified the existence of the SENTINEL, every of the week. And this conviction was had religious bodies of this country, so far as they year making the necessity for it more appar- notwithstanding the absence of all evidence have spoken, have by resolutions not only in- ent than the previous one. that there was any disturbance other than dorsed the restriction of religions liberty, but The past year has been unusually eventful the mental annoyance experienced by those have demanded the enactment and enforce- in the conflict between truth and error, ment of still more stringent statutes calcu- whose bigotry and intolerance render them between righteousness and unrighteousness, incapable of cheerfully awarding to others lated to bind as with a chain not only the between soul-liberty and the bondage of sin. the exercise of rights which they demand bodies but the souls of men to the Sunday The year opened with persecution for con- Juggernaut. With the details our readers are for themselves. This persecution was a gross science' sake, actually in progress in Switzer- injustice not only to the imprisoned men and familiar. land, in England, and in various parts of our their families, but also resulted in cutting What Is Involved. own country, notably in Tennessee; and there short a term of the Graysville Academy, to The law of God declares that the seventh has been no general abatement. the great detriment of a number of students day is the Sabbath, and commands in une- Under color of the Swiss Factory Act, the who were about ready to graduate. quivocal language that it be kept holy. Not Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in An appeal to the legislature of Tennessee only so, but God appeals repeatedly to the Basel was closed some months since, the for relief by repeal of the oppressive act was facts set forth in that commandment as the manager imprisoned, and the publishing work treated with contempt; and four months later ground of his rightful authority over all men, carried on there greatly crippled. eight Seventh-day Adventists, including sev- and also declares: " I gave them my Sabbaths, The employ& of this publishing house, in- • eral of the same individuals formerly impris- to be a sign between me and them, that they stead of being protected by the operations of oned, were again convicted and imprisoned might know that I am the Lord that sanctify this "law," have been greatly embarrassed and worked in the chain-gang with common them."' Thus the Sabbath is the sign of and made to suffer hardship because of the criminals. During the same time there were God not only as Creator but as re-Creator, or loss of employment; and this seems the more other similar cases of persecution in Massa- Saviour. inconsistent because Sunday is not as strictly chusetts, Maryland, Georgia, Mississippi, But in contradistinction to this the Catholic observed in Switzerland as in some other Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Onta- Church commands the observance Sunday, countries. The plaza in front of the Imprim- rio, and Manitoba. to which she appeals as the badge of her au- erie Polyglotte, the Seventh-day Adventist thority to command men under sin.' And publishing house, is frequently the scene of Statutes Overridden. Sunday military parades and athletic games; In both Illinois and Arkansas there is a * See " Too Few to Have Rights," on page 4. clause exempting from the penalties of the and on at least one recent occasion the 1 Eze. 20:12. reviewing stands were erected on Sunday. " law " observers of the seventh day. But this Ques. How prove you that the church hath power to Nevertheless both the government and people provision has been overridden, notably in Illi- command feasts and holy days 7 Ans. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into of SNyitzerland have, turned a deaf ear to the nois, and quiet) inoffensive, and in every Sunday, Which, Protestants allow of; aid tberefore they 2 A.IVIIT,Eiti (DAN SMIV'r INId.- 1,„ VoL. 11, No. 1. such has been her influence with the nations But this occasions no surprise to the student repeal, but by legislation subtly inconsistent of earth that almost every civilized State on of sacred Scripture, for it is plainly declared with -our charters of liberty, State and na- the globe has incorporated into its statutes in Rev. 13: 8: "All that dwell upon the tional, and by practices equally at variance the papal dogma of Sunday sacredness. So earth shall worship him [the Papacy], whose with the spirit of our free institutions, and far is our country from being an exception names are not written in the book of life of scarcely less sophistical than the legislatiou TA- to this statement, that it has stood forth so the Lamb slain from the foundation of the ferred to; and by judicial decisions based prominently in this respect that this institu- world." Obedience is the highest form of upon colonial history and royal charters rather tion is by many styled " the American Sab- worship, and regardless of their profession, than upon those guarantees of freedom of bath." those who knowingly obey the command of conscience by which the people of nearly Notwithstanding the fact that in 1829 and the Papacy rather than the command of God, every State have sought to make sure their 1830 the Congress of the United States adopted thereby worship the beast. It is the boast liberties. the Sunday Mail Reports, written by Hon. of Rome that " the observance of Sunday by The Sunday institution figures more largely Richard M. Johnson, in which it was declared the Protestants is an homage [worship] they in this assault on soul-liberty than any other that if the Sunday act then demanded pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority papal dogma, because it is the test of loyalty " should be adopted, it would be difficult for of the [Roman Catholic] church."' to the Papacy, as the Sabbath is the test of loyalty to God. It is for this reason that we human sagacity to foresee how rapid would be The Papacy and Its Image. the succession or how numerous the train of view with alarm every attempt to coerce men measures which [would] follow, involving the The beast, the Papacy, is a church clothed in this matter, and raise our voices in warn- dearest rights of all—the rights of conscience." with civil power and therefore holding adul- ing against every forward step which is taken The Fifty-second Congress in its World's Fair terous connection with the nations of the in the exaltation of this man-made institu- legislation in 1893 took this dangerous step earth. One of the symbols by which it is tion, this papal counterfeit of the Sabbath of by interpreting the law of God, declaring in represented is that of a lewd woman.

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