powers to act upon religious matters; for we consider an association of civil and ecclesiastical power or an union of Church and State, as one of the greatest calamities which could befal our country, and that it should be resisted in every possible shape in which it may be presented.”

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A great change has taken place in some of our towns within a few years in reference to the Sunday mail.  Twenty-five years ago it was rare to see a person belonging to one of the Evangelical sects at the post-office at the time of the opening of the mail on Sunday noon; whereas now it is not uncommon to see deacons and numerous other members of such churches hurry from their several places of worship to get their letters and papers with as much eagerness as “heretics.”  Sunday papers moreover are now bought by the same class.  The same change too is observable in the use of horse-cars on Sunday.  Few men are governed by the conscientious scruples once held about riding to and from church, especially if the day happens to be hot or stormy.  This may or may not be an improvement; it depends upon the point of view from which we look at it.

One of the most radical men we ever knew, one who thought “Sunday should be abolished” and a “new Bible made by men of modern ideas, and reasonable views introduced, and the old one discarded,” said he was brought to these views by having been forced when young to attend church and engage in religious exercises, and told that he must conform to the established belief and never ask any questions.  It will be said that this man was an exception to the general rule.  Perhaps so, for one taking such an extreme view; but we must all know cases somewhat similar.  A careful inquiry will show that if we look around among the clergy even, we shall find that the most radical preachers of the day were brought up in the Orthodox ranks.  Who would wish to re-establish the gloomy Puritan Sabbath, with its barren meeting-house, without fires or music, and its tedious, uninteresting sermon, running on to “fifteenthly,” gauged by an hour-glass turned over perhaps once or twice during the discourse?

Speaking of the change of habits in New England, even, it is noticeable how much more prevalent colds and other slight indispositions are now to what they used to be on Sunday.  The very thought of going to church makes some people cough or have a headache.  Theatres or concerts never seem to affect these people in the same way.  Even the weather, which keeps people in-doors on Sunday, never keeps them in on other days.

Our own view of the subject is that while we should be glad to see more interest taken in public worship than there is at present, we think people should have the right of spending their Sundays in their own way,—­always, of course, provided they do not interfere with the rights and feelings of others.  It seems to us that the only way to have Sunday properly observed is for those who are influential to make some little personal sacrifices, if need be, to attend the Sunday services, and do all they can to promote the most cheerful views of religion and make the services interesting.