JB/149/083/001

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On the subject of the laws at present existing for enforcing
the observation of the Sabbath

Speaking with due deference to the opinion of more
competent judges, I can not help having my doubts
whether Is religion is promoted so much as morality
is hurt by them. The objects points that are or at least
ought to be aimed at are two: that for the a certain
portion of that day the people should be engaged in the
exercise of devotion religion, and for the remainder of it in
occupations which shall not be productive of pecuniary
profit, and shall at the same time be subservient
or at least not repugnant to the interests of morality
and religion. In Whatever degree these points may have
attained place, their attainment does not seem to be in any
degree the result of the influence of these laws. By
such of the laws as have for their direct object the driving
body is driven into church people into Church not a creature soul is ever driven there into
church: the times would not endure it. Whether
laws do succeed in in as far as they succeed at all is the excluding them from two
things – industry and amusements: the most innocent
not excepted. But how much soever it may be to
be wished on the poor that they should not on that day be engaged
in industry (for in as to innocent amusements I really can not see
why they should be debarred from them in the
of religion or any other) it is still more to be wished
that they should not be engaged in the practice of drunkenness or
any other hand of vice. Every penny spent in any
other way I look may be looked upon as so much captured from
the gin shop or the alehouse. My plan for promoting
the due observation of the Sabbath would be as follows. 1. To
maintain the interdiction of profit-seeking employment as
it at present making putting the provision however for cases of necessity
however upon a footing a little different from the present, allowing
a dispensation of the suspension of such work from he suspension
of which famine may ensue. 2. To encourage
rather than discourage innocent the amusements if all hands,
especially

Identifier: | JB/149/083/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 149.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	149	Main Headings	poor law
Folio number	083	Info in main headings field	heads
Image	001	Titles
Category	text sheet	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	d1
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	49937
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