THE Martinsburg, Pa., Weekly Herald, of August 12, makes this allusion to the recent arrest of W. H. Armstrong, in that State, for “Sunday desecration“:—
“The evil power of ‘civil righteousness’ and the religious prejudice of a lot of ‘good’ church people is in sad evidence at Washington, Pa. Rev. W. H. Armstrong, a devout minister of the church of the Seventh-day Adventists, was last week fined and imprisoned in the Washington county jail, for serving God according to the way he believes. His arrest was due to a number of ‘zealous’ church people, who charged him with ‘Sunday desecration.’ The first words of the justice of the peace before whom Rev. Armstrong was brought, were: ‘There is a nest of Adventists in town that will have to be cleaned out.’ Thus religious jealousy and prejudice was allowed to prejudge his case. Religious persecution and not the evidence, decided.
“The same forces are organizing for an aggressive campaign against ‘sabbath desecration’ as they term it, in Redford County and similar persecutions are bound to follow. How rapidly the events are leading us up to a closer union of Church and State. Reader, if you are in favor of complete religious freedom, express your sentiments without fear of preacher or people, and help stay the tide that is trying to sweep away our civil and religious liberties.” [541]