Valley Spirit

The Convention relative to the proposed amendment to the National Constitution, acknowledging God, continued its sessions in the West Arch Street Presbyterian Church. The attendance was large. Rev. Dr. Edwards presided.

Letters from Hon. B. Gratz Brown of Missouri, Prof. J.F. Winkler of Buffalo, Rev. L. W. Habil of Wisconsin, Rev. Dr. Durfield of Detroit, and others, favoring the movement were read.

Revs. A.M. Whitstone, A.C. Todd, James McDonald, Prof. McIlvaine, and others delivered addresses upon the doings of auxiliary societies formed in various States.

A session was held during the afternoon, and a number of addresses on the subject were made.

In the evening, Dr. Edwards called the meeting to order; when the following resolutions were adopted:

Resolved, That a national recognition of God, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures, as proposed in the memorial of this Association to Congress, is clearly a Scriptural duty which it is national peril to disregard.

Resolved, That in consideration of the general diffusion of religious intelligence, principles and institutions throughout our country; in view of the many express recognitions of Christianity by the Constitutions, and the legislative enactments of the several States, and in view also, of the religious history of the founding of this Government, it is a striking and solemn fact that our present National Constitution is so devoid of any distinctive Christian feature that one of our Chief Magistrates once refused to appoint a day of fasting and prayer in an hour of public calamity because the nation in its Constitution recognized no God and another, in contracting a treaty with a Mahomedan Power, hesitated not to declare that the Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion. It has in itself no character of enmity against the laws and religion of Mussulmen.

Resolved, That the measures proposed by this Association are not sectional nor sectarian, nor partisan, but the general voice of Christian patriotism, asking that which is right and wholesome, which is keeping with our antecedents, and which will not operate oppressively upon the conscience of any citizen.

Resolved, that the state of the times, recent and present, and the state of pu[b]lic sentiment, warrant and encourage the attempt to secure the amendment of the Constitution which is proposed by this Association.

Resolved, That the hour of chastisement is the hour of repentance, amendment and reform, and that in such a day of national trouble and rebuke as has befallen us, every reformation from sin is valuable and important; it is clear that in acknowledging God, in exalting His Son and in diffusing the principles of His word through all our Government and Administration, not only is there no mistake committed, but an end of the first dignity and importance is secured.

The convention adjourned with prayer.

Under this caption the Newville Star of the Valley remarks:

The children of our town have fallen into a confirmed habit of flocking in a body to any house in which a death has occurred, for the purpose of gazing upon the remains. At such a time the grief of survivors in a family from which a loved one has been taken is too sacred for such rude intrusion, and parents should see that their children are not permitted to make these untimely visits.

The above applies with equal force to our own community. No death can occur without crowds of rude ill-mannered children rushing into the house containing the corpse, to the annoyance of relatives and friends. The nuisance has become almost intolerable and some of our citizens on the occasion of a death in the family, have been compelled to lock their doors in order to keep out these rude intruders.