Elements of Civil Liberty, or, the Way to Maintain Free Institutions.

vi, 238 pp. 8vo. Original dark brown blind-stamped cloth, gilt titles. A collection of essays on various aspects of American civil liberties, written by the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, NY (Sabin 104918, referring to one of Wisner's sermons, not offered here). Of particular interest are chapters on the free press and the liquor traffick (from the standpoint of temperance), but other essays raise interesting questions about the role of government that are still timely today. In the context of a law dictating that postmasters work on the sabbath, the author questions the validity of laws that run counter to religious beliefs of the citizenry. Another passage, from a chapter examining selfishness vs. self-denial, is also pertinent to some of today's political debates: "The selfishness of many has already, to a fearful extent, converted the business operations of the people into desperate games of chance, and the service of the nation into a miserable scramble for office. It is leading our citizens into indulgencies which are impairing their health, wasting their substance, blasting their reputation, corrupting their morals, and weakening, and in many instances destroying their minds."