Newspaper Page Text
?Itr OKOtflut Expositor.
CLIAS VULEE, Editor,
h Cl t'KDAY. OCTOBER ?3, 1H75.
SALUTATORY.
It may by some be rlet-aned strange end
i m, 11 e . >nry Unit wo should publish a pa
per like this, in view of the amiable, eon
,-1 niton and fespeotablc demeanor of the
liit hop, Priests ami Laity of Georgia pro
ll -.sing Roman Catholicism. lint th*- ne
. Hhity and propiiety "ill appeal-, when it
ik considered that all these amiable and
< iim iflfttoiy parties speak only too tbein
... as men, and not us adherents to lto
iintii rule, it the Bishop and all under him
wre to announce to the world “We are
Catholics, not Romanists, and do not hold
ourselves hound hy tliu Pope's decrees,
, cnii,rflm," wo should then agree that our
publication >s unnecessary and out ol
p'aoe, lint when we consider that all of
tin s, parties glory ill the acknowledgment
in. Kiev ar.- i.o,in sentiment,
that tlu-y hold themselves bound to obey
tin; decrees of the Pope, when made
... e./e.f as the commands of Cod, and
superior to all other obligations, we are
nstiliert m treating the toleration and
other Christian grae.-s of chanty, which
Huy protean in their lectures, speeches
,nd prints, as lucre idle words, amount
ing to nothing, unless they mean thereby
t.> deceive a too ciednlous public by lul
ling it to lutal secuiity. We have there
in,, to go to the Pope's decrees to dud out
what Romanism is, and to what they com
mit their adherents. We have to appeal
to I'lcsar himself utid not to his prefects,
vno are under him utni have to obey his
. ..inmands. \\ lint is it to us what Cardi
nals or Bishops may say ns to the workings
ot Popery iu this country, when we ran
go to the fountain-head and ascertain lor
ourselves what we have to contend against,
lor he assured that a power like that which
its at the Vatican, inis a plan and knows
1., w lint eud it >h working ?
However much wo may regard the de
erees of the Pope as amounting to non
sense in this enlightened age, wo must
t..-nr in mind that a very large body of men
puiee implicit faith in them. We know
now .strong are men’s minds m the ninin
i. linnet- ot mi.) creed, however absurd, it
tlu-y eiul.iiii-e it in the fervour of religions
zeai. All .1. nls have their great minds.
Paganism Inul IIS Plato, its Zoroaster, and
n host ot great and wonderful intellects.
Cos Romanism lias in its fold men ot
exalted, powerful and learned mimls.
'I In .- ii-ully liclieve they are serving (ioil
in advancing Popish rule, 'these astute
leaders i-liiillate among our people aud
,in them over hy specious pleas and Bi
ns oue means nr another to tin- ranks of
Romanism.
What then limy we expert if we rest su
pinely and allow the enemy ot tolcintinn,
ot i-1 1 .■ iit v in its broad s.-iise, of human
111 , ii s of conscience, of liberal,-duration .
. I i,m Constitution, to go on inorensiti"
in numbers and thus control our destinies?
Has not the time to ventilate the teachings
of the Pope come, w hen his followers are
Is,i,sting ot their increased nninbcrs mid
1.. 01tn-nl intluema- ? We shall do nothing
captiously ; we shall'set down in,tight in
in,ill,-, ,itwe do nothing extenuate. We
Hull speak plainly, not to nfleml am man
nut to t nligliteii on the situation, aud wo
tiasi-a right to ask that as we shall treat
the subject respectfully, though logically.
>\.• shall in- answered not with rudeness
and insult, but with arguments to show j
that wo fir in our statements.
Our task is as much in the interest of :
tin ltomauists themselves ns in that ot 1
any one else. We would protect our com- !
molt liberties under our institutions lib- j
cities that me really ns beneficial to them j
lIM to US,
We av, constantly reminded that Lord
Halt nn i in the sittleiiieiit of Maryland,
enacted tree toleration. Granting this,
(though we have a hit of history that puts
auoilu i face on this matter) yet if he was
thus tolerant, what does it prove, but that
In- was not a Romanist but simply a f'a
tlndio, and that under the Papal decrees
if earned out, he would have been ex
communicated, and so would Cardinal or
Bishop who looked ulteriorly to toleration, I
oi the Pope's decrees would lie mere idle ;
wind. There nro a hosts of men xvho
were not Romanists though Catholics, such
■ s Lafayette. Napoleon I, and Victor
Knianno). We might if necessary, cite
pages of names. There is indeed scarcely
a sever, n;n ot that faith, that is not anti- 1
Ronmnist and vot Catholic. Of w hat use
thru is it to rite to us that tilts and that
i all . lie is a liberal. Our contest is not
" th fntholit i-tn but with Romanism, and
- that charge l summons the party here
to answer 1 shall quote the Pope’s de. I
<s sand and want them to answer dis.
tinctly whether they ala-t them, aud are
: eir defenders or not?
No oue has a right to l>e oft’ nded at onr
i -ih -ation, as w, hut claim the right of
,-i Americau citizen to defend the Repub
lic whenever he thinks it in danger . and j
do think it is endangered, as we will
abundantly show and prove by the evi
i. ot t ndeia-ics ami designs of Romanism
• li'y to t>e set toil!-, in the columns of the
Gxoroia Exivwitor
We appeal to every thiukiug mind to
* it, ltd to nsa generous ami encouraging
- ■ it, m.t wc do not tianlt .sir iiwefnl.
• - in th.- rans, ot enlightenment. Make
’ ine ..s. y. nr own. as it ÜBd>*il>U-d
--ly is. an and w e shall have no feat of result
ant good to all concerned.
I/et 'shave light ' aton'd be your motto. <
TO DEMOCRATIC EDITORS
, t l may -A b- %>■ t '.' ed r t. :• :
represented, I w.ll t*te or,qua: iedly that ij
am, and have ever tern a Democrat cf the]
itriMPH Jtfierwnlan -■ h<xl. I an an'l have j
nlwrit* been oppof*d to the -RPhonal oppres
sion of the Radical j rirty. My sympathy
with the South, I leit Washington city ah oon
a.a the ;tr broke out, and abandoned all I j
had to join the South in arm*. I have never <
vote t any bn* the straight Democratic ticket
at any election, from youth to f *M age. Op
posed, However, as I am and have been to j
inDrule, I am equally opposed to Komani?m.
This is the position my paper will assume, j.
and hope to maintain.
fn slating rny nnloce leiif and afiiilintiont*
F do riot, however, wi“U to be understood that i
mine is a partisan rheet. Its utterance?,
therefore, will commit no party. The (Ikor
oia Bxpohitor will tliseiihs public measure
in an independent tone, uninfluenced by party
procli v it Mr.’*.
There is very little doubt that the question
of Papal influence in our country will become
of all ahnorbintj interest, ard override every
other i*-tte. Jdo not mean the revival of
Know-Nothingism, with its secret and dark
i lantern doing*, its grips and signs, but an
open, manly issue on the merits and designs
Ipi Roman ism to overthrow Americanism. Ro
man iit have so far increased in numbers that
it has emboldened the Pope to declare that
j the time lias now come for a forward move
ment in this country, lie ha? made a Prince
Cardinal for the Coifed States. Tne Catholic
! press throughout the land i* making a united
and vigorous charge on our public school
j yleni. The Free Man’- .J.urnnl says that
■ ‘the school tax in itself is an unjust impost
| lion.” The Tablet announces that it is op
' posed to “purely secular schools.” The Tele
graph in Ohio asserts that “it will be a glori
, >us day for Catholics iu this country when
j onr school system shall ho shivered." Ar- h
! bishop Purcell writes that “he does not ap
prove the public school sy-tem." li-hop
MoQujild, of Rochester, insists that the ques
tion be brought, to the ballot box, and to cap
the climax, and to let ns know what we may
expect when the question conies to be decided
between our institutions anti the Papal de
cree**, Bi.-hop (liltriore, ot Cleveland, says;
"Wo are Catholics first and citizens next."
Now why all this objection to the public
schools ? The objection is, that the Pope has
decided, 'r Cathedra, that lie and his priests
are the only proper instructors of youth ; that
the schools should be under their authority.
(See Syllabus Articles, l.>, 17 and IS.) In
other words, that our public schools, which
arc established by the States tor the moral
! and scientific training of our future citizens,
; without any sectarian bias, should, at any
rate, so far as the Romanists arc concerned,
1 bo made sectarian, and so far, therefore, we
are called upon to agree to the joining of the
Mate to the Church in favor of Romanism. Ir
is very evident that if the Romanists make
1 this a test question at the polls they will fail,
j unless they can get the support **l the Demo-
I erotic party in mass, which they will never
do. that the Romanists expect “political
favors" from the democratic party is avowed
V-r- •*- u.-..: I Gg: .. n„n
pa pci says :
“I.very Catholic should vote for the demo- i
erotic ticket. Th6se who do not do it will be
talsc to themselves and false to their own j
interests. The only political favors which
Catholics have ever had in this country have
been received at the hands of the Democratic
party."
The Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph, the
! Cleveland Catholic V ill verse and Columbus
j Catholic Columbian, all instructed the ultra
i montanes to a similar course.
I would ask, what possible “political fa- '
vors” can an American political party render j
■to a religious sect that would not make it the j
j foe to universal toleration and equal liberty? j
The Democracy opposed Know-Nothingism, 1
and I joined them in doing so, but the oppo- j
! fition of the party was not prompted by any
love for Romanism, but becauao it was wrong
i to make a man's religion the test for his hold- |
ing offe e, I would oppose the same princi
ple again. Different, however, is the question
now pressing on us for a solution. It is now
the Cathodes themselves who are the assail
ants of our institutions, and whoare to be met
by open argument against their claims, anil
stern denial thereof.
Doe- any other sect ask for “political ta
xors ? " Why, then, should they ? unless it is I
that their’s is a sect that cannot thrive with
others, under the login of universal toleration,
without having special favors granted to it.
It is an outrage on the Democratic party that
they should be asked to grant “political fa
vors.’ and an insult to Ik? told it has granted
them. If anything will tend to the defeat
the hopes of the party in its career of suceess,
it is this very outspoken favor of the Roman
ists towards it as the dispenser of favors to
them. I need not npoligite for giving this
warning, as the opposite party have used
with too much success in Ohio, the de
clared support of the Romanists in favor of
the party, and thereby turned thousands
against your cause, and this they will do in
all coming elections. Of course I know the
charge of complicity is false, but this I will
sav, that there is enough to warrant the ne
cessity for the party to declare authoritatively
t hat it will never yield to a single claim of the
Romanists for any “political favor" to enable
them to carry out Papal decrees. That the
public educational funds shall be used for
public schools conducted under State authority
and State government alone; that no part
of them shall be given to any denomination
for denominational schools, and that the teach
ers selected shall be subjected to no religious
test. In fact, that the State will ignore secta
rianism, and content itself with giving the
children scientific training and that enlarged
religion, which teaches love to (tod and man.
leaving the parents and the clergy to supple
ment this training with their own sectarian
notions. This I take it is Americanism.
It is a mistaken idea that the ( onstitution
o: the l uited State* inculcate* no religion.
It does inculcate the true, Christian religion
which is the toleration of all religious opin-t
ion* and beliefs, and insists on the grea
principle of Christianity, upon which all the
! aw and the prophets are founded, w To love
God above ail thing* and your neighbor a*
yourself/ To do unto ether* as you would J
have them to do unto you." I take !t th : 3 i*
f rue Christianity, in a- mn-h a-: it come* from
the mouth of its founder Himself. Our Con
stitution is Protestant also, becau** r pr t*--t
og&inst Kingcraft and Priestcraft. I do not
mean that it is Prote'tant in the confined
sen-e ,n applied to the tecta, o ceded, hut
Prote-tant in the enlarged sense of protecting
against bigotry and intolerance oi every
kind.
i A loan may be nn American ard not a
| Christian, but he cannot be a Christian and
not an American in principle; hence, all good
men in Europe look to our shore* for hope
i and I ight. Shall we Jet Romnniftn put out
that hope and light ?
The Romanists, after destroying the public
schools, may wish to repress free speech and
'he liberty of the press, ami ask these as “po
i litical favors.” Next, that the United States
“hall make a Concordst or compact with the
Pope that no other than hi* religion as he
calls it,) shall be tolerated. Where i* this
! thing to end, if the Romanist* think they can,
as a balance of power, force their measures on
i political party. Certain it is they appear
to give their votes only where they hope for
! the advancement of their own schemes, a* in
our County, to obtain certain municipal fa
j vors they voted with the Democrats to elect
mayor and aldermen, and to carry the-county
offices they united with the Radicals and
elected their own people to nearly all of .them.
I but state facts, and leave you to nppf.V the
moral at your leisure.
Under the rule of the Priestly power, con
trolled by Koine, they form a foreign political
power, whose end anti aim are to subvert our
institutions as to every cardinal point. They
know no other politics than such ns tend to
! Roman rule. J f they discuss our politics in
i their papers it is but by play to fasten
! themselves to a party to obtain power and “po*
| lifical favor?” in return. They avow “they
' are Catholic* first, citizens next.” Why should
we disbelieve them :> Indeed, they cannot be
! otherwise, since Papal decree.*, e.r Cathedra,
are to them a* the voice of God, which they
will surely obey in preference to our laws, he
| they ever so good and wie, nad however
mu. h they may be founded on the tenehings of
Heavenly truth leading to universal good.
There is no doubt this Romanist influeqo in
J politic* will be a prominent, perhaps an over
shadowing issue in the next Presidential cam
! paig. How are you to meet it? As Senator
! Thurman has done in Ohio? He does not
touch the issue that will be made. On one
! hand we have the Papal Syllabus and Vati
i ean decrees, on the other hand we have the
’ Constitution. They are in direct conflict; one
* or the other must prevail; which shall it be
is the question. The Romanists will not deny
that they are working to the establishment of
the Papal teachings e.r Cathedra. They tell
you their allegiance is due first to the Pope,
next to the country. The Pope commands in
his Syllabus—can they, dare they disobey ?
They have commenced a skirmish at the out
posts on the public school system, to be follow
ed bye-and-bye by a general baffle. Is it
best to wait till sheir army is recruited, or
shall we engage and route them now ? This
is what the people will be called upon to de
cide. Are you, as a party, willing to go be
fore the people, without elearly defining your
position in -ueh an issue 7
It is true the Roraani*fs are yet a minority
of our population, but as a balance of power
they can make themselves terribly eft*etivc
Dr. Newman says :
“All political changes are wrought by a
•ompaet and disciplined minority. The mass
of mankind are shown by experience, and ap
pear fated by the constitution of our nature
to follow any vigorous impulse from a deter
mined and incessantly aggressive few."
Now in a minority, they are and can be very
effective. Shall we wait till they become
nearer to a majority ?
Is it not better to preach and teach a little
American doctrine lor the enlightenment of
I the masses, and also for the laity of that ccf,
| who may be enough American to prefer onr
, free government, to that of the Autocracy of
• Route. It is to be hoped, at least, that Ro
manists, born and bred in this country, will
; have imbibed sufficiently of our love of liberty
1 to reverse the saying of the Bishop, nnd as
citizens, give their firft allegiance to a < n
-stitution like our*, so manifestly Christian,
and which makes no distinction of creed, but
tolerates every shade and variety of opinions,
if not subversive of moral*, good order and?
t‘qual rights.
There is little doubt that but for the Catho
-1 lies who fastened themselves upon the Demoo
racy of Ohio as the horrible “Old man of the
Sea” fastened himself on Sin bad the Sailor,
the State would have been carried against the
; Bullionists, a and if the Democrats fail in their
just hopes for the future it will be owing to
, the same “Old Man,” who will insist on being
carried along by them.
(Had *hall I be to see the Catholic votes
given in support of honest government, but it
must be because as citizens they declare in Its
favor, ami not because they expect “political
favors” in return.
The Democracy, T should think, have no
favors to give to any sect, but will defend
Cathotics, Protestants, Jews, idolaters and
ill sects against the assaults of intolerance in
accordance with our fundamental laws.
E. Yri ft.
THE CURRENCY OUESTION.
About thirty-five years ago we published
a pamphlet styled the “Republic Bank.”
It is now out of print and perhaps no copy
exists.
Iu this pamphlet wo argued that it was
of no consequence what medium of ex
change we had, whether shells, bits of
wood, paper, or gold, so long as the issne
of this money be kept constant in volume.
Prices would always adjust themselves to
the amount.
2d. That if such money were re
deemable in the products of the
country, (as are our greenback?) it
would always be held valuable, not only
amongst ourselves, but in every commer
cial mart in the world in which cotton,
rice, tobacco, our manufactures, flour, hay
or any other of our productions found a
market.
3d. That founding paper on a gold basis,
made the paper fluctuate jnt as the cold
i markets flnetnate in vatne in the principal
centres of gold, which enabled these cold j
controlling centres* to rrdse or depress the
value of our paper currency whenever
they oho-'*to do so. Besides that, the j
constant action of European governments
by looking either or war, caused j
& varving value in gold ; and this ot it
self would tend to the instability of onr
paper currency, founded on gold as a
basis. Therefore no country could free
itself from foreign influences, unless it had
a currency of its own, independent of all
other countries.
Circumstances have forced the United
states to have a legal tender currency of
paper. The people like it. They can buy
houses, lands, cotton, sugar, riee, tobacco,
flour, and manufactured articles of all
kinds with it, and the paper is redeemed
by oil who have value to give for it. What
other reden ption do we want? Is not
gold redeemed in the same manner ? We
do not eat gold, we do not drink it. Cold
is not n house to live in, or lands to cul
tivate. It is not cotton, it is not cloth,
but i* only redeemed in these products ol
toil. It paper, then will do the same,
why is it not as good a medium of ex
change ms gold ? But say the Solons of
the gold idolatry school :
Ist. Gold has an intrinsic value. So
|it has; but not so much as iron. We
could better do without .gold than without
iron, lead, or copper. Its only intrinsic
value is in the uses to which it can be ap
; plied;such as jewelry, ornmental branches
I of art, etc.
It is its use as money that gives
'it a preponderance of value, and this
is artificial and not intrinsic to it. Let
gold cense to ho used as money, aud
it would command a price not much, if
any, above copper. They say,
2d. It requires so much labor to get
it out of the mines, and therefore repre
sents so much labor.
So it does ; but cotton, sugar, houses
and manufactures cost labor too, and rep
resent labor just as much ns gold does.
3d. That gold is more fixed in amount
;or volume and incapable of a sudden
increase, ami is therefore a better standard
of value.
We know this is not entirely true, as
year alter year the amount of gold has been
; steadily increasing by successful mining,
hence that its increase year by year
causes a change in values. Not so with
paper, as it can be kept bv proper legisla
tion, at one amount and volume as a me
dium ot exchange. Paper therefore has
the advantage in this over gold, namely :
fixidity of volume, the great desideratum
iu a medium oi exchange. It matters not
it a circulating medium bo one hundred or
five hundred millions, prices soon adjust
themsoivcs to the amount circulated.
If when the currency is one hundred
millions ii circulation, flour be worth five
dollars per barrel, its price would increase
if the amount should be increased to live
hundred millions. With a sound and
healthy currency, demand and supply
should bo the only cause for fluctuations
lof price. England can make us sell our
produce at any price she pleases by her
manipulation of gold, because our paper
is founded on the metal of which she lias
a large amount. Our country can never
prosper, lulmi will urver be protected, till
we banish so unstable u currency as paper
baaed on gold.
When onr government promised to pay’
onr bonded debt and interest in gold, she
handed the nation bound hand and foot, to
European Gold Barons. She made two cur
rencies, one for the people and another
for the government, by requiring all
Custom House dues to be paid in gold.
Then commenced the rings, bulls and
bears of the gold room. Then were our
importing merchants at the mercy ot a set
of gambit rs. Then was our currency so
deranged that no values were stable.
Hence too, the stoppage of manufactures
on account of strikes and the distress of
the millions of working men and laborers
who could not obtain work at prices that
would support them. A paper currency
founded on gold, is the Pandora’s box
from which has come the periodic panics
that have occurred every stiued number
ot years since its establishment, when
banks were allowed to issue paper based
on gold.
If we must have gold for a currency’, let
it be that and nothing else. Lot it be
criminal to issue a circulation of paper
based on that metal, as no such paper can
he safe for any leugth of time. England
can do it, because she owns the gold. If we
had control of gold, and England as we are,
deficient in that metal, we could have her
at our feet, as she now has ns.
What then is the remedy?
Ist. Have one legal paper currency—
uniform in kind—that is, have it all is
sued by the government.
2d. Let this currency be receivable by
the government for all debts to it in every
department.
3d. Pay the interest of our bonded debt
in this currency and no qther. When we
do tins, weshadberid of panics created
by the bulls aud bears in gold, and
place ourselves in a position of unchanging
prosperity, so tar as financial stability* can
give us prosperity.
It will be argued that this would be
breaking onr pledge to the bondholders
to pay interest in gold. But if we pay
them in that, which wili buy any of onr
products, and which will give them their
coveted gold, how can we be said to wrong
them ? We shall give all that gold could
buy ; what more could they’ ask ? We can
make our currency at any time as valuable
and more so than gold, by so diminishing
onr circulation that cotton would cost less
in greenbacks than it would in gold.
In asking their pound ot tb sh they have
no right to take our blood with it. They
have no right to destroy us, and make onr
commerce, onr manufactures and agricul
ture the plaything of this gold ring.
Our countiy would have been most stable
in its prosperity. There would have been 1
no c;i s for bread by those w illing to labor,
no strikes, no shrinkage in values and ruin
of thousands, had we a paper currency
pure aud simple —uninflueuced by another
kind ot currency.
We have not enlarged on this subject,
because we do not wish to present too
long an article. What has been written is
intended as suggestive aud to stimulate
thought.
Ihe cry to suffering ’abor is, *go to
work." But of what use is it to go to
work, if as last its they acquire anything
it i* swept from them by the unsettling of
values. Industry is paralysed, when men
know not that they win reap anything
troin their label's or ootlay of capital : and
in tact, when they know that all they make
will only go to enrich the Lord’s of the
Gold King, who make gold scarce or plen- !
timi as they please aud thus depreciate
or enhance ihe buying value of onr cur
rency and rnin every industry by the
fluctuation. ♦
TO MY ROMANIST FELLOW
CITIZENS.
FRIKXPS -AXP OorNTETUTN :- Yon
have voluntarily come ro the la ml
whose o-overnment was fonnUod hy
the Pnritano. the 1 ami
Protestants in general. The land of
Washington. Jefferson, Madison, the
Adamses, Franklin and a host ot similar
spirits. As in the atmosphere and soil
of Ireland, the serpnnt tribe cannot live
so in this, our favored atmosphere,
nothin'? contrary to freedom can he
tolerated. Yon knew before you came
here that uch was the case. Amon?s f
ns, all errors are tolerated, providing’
reason is left free to combat them.
Hence onr tree press and onr free
speech. Your Bishop. Gross, is using
this freedom. He circulates through'
out tlie State, attended hy other Priests.
He preaches, lie lectures, and endeavors
to impress his views on large audiences
made up mostly of Protestants. Amet t
-1 cans hear all sides, try all things, and
hold last to that which commends itsei
c
ito their reason as being true and good
I I ask you to be as tolerant as are other
Americans. I ask you to hear me as
j our Protestants hear you Bishop. It is
! possible that your Piiests may command
| you not to read my paper. It may be
placed under an interdict, ft appears
| as though your Priests are afraid to let
a ray of light enter your understand-.
! ;ngs, or they would not place so many
j restrictions on you. They scent to me
| t o have erected a house built of slats
| and chinked with clay, with no windows
and whose doors is kept well guarded
The only light to this house being a fire
i enkindled by themselves. Should by
j time or accident any of the c!ay fall off,
! nnd a rny of sunshine penetrate, imme'
j diately the crack or crevice is carefully
, closed ht’ the attendant Priests, so that
: the enclosed inhabitants may never see
; bu; by the artificial light of the Priestly
j fire of coals.
From this confinement, friends and
fellow-citizens, I would aid to deliver
you. I will address myselt to your
reason and understanding. Take noth
ing from tne on trust, but if I give you
a good reason tor what I advance, you
will he false to yourselves, to the God,
who gave yon the faculties of men, and
to your country, if you fail to hear, to
weigh and honestly determine as to the
truth.
Why should your Priests prohibit yott
from hearing all sides of a question, if
they think their house is built npona
rock 1 Do those who inhabit such
houses, fear the winds or floods ? Is it
not rather evidence of having built
ou sand that makes them afraid of even
a zephyr or slight shower 1 Be men,
therefore! Be Americans and use your
freedom of investigation and ration
i ality! You are living in an age of won -
| derful progress ; from Ihe advantages
|of which your guides would exclude
! you. They preach antiquity. One of the
| Fathers, t 'yprian. wisely says: “The
Pagans vaunt their antiquity as if truth
hath need of being ancient. Jt is a. dia
bolical custom to make antiquity an ar
gument in favor of lies."
Chtistianity, like every other Godlike
j gift, is more and more developed with
| the growth of time. Compare onr age
with the barbarism of men of the first
century of the Christian era; compare
it with the dark and middle ages, and
tell me if we have not advanced. True
w’e have great crimes, but we also have
great virtues to balance them. Here
with us every man “may sit nnder his
vine and fig tree, and none to make him
afraid.’! Was it so anciently ? Then
why appeal to antiquity, unles we wish
to become again barbarians.
The world moves and you have to
move with it; j’ou cannot without loss
refuse to partake with others of the
benefits of an unfolding providence. I
have therefore a right to hope that you
will rise independent and will east off
the shackles of those who would en
slave the God'given rights ot free
thought and free speech, and be willing
to at least give attention to what I have
to say: "Ask, seek, knock,’’ is the
Lord's command to all, and no one
should countermand him.” "The wisest
man may be wiser to day than he was
yesterday, and to morrow than lie is to
day. Total freedom from change would
imply total freedom from error, but this
is the prerogative of Omniscience alone."
The thing called Faith grows, and i9
subject to rising higher and higher ; as
is very evident from Scripture, as in
Luke 17.5 : “And the Apostle said unto
the Lord, Increase our faith ; and Paul
speaking of the Gospel of Christ says : ■
“For therein is the righteousness of God i
revealed from faith to faith." Romans,
1.17, As the use of faith is to make i
inen belter in their lives, therefore all
faith must be founded on truths, and i
the proof that a thing is true is that it
leads to good. A false faith is as dead j
as a corpse without life. Faith is not re
ligion. Religion is the life of I.ove to
God and man. Faith but leads to this :
and yet. men are prone to call their I
faith their religion.
There is but one true religion in the
world, and ir is universal : belonging to
men ot the different faiths, and men of
everv faith may belong to it if they but
live the life of love one to another, for
i'love is the fulfilling of the law. He
who loves his fellow man, will not steal
from him. will not speak falsely, will
not commit adultery, will nor kill, or
covet what belongs to him. and hence
it is that the Lord says ; "Cpon love to
God and man hang all the law and
the prophats." That ail men of everv
nation may be of this religion, which is
the onlv saving one. we learn abun
dantly from Scriptures. I will quote I
but four passage® : 1 might quote many
znorp •
' “And John skid : Master, we saw one
easting out devil® in ihy name, ami we
tnrbaif him, because he folioweth not us.
Vnd Jesus said unto him : Forbid him
not; for he that is not against us, is for
us. ' Luke 9 49.
To “cast out devils,” is to expel from
the heart all evil affections. This may
' be done hy those of every faith, and in
i the name or the Lord too, though thej’
i may never have heard of tile words
i -jesus Christ;’’ because, whoever acts
i front a sense of religious obligations,
acts from the Divine Spirit, so that
; though lie may not follow Christ's
; special apostles and disciples, yet in
truth he follows the unseen Jehovah;
| whose mission to earth tvas to teach us
I to avoid evils as silts against Him, and
tints open the door to his heavenly
j kingdom ot love to man. Therefore, the
| Lord said: “He iimt is not against us,
j is for us;” though they may not follow
| you.
i Again it is said. Acts 10.34: “Then
| Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a
truth 1 perCeieve that God is not a re
specter of persons. But in every na
tion he that feareth hint and worketh
righteousness is accepted with him. ’
Raul says, 1 cor., 13. 2: “And though
\ 1 have the gift of prophecy, and under
stand all mysteries, and though 1 have
j all failii so mat t could remove mouit
| tains, and have not charity’, 1 am noth
! ing- ’ , ,
I The most conclusive and un-answerablo
I text, however, is to be found in llev. —7
jt*. “Aher this I beheld, and lo a great
j multitude, which no tnau can number, of
; alt nations, kindreds, and peo, ie, and
j tongues, stood before the throne, and be
! tore the Lamb, clothed with white robes,
and palms m their hands.”
This shows, conelusively, that men of
every faith find acceptance with God, who
live in Hint by a spiritual life of good,
J which all can do by shunning evils against
his neighbor, as sin against God.
The scriptures are lull of such decla
rations, yet men will light for what they
vainly call religion to establish their
faith, and iu doing these snow
they have not that faith which
“woiketh by love,” which is the
only faith recognized in the to
vealed word ot God, as being avail
able tor salvation, and which teaches
us to regard every man whether Jew,
Christian or Pagan, as our brother iu
Christ, if he works righteousness in
God.
There is but one communion of saint's
! on earth, otic church ot the Lord —made
i up ot the religiously good of every de
| nomination, whatsoever his peculiar
opinions or doctrines may be.
This was clesrly illustrated a few
weeks ago on the death t>f Mr. Solomon
Cohen, a gentleman ot Jewish faith.
Such was me purity of ltis character,
that he had the respect ot every class ot
the community. His funeral was at'
tended bv puolie bodies, of which he
was not a member. A universal public
demonstration was made of respect for
his memory. Why was this ? Did it
not show that it was tiie matt who was
regatded, anti not his laitli V Thus will
it .ever be. .'superior worth as a good
and ttseiui citizen, will ever command
public respect, Bea mail’s creed what
| ever it may. It we, being evil, pay re
| speet to the good, how much more will
Lie, who is goodness itself.
We might also cite the respect paid
j the memory ot Mr. A. lOinsteln, wnose
j lunertU cortege, made up of all classes,
j black and white, reached from his house
jto the cemeteiy. Patti truly said: "He
is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but
who is one inwardly."
the heathen themselves, show so called
Christian’s lessons, we might do well to
learn. The Kbauds of Orissa say in
prayer : \\ e are ignorant of what is good
to ask for : Ton know what is good tor
us, give it us." What a contrast is this
prayer, to our long winded appeals to
De.ty tor this and that thing, ns if God
does not * ’know what things we have need
ot before we ask him,"
Can a man help being born a Catholic,
or a Jew, or a Mahouamedan, or a Ra'
gun ? Can lie help it, if from childhood
he has been taught a peculiar set of
doctrines? is lie to be condemned for
these opinions, impressed by “paternal
teachings on his tender mind.”
Would God condemn him for that
which is not his fault? assuredly
not. But the man is condemned
lor the deeds of his life, when dene from
evil affections. lou may reply, but does
not Christ say we must believe in his
name, it we would be saved ? assuredly he
j does,.and He also says, “by- this shall men
know it you love mo, if you keep my- com
mandments.” The test of is the
keeping of his commandments, all which
are meiuded in the two, “to love God and
to love your neighbor.” This is his name
ol Jesus and Christ. The word name im
plies qua ity, hence all the teachings aud
doings ot Const, are involved in the words:
“His Name." This we may know from
our every-day habit of mind, as when we
call the name ol Washington, Franklin,
Socrates, or any other worthy, we are im
mediately impressed with the qualities
peculiar to each; so, to believe in their
names, is to approve of their qualities,
and endeavor to follow them. Therefore,
in like manner, to believe in the name of
Jesus Christ, is to approve his divine
! qualities of truth and goodness. But have
Christians no advantage then, over Pagans?
j surely they have, because they 7 have the
j inspired teachings of Christ to instruct
| them more fully of their duty to God and
| man, an advantage not enjoyed by any
hut Christians. Woe, to them, however,
ii in spite ot these advantages, they turn
! to the iove of selfish power and domin
i ion; the loves of self, of the flesh and
the devil, their condemnation will be the
greater; tor it is written: “For nnto whom
soever much is given. of him shall much be
required.” '‘But he that knew not, and
S did commit things worthy of stripes, 9hali
I be beaten with few stripes.”
Christians have the “Word,” the Pagans
have not, each will be judged accordingly.
: Let as not be fanatical, but willing to ex-
I amine our faith and test it rationally to see
I lf '* ia °f such a quality as leads to mutual
| love.
You may complain that we would show the
i I>o P e to he in error, and very fallible. Well,
suppose we do? Paul says: "Let God be
true, but every man a liar.” -Tour priests
reverse this scripture and say, "Let the Pope
be true, but God, science and every man a
liar."
“Oh. the lover may
Distrust mat look that steals his soul away.
The bake may cease to think that it can play
With heaven’s rainbow : Alchemists may
doubt
The shining gold their crucibles give out.
But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded !'a°t
To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the lat.”
Let me beg of you to discard fanatic Faith.
Let us travel hand in hand, reasoning with
each other, and not “fall out by the way.”
ay as the Psalmist says: "o pen thou
mine eyes, 0, Lord, to behold wondrous things
out of tin* law.”