Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-07-19

IIUMBUG.-This is said 10 be day Of hum
bugs, and perhaps IL 10 so. But when were
there not humbugs ahoa, IN the world p
Whcn was there time that people were not
touni " no would take advantage of The Gre
dnl,y Of the great public for the sake oi fur
ihenng either their interest or their ambition
or both? Some OF these 'hunbDgs' have
rucceedcd well, and have led away many
who have not yet found their way back
again.
But there IL such thing as increduiy. as
well AZ credulity A man who believes moth
ing will learn nothing; and perhaps II Is u
more uhfivorable sign for man to be too
incrcdnlous than il Is to be croduous. a
man sets every thing down as n hoax or i'm.
poslIIon may be Justly suspected OF Posscss-
ing no extraordinary share at honesty HIM
sclf It's in vain that he prIdcs himself on
his penetration, for It requires as much pcne
traiion to discover tryth rs II does to detcc,
error.
In all nges there has been much error mix.
ed up with truth. But because there are ma
ny enterprises set on foot. which may not be-,
IN every respect reasonable and just, il fol-
lows not that every enterprise is foolish anaI
hurr1ul. Let us proceed on such principle
and the world will progress neither in know.
primeval barbarisn. At this day we have the
Temperance enterprise, the missionary, abo
lition, aud moral reform enterprises also
phrcnoogy, animal magnetism, 1homsonsn
Ism, and other sciences. Now we may con
demn all these IN lump II we please, and
take it Tor granted that the world has become
so good and so wise that il can neither grow
better nor wiser, and that every new enter
prise or science is consequently 'humbug,'
requiring a mob to put IL down. But let us
look little at history. When Peter The
Hermit went through Europe preaching upI
the crusade, and sninmonIDg kings, knights.
and squircs To unsheaib the sword Tor the re-
covery of tIre Holy Land, the whole affair
undoubtedly was 'humbug., But when Co
lumbus went through Spain, cndeavorng Ia
convince the people that there was land IN
the West, II was no bumbug at all. Again.
when Mahomct told his dreams and desert
he'd his visions and proclaimed himself the
true prophet Of Cnd IL was doubtless hum
bug-but when Jesus Christ of Nazareth
raised the dead and declared himself to b.
the true Messiah, there was eternal truth in
the declaration. The Christian church wa
ded through blood and tears--ihe apostles sci
the people IN an uproar, aud the christian re-
lgion was planted amid storm and tempest
Again when The inlidels in France s,rovo Ia
abolish the Christian Religion and worship.
ped a common prostitute whom they nickna-
med reason, there was something very much
like iumbug in this-bnt my Protestant
Readers viii detect no humbng in The thnn
dcring Of Luther, his dcnuhciat of The
abuses Of the Romish religion and his endca-
vors 10 purge the primitive church. All
things therefore, are not humbues and il
docs not follow that because we detect the
fallacy of some pr tensions that all other pre-
tensions are also false. IL is very possible |
that as there were some good enterprises sci
on foot in ancient days, there may be some
set on foot in modern days likewise.
II is not sufficient io charge the origina-
tors Of these enterprises with selfish and am
bitous motives it is not sufficient to stigma
ire them az fanatics or fools for that IL go
ing but very little wny into the argument.
We are not authorized to pronounce upon
the natives of others in this off hand manner.
Indeed such charges involve the reputation
of the men That make them unless they can
be fully mud pal7aby established.
We do not pretend, in this brief essay, to
point out enterprises or what new sciences
we conceive To be founded on justice or rca-
son, and which we regard rs false and delete
ripns. We merely desire that before the rca-
der makes up his mind that every new thing
is a humbug, he may consider, firstly wheth-
er every new thing has always been a hum.
bug, and, secondly, whether the world is at
present SO happy, so wise, and so vr'nous
That mn further Improvement IS posslbe.-
Boston Herald.