Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-08-31
Farmers and mechanics

have it so. Farmers and mechanics
have been too fond of getting their
sons into the "learned professions,
so called-that they might rise in the
world, and obtain some office or sta
ton that would bring them money in
more reputable manner than to per-
form manual labor for it! Thus they
have dishonored their own calling.
A grievous 6 deplorable evil among
the working classes themselves is,
that they wrong each other-taking
all the advantage of each other that
human law and loose public NOR
atty will allow-neighbor deceiving
and defrauding neighbor-one max
ing anothe1's necessity his own op-
portunity - or taking advantage Of
the others weaker judgment, OF more
benevolent feelings, or greater cred
ulousness arising from honesty Of
heart. But the weight of response
'bility, for the continuance of all the
evils arising from selhshness, and
for the results of them here and
. hereafter, rests most fearfully on the
|
teachers of morality and religion
! The popular religion of the times
fails to reach the root Of the evil. 1t
does not eradicate selhshness. The
teachers of it are as mercenary set
of beings as can be found on the face
, Of the earth. There are noble ex-
captions. But they are only excep-
) tons. For general thing the cler-
5 ical calling is made trade. "The
priests thereof teach for hire, and
: the prophets divine for money" Not
but that moral and religious teachers
t should have as good and competent
t a support as any other class of com.
S munity. But the mischief and cor.
; ruption of the present system con.
r sists in their being employed to do sucl
r ,oork as IS required By those ac1o pas
n them, and to refrain from such aOork a
st IS forbidden. The things that are
= popular with the employers must bt
t advocated, and the things that art
l. unpopular with them must be lie
$, alone. The most popular, and prev
l. alent, and destructive thing amon'
o. men is seyfshness. This the popula
l. religious guides and teachers vii
W denounce, sin the abstract" ~ jus
p as they will slavery, one of its fruits
e, But then they will go right off an
a. live down their own preaching b,
| their own practices, just as have tn
ID authors and supporters of America
lie Independence, SO styled. These hav
IS, always talked largely about freedom
ng and human rights, but at the sam
ii time have been the greatest practie
es al oppressors and tyrants living
e The popular political and religion
e, systems of this country are in league
n, and are alike full of mockery an
er hypocrisy. They are scourge
en- Humanity, an outrage upon Chris
I'd tianity, and impiousness before Goo
mt They go hand in hand, in support {
On monopolies, aristocracies, caste, pre-
p udice, and violence. Partyism i
Id the state and sectarianism in tn
y church are one and the same thins
ne They have a common origin and
s community of interests. They Or
Id ginate and are built up in seJfshnes
:" the opposite of beneuolence, which
te the essence of the religion taught b
Sc Jesus Christ. They join together
ne put down the encroachments of trutl
nd benevolence and holiness upon eithe
II The church becomes alarmed fc
he the safety of her foundations, at til
d. exposure of her enormous blooc
on guihiness by an Individual here an
n there preaching after the primitiv