The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-05-10
The Holy Annual Herald.

Price 81 cents.
The Holy Annual Herald.
This invaluable sheet will contain reports of all the
moral, religious and philosophical societies, num-
berlng thirty, which have taken place in New York
and neighborhood, during the last week. II will be
one of the most remarkable literary productions Of
the age, as showing the march of intellect and the
progress of the human mind in this country. 1t will
be ready this aftemoon-prlce 81 cents.
"
The Philosophy or the Recent Anniversaries.
The numerous nniversares-amomting to about
thirty in al-which have been held in this city du-
ring the week, suggest great deal of interesting
and moi altogether protless speculation and rchec-
ton They are many induces of the movements
and workings OF the popular mind in religion, morals,
civilization and philosophy reports Of hui
man progress, which no intelligent and thoughtful
observer can allow to pass unstudied. Let us look
al them in this aspect
Two thirds OF these meetings are of purely re-
hgious and moral character. And one remarkable
feature which distinguishes all, is high toned Pro-
testantism. A strong and decided sectaranism
marks every one of them. The circulation of the
Protestant Bible-the dissemination of Protestant
tracts-the sending forth of Protestant mission
arieshe support Of Protestant colleges-the vindi-
cation and propagation of Protestant doctrines
the great objects of these associations. The des-
truction of Popery is the grand and avowed
aim OF all their efforts. This is the ia
vorite theme Of the orators The movement of
these societies then cannot be strictly regarded as
putting forth of the energies of the Christian world
tor the evangeizaon of the nations-it is part and
parcel of the great anagonstic effort which the one
great sect has been engaged in ever since the Refor
nation. Catholicism meanwhile is idle. 1t is
active, but its mighty machinery silently and
without public appeals and public parade. Its thou
sands Of missionaries every where at work. 1t
is planting churches and colleges, and converts, and
semnaries all over the continent Thus with its
policy changed and conformed to the spirit of the
age, the church of the seven hills still presents its
front, massive, extended and mbroken, to the adj
vanclng forces Of Professionalism.
One third of these associations are philosophical,
Fonrierlte, Abolition, and lnfidel. They constitute
most singular and interesting part of this intellec-
tual movement. Some of them are directly opposed
TO Christianity-they denounce all the religious
movements as the work of priestcraft and nmical
10 human liberty and happiness Others affect to be
purely philosophical, announce new theories of So
ciety and seek to regenera,e the world by upsettng
the system of Fourier, or Owen, or some other social
reformer
The number of persons directly engaged in all
these movements is very inconsderable-m
more so than many at first sight would imagine
And very little influence is exerted on the great
masses of the people by these associations, notwith
standing all the effort and noise which mark their
operations. Probably not more than from five to
ten thousand individuals, two thirds of them females,
take any direct interest in the religious societies.
The clergy-young aspirants for clerical notoriety
and prefement-and laymen whose vanity, ambition
for display in the only field open to them and, per-
haps pous feelings, thus gratiiedare the chief
conductors of these movements. The great mass of
business men--the active members of the community
who control the great tide of social progressdo not
take any part in these associations The iniidel and
philosophical movements have still fewer supporters.
Not more than thousand Neutrality-suspicious. third
OF them females, few Of them young and most of
them old and ugly-unlte in these efforts to revol,-
tlonize society and public opinion.
The philosophers too, are men who have little
personal influence in society. They are dreamy
wild, and visionary enthusiasts unfit for the practi-
cal business of the world, who are jostled aside in
the movement of the crowd of the active and indus
trious millions, and who wander away and are lost
in the wilderness of abstraction and impractcabilU
All this curious, varied, and original machinery
moral, religious and philosophical of all kinds can
not be set IN motion without money. How much
money, then, do these associations collect? Where
does il come from! The religious societies do not
collect more than between three and four hundred
thousand dollars annually. Little of this is coec-
ed in New York. The great bulk of contributions
comes from the counuy-from the pious, quiet re-
ligious, Popery-hating rural districts. The phioso
piers get very little money-probaby not more than
between three and four thousand dollars year. 1t
is remarkable trait in the character of these phi
losophers, that they will give you great deal of
talk, but very little money. They have, indeed,
something of contempt for money. Industry is
contemplate according to them, when its object is
the dirty dross called money. Pure philosophy
should, they think, serve mankind for meat drink
and lodgings few, however, do manage to
make their philosophy "pay."
Afterall then the influence of all these movements
on the masses is very slight The masses are practical
masses-they are common sense masses-they are
money-making masses They are masses that love
the almighty dollar" more than they love Almighty
God. And yet, these proceedings, year after year,
these movements--religious, moral, philosophical.
infdel Fourierite, social, and all-are not withou,
certain results-resuts in greater or less degree
beneficial The religious movements on the one
hand representing the strong sectaran feelings and
prejudices of the past-and the philosophical move
ments on the other, representing the utraism of the
age cropping its way into the msts and darkness of the
future, are like the two opposing forces of electricity
operating on the intellect and opinion of the time.
The results must be satisfactory The spirit of free
inquiry is encouraged. The public mind is excited
to new and useful courses Of investigation Foolish
theories are seen in all their extravaganza and i'm
pracncabiy. Genuine religion comes out pure and
attractive, as ever from the conflict with infidelty
lnfidellty itself, allowed perfect freedom, becomes
more moderate and less blasphemous. The TRUTH
IS all the time widening its dominion; and slowly.