The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-01-09
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century, and that, too, a century when arts
science and individual liberty have been widsss.s
ly disseminated. Why isJsiit so When the
mind and body Of man is confined in,the le.;e!
and religious tenets Of fdespotic. govern
ments:s religious feelings are governed blythe
toiHof one, not all, and one great cause Of scep-
tcIsm is the undue restriction Of thought on
religious subjects in early life. The conse-
qnencc Of this often is, that when rlper years
claim, greater latitude and independence of
reflection, tho mind itself never having been
habituated to Judge for itself rushes into ex.
travagance of sentiment. Tie notions il had
previously held are early cast off, because
| they have been imposed rather than adopted,
and because, neither conviction, nor regard,
to consistency, il interested in their retention.
| 1t is in speculative affairs as in those relating
to poltics;-long submission to tyranny. is
| followed by liccntous outbreaks, not only
f.om the cifervescence occasioned by feel
ing Of triumph, but from want of skill in the
exercise Of the newly acquired power, as is
slrikingly cxemplcd in both these respects
in the present French government When
the blow at tyranny was struck, counter
one was aimed at religion and behold the re-
sult;-athcsm and communism rule the land
In our OWN republic, where reason and pru-
dcncc guided the helm, the result was not at
| first so dcplorablc. But look at the picture
which it now presents, and review the past
conJo'n,ly. Mormonism and Socialism at the
West, and second Advcnlism and Fourerism
| at the East, stand as the land-marks of
| Free thought. a history OF religion impos.
lures would from library OF itself. The
| human mind, like a straw in the wind, seems
wonderfully susceptible de!usion and impo-
sition of a subject Of all others, tho most i'm.
porlant both for time and eternity. We are
led to these remarks by reading of the death
| "t FATHER MILLER, so styled, whose crusade
was the destruction OF word-but the world
still stands and he has been numbered with
the dead. From the time Of Paine, to the
advent OF Mormonsm, not even excepting
Matthias impos,ures, had credulty out-blush-
ed itself than through the instrumantalty of
this man. He, under his new creed III pre-
dieting the end Of the world, and even naming
the day. brought more misery and distress
wherever his doctrines prevailed, than any of
the numerous fanatics who have at different
periods agitated the world. Under the i'm
preston, that the day named would be the
end of the world, and that The faithful would
| ascend 10 heaven, many distributed their
l, fhpir frio 81,
biggest knavcs getting the largest portion,
for which the zealots, happy in anticipating
the approach of that day which was to waf,
them to everlasting bliss, prepared their as
cen;on robes, and men and women wore
them, waiting patiently for the last trumpet
tc sound, and the approach of tie Angel Ga
briei. The day arrived and the sun rose and
set as beautiful as ever, the earth gavc 10
signs OF trembling, and The heavens no signals
OF dissolution. The creduious fools laid aside
their robes and Miller postponed the advent
TO distant day, but he came to his end, and
not the world. The result of this fanaticism
was painful and distressing. Awakening from
the dream of folly, many OF his disciples found
themselves reduced to bcggary and want
those who accepted tho transfer OF their pro-
pcry, felt no disposition to restore it when
the prophcsy of Miller had become fnlsified,
and many still remain nnxiousy looking TO
the skies for invitation 10 ascend in whicl,
They still reposc confidence. Woman, credu-
lous woman aided this man, for two-,hrds OF
h disciples were females, OF all minds that
! o' the female is most eXcitcallc on religious
topics, and II is well that it is So, for they arc
the pillars OF the church; but man, what
grc,vluus sin thou hast to answer Tor pervert-
ing il from its true course. Credulity al
ways was their share from Mother Eve
downwards This extraordinary man died in
the State of New York on the 20lh inst, in
the 6Sth year of his age. He was a native
OF lt,tstie!d Massachusetts, and was caDtain
in the army OF the United States in the late
war with England, and behaved with bravery
II; the battle OF P!a,,sburgh Happy indeed,
were the dcuson to die with him, but no,
there are others TO rise up i'll his place and
continue the farce little longer. Brother
f"eS, UT inc ''AlcSSihn iSNON, Or george
Munday, the hmie<s prophet, may receive the
ml"tcs ofMIller, ard wlge war against be-
l.ci. And yet while we look with regret
the dc!usons ol the past, the present mani
tests contcmp!a,Wc picture Mormon-
ism, which openly endorses deprayity and
immortality, has located itself in the west and
is daily receiving large access ons, from Eu-
rope. Socialism, divided on, the God-head,
has banshed an inidel section to our shores.
lcarianism, Fourierism AMI the other beliefs
oithe French atheists are daily growing more
hdcous!y distorted by new acccssons OF
crcdu'ous and knavsh persons. The crusade
must be preached, the war of words commcn-
cd, the press and the pup, must arm Tor the