New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-02-12
RELIGION AND REFORM.

ton of Saul and Hewlett. We replied, setting
forth that. while we deemed these culprits
most guilty and their crime hagrant one, We
regarded il as by no means so simple matter
as The. Courier supposed it. to be cured By
q ready application of cord and ak. On
the contrary, We regarded aR as culpable
who had subjected those youths TO the debss-
ing, corrupting. destroying influences of the at
mosphere of intempersnce, profanity and pol
luton in which they had been trained up from
childhood of neglect to juvenile maturity
Of debauchery and crime, ending with death
on the gallows. To this The Courier saw fit TO
respond in an onslaught on Social Reform and
reformers which we at first concluded TO pass
in silence. Yet. on reflection that there sre
many whose personal interests and inveterate
prejudices Will predispOse them to believe its
misstatements, We will have patience to ex-
pose them. The drift of The COHrier's article
NAV be gathered from these extracts:
"our brother is philosopher HIS philosophyis the
perfectbiify o. from the OF their own
nature. he believes that his fellow creatures are i'm
perfect and weak and foolish and wicked. because CIR
cunstances make them and that their true wsy OF
these circumstances.
"our brother regards this as an approaching reality
regard decisive dream lt l. de!usive because
Il practically ignores the supernatural element N tue
elevation OF the human race snd predicstes se eNciu
svev upon sheer naferasri because IL docs violence
20 the CHEST capacities and strongest instincts Of our
nature, and because, whenever or wherever r. or any
thing Ike IT, has been attempted the result has been
miserable failure Society u not mere mechanism
Il = not thing 10 be Manufactured II Il growth Il
has vital action. II hAs natural Arrangements ana ne
cesssry laws IL has character. but that character
determined BY the individuals which compose Il Inere
u no possible way Of reforming IL except by reforming
individual characters and there no way OF perechng
itexcept By perecng human nature and human azure
cannot be perfected except by purgng It OF It's ust and
passions or in other words redeeming the individual
heart tsef from ia native corruption This can only be
efectusly done by divine agency. But the author OF
this dream fancies otherwise He inagnes that can
al be done by placing man IN situation where suoss
ience may be easily Gained and where individuality
usy be merged and lost In community. He takes no
account Of the internal weakness and corruption AMI
looks only 70 the removal Of outward hndrances and
rnconvenences.
way il absurd II than that, u Is unchrstian
Christianity deals with man In such material aud col
lectivs way this IL does regard him fraction
OF a community but individual complete IN al his
capacities and responsibilities IL contanpaies him a.
an immortal being IN state Of probation having his
own life 10 live bis own destiny 20 work out, hs own
soul 20 4 operates not by changing the outward
circumstances bu, the inward ncPie-not by pre-
scrihng the mechanical act but by regulating the voiun
tary purpose" &C, sc.
The idea here evolved is essentially that
of the Caliph who burned the Alexandrian Lii
brary: fit contain anything contrary TO the
Koran it ispernicious, and ought to be burnt
if il contain nothing at variance with the Ko-
ran, it is superhuous, and may as well be burnt
We perfectly agree with The Courier that
the saving Of mans soul is his individual con-
Germ :; and if il sees fit TO add the advice that
he ought to attend to il without delay, We will
agree to that also. But, admitting that soul
saving is the most important of all mundane
concerns, il by no means follows that the refs
nothing else deserving of attention. Now our
Hints toward Reforms address themselves
entirely to the solution of terrestrial problems.
They do not propose to teach any one what ne
must believe or do 10 secure eternal salvation.
They leave that vital theme entirely to men
whose education and profession have qualified
them TO commend it with authority and profit.
We have profound distrust of our swn compe-
tency TO deal with such grave matters, and not
until our piety shall largely superabOund can it
be expected to overflow into our columns 50 as
to render them equal in fragrance and edfcs-
ton TO those of our Wall-st. contemporary.
And yet there is work to be done which we
feel to be within the scope of our humble abili-
ties, and directly in the line of our duty OF
this is the securing OF Education to all who
need il, Opportunity to all who viii improve it,
and Bread to all who seek aud do not refuse TO
earn IT, OF this, also, is the removal of Temp
tation from the feet of the frail and unwary
through antiGambling, anti Dueling, anti-Lib.
ertine and Maine Liquor Laws Such enact
nents We believe to be good and wholesome
for tbs world and, while We do not commend
them as conducive TO salvation in the next, We
are confident they can have no bad influence
ON Mans final destiny. We have nowhere de-
MED the necessity Of Divine agency in re.
deeming the individual heart from its native
corruption while We have insisted, and still
insist, that there is very much that Man may
do-nay, that be is bound to do--toward re-
pressing Social evil and diminishing Human
misery in this world.
The Editor of The Courier, We venture to
affirm, does not rely solely on Divine agency
TO educate his children, to protect him in the
possession Of his property, nor to abate any
miasma or moral nuisance which may happen
to threaten the security and happiness of his
home If house Of riotous and scandaous
resort we're established next door to him, he
would promptly send, not for a clergyman TO
convert the inmates, but for the Police 10 start
them. Yet far be ii from US TO question his
trust in Divine agency We should rather
affirm bis perception that all agencies are in
III. hinhas. sarsa D.z;na xha. rroro=I- u