Washington telegraph., 1853-11-30
THE SPIRIT of INTOLERANCE.

against that lntolerant Spirit in the mind of
man, which prompts him to desyise and neg
lect his fellow, because Of difference Of be-
lief, or IN worldly station. Intolerance i
the scourge Of human aoeiety--the fountain
of hatred, selfshness aud crime. Unlike
| ether yillarics il most fFa alArtlx appears
in the sinDO.iIcst garb, GnEly dressed ana
well spoken. 1t is popular fallacy to sup
pose those crimes which society visits with
its heaviest rctrihution, are in reality, tie
worst. The Spirit Of Intolerance j. by far
a greater foe to society, than the hosts Of de-
predators who are made to feel the weigh;
and measure Of its vengeance. Bearing
on this point are the excellent and truthful
remarks below, from the pen Of Z. w. Rey-
nolds. writer Of much vigor, whose pro-
ductions we find in the Boston New Era
They are worth reading: Token.
Let Us consider Il Spirit Of Intolerance
Behold its iruits--ripened in Internal climes.
and sheok over the earth in tornadoes VI un-
righteous zeal Behold I'D enpire-braad
as the domain Of Mans thought, DARK a;th
the ashes of martyred saints, terrific with
grooming dissonancc, and barren with vast
ing brand and steel Behold il Festivals
the great ,Judcan Crucitixon, the Amphi-
theatre where Christians were given to the
lions, the Crusaders in the sack Of Jerusa-
lem, the bloody diffusion Of the Faith of
Islam, the incredible atrocities of the Inqui-
sitlon, the contamination Of Inquisitous
madness in Bartholomew awful night -
Behold it, victims-the brightest ornaments
and uJblest teachers Of the world the hon
or Of homes and the WISDOM OF nations, gen.
tie souls rich in meek holiness and angelic
affection, sweet prophetic singers and mighty
pillars of state--Hith works Of Literature
and Art sufficient to pave aud ornament the
Globe
Mournful above all expression has been
the work Of this spirit On the earth. Esurp-
ing tie name of Religion, aud impiousiy
claiming 10 be Gods minister. she has ob-
Structed the progress OF that fratennl kind.
ness which i the great element Of Religion.
aud denied the human mind that liberty of
faith and action, which il the noblest pre-
rogative it derives from its Creator She
has strivcn to reud asunler The bond Of
brotherhood, and 10 eiiacg the Divinity taGt
responds within Us. She has forced the
soul into arbitrary and loaihsome alliance
with dognas the most puerle and devilish
she has broken the intellect into cringing
subjcction to mechanical forces and ground
it beneath an iron conversation, until man.
gled Reason. in its blindness and pain.
swervcd, delirious from it, heavenly orbit
she has petriiied the heart and dried Up Nv
golden springs that her altars might reek
with continual sacrifices and her anthems of
murder 90 up forever Truly, when we
trace her destructive course, and realize
how INSCRIPTIONS she has been ia her use
of means to attain her guilty ends, we feel
in our mingled wonder and adherence, that
she has been. indeed, the Master Fiend of
this afflicted World.
This murderous Spirit of Intolerance still
pervadcs the bosom Of Society,-yea. and
the bosom Of the Church In the Church
Il i most conspicuous, like darkness on the
sun. let not as it once walked, does it
now appear. Its old weapons-the brand,
the axe, the torture-have served their pur-
pose, and are laid aside New weapons
have been acknowledgements adapted 70
the improved state of the times, susceptible
of more adroit manage ment less alarming
and more deadly The demeanor Of Intol-
erance j. changed. Instead Of the Scared
face, aud passion kindled eye, and the knot
ted vindictive brow, which, of old, were
bent on the lnfdel and Hereto, we now
have the calm bearing Of conventional pie
ty, interlined with the tyranical arrogance
OF sectarianism, and Illuminated by the COM
placent twinkle Of conscious anG irresponsi-
bie authority. at times, doubtless it will
kindle with something Of its ancient vehe-
,,,oDoa. L., ty-,,ravaIo,. ,..,.,.ose;,,, - .,
subdued and cautious. Ii has attained to
the lofty wisdom aud meritorious art Of ex-
terminating sects with the cunning PEN and
groaning press; Of stabbing with magic
words of tormenting with a sneer; Of over
awing men with petty sentiments and en-
shaving them with lying aphorisms cf meet
lug the power Of Win with the passion of
Gain, and paralyzihg Virtue with the glare
Of Station
Behold the Intolerance Of socts. What
rancorous hostility-what base intrigue and
puerile jealousy-what dread accusations,
aud unrelenting denunclations-in word.
what tremendous expressions OF cldrn, time
wilhering B.otry. We speak now of what
are called christian sectS; but we must re-
guest our readers to observe how little there
j. in the spirit Of these sects to indicate that
theyare marshallcd under one banner They
manifest little unity Of interest. Of purpose,
or of affection. You might suppose them
the champions Of causes fundamentally and
cternally hostile And such, with their
false estimates and cfouded perceptions, they
are apt to imagine themselves Sect per-
petually exhorts sect to come and worship
on it, own favored mountain, in obedience
to his own formula, in the letter Of H. own
creed, on pain, not only on pain Of Divine
Displeasure, but also-if the dogmas re-