Delaware State reporter., 1854-11-21
From the Dubuque Miners Register.]f
Know Nothingism.- Letter from Metho-
dist Clergyman. rf
WILDs OF CHEAUoUE, Iowa; J
l October 7Ih. 1854.

October fth, 1904. I
MY VERY DEAR FRIEND : Before / left \
Dubuque, yourself and several other gentle
men Of various Christian churches, request
ed the publication of my sermon delivered [
on the 4th inst "A long habit Of speaking
extemporaneously has made me careless /
of the preservation of either sermons or I
speeches which am called upon to make {
from time to time. Therefore, to give you
my language or to transfer to paper my al +
qRS qSossS t. 4y and rsGGsgvse rssFs Gsve 9Bs5sy MOULD
sire to be brief, shall give my opinions to.
yourself in regard to the right Of every
man worshipping God according to the die
tates of his oicn conscience, and just as free
ly express my fears Of and opposition to,
every organization, either secret or open,
which looks to the abridgment Of this great
principle, which is essential to the very ex-
istcnce Of republican government and the
interrupted worship of the living God.
You, sir, are Catholic; | am Metho-
dist Your faith, believe to be the result
of deliberate Judgment formed after care
full investigation. Your convictions and de-
votions are conscientious. just such are
my faith and my dcyotions, and the faith
and devotion of every true Christian every
where. l suppose you could not torsake
your religion and remain an honest man ];
am equally clear that [ could not abandon
my rrinnirlo and retain for moment my self
respect and enjoy the approving smile of
my Holy Maker and Judge, who kindly re-
CARDS the infrmities of his creatures, and
scrupulously abhors pretence or deceit
Then, my dear friend, what are VIC to do !?
On the details of our respective religious
creeds we can never agree. Shall you,
therefore destroy me ? or shall I, with su-
pcrior charity and enlightened .faith, seek
; your annihilation, because we differ concern
ing matters which none but the wise and
, eternal God can correctly determine Is it
an injury to either Of us that the other,
| standing upon his responsibility to the Su-
preme Judge of the universe, chooses to
t consult him alone, and disregard the opin-
ions of men, merely relating to things not
9 of this world 1t would insult your good
/ sense to tamey answer these inquiries in
, the negative, Tor you had anticipated them
all. There is one answer which has beea
conclusive to every reasonable worshippel
of God g Let avass' saiah be ftsil5 J,sI5st,,S-
1 ed in his own mind. The eeeetitetisI4rt4s
1 JllG ldIlNlJ WlGcl1 iOl lOHtlCui
: agreement Of multifarious religious senti-
a ment, has guaranteed to every man right
/ to worship God according to the dictates Of
Y his own conscience. And, for the very
S first time in the history of modern civiliza
/ ton, our national government has not only
a permitted but has encouraged, by her lib
eral legislation, the growth of every sincerc+
/ ly devoted body Of Christians, irrespective
!, Of their name or formulas. 1t is with rei
7 gret that | see an attempt made in yarioul
n portions of the country to create midnigh
censolships and star-chambers, for the avow
o ed object of DISTINGUISHING the Catholi
II population of the country, and waging \
Y warfare of all others the most fearful AM
vindictive-a warfare against religion. y
/ the whole history of the world there neys
has been time when such secret organic
v tions as the Know Nothings were left wiz
d so shallow a pretence for their combinatid
IF as at the present; never time when p
little has been threatened by any organiz4l
y form of Christianity as now.
In the first place, there is not a majoriE
r, in the United States in communion WIN
it any church. There is a very clear majoi-
ty who are not members of any religios
N body, and this majority would resist to tie
rf death the least squirting at an encroac-
ment upon their right of opinion. In tie
second place, the government does not, D.
i, rectly or indirectly support by gifts or fes
any one denomination of Christians, andp
le course can have no preference in her choice
among them. Moreover, the numerica
strength of the communicates Of the severa
Is denominations is very nearly the same, anc
kept in awe by mutual watchfulness. =
1u mutual forbearance, continued since the OF
ganization of our government, has created
Christian fraternity of feeling among con
id fictiug opinions unknown before in the his
re tory Of Christianity.
The population of the United States wa
of in 1850, %, ,191 ,918, and is now about 26
n $1,000; of this number about 900, ,o0I
ge are Methodists Of every order; 10000
are Baptists gs
ne Who, then, that is not afflicted with a ST
on perstitious monomania, can offer reasonabl
pretence for formidable organization {
Oh religious power in the United States? Il
deed, sir, if there ever has been tim
ed when infdelity and contempt for all religio
in had an ascendancy, that time is now
ill But, should time ever come when "
for ligious intolerance threatens the existent
,te of free institutions, and resistance to cecil
siastical power becomes necessary, even the
on, acknowledgement, or any other secret polit
sc. cal organization, ought not to receive ii
for countenance of any lover offree govermen
nks Secrecy and hypocrisy are the favorito !
ore struments of kings and despots. No cqu
ION try can long remain free after its great phi
n ciples are abandoned, and the goyernmer
ties itself becomes the spois Of the tricky, skull
or ing politician. I conceive the Know-NOtl
lch ing organization of this character, or WI
IT. the organization at all in a country lkebun
on, where every man has voice in the legist
of tion of the land? Where no privileged 4
der is established or countenanced by law