The Sierra citizen., 1854-09-09
Saturday, September 8. As5A.
Religious Newspapers.


Christian advocate and the Pacific, are be-
ginning to be appreciated as they deserve.
This is one more evidence of the march of
civilization which is to redeem the Golden
State from the Vandalism and vice with
which it has been charged by Eastern re-
ligionists.
We have frequently heard objections
made to religious newspapers that "they
meddle too much in political and secular
affairs;" just as though christians erenot
American citizens, and had no right to a
voice among the people. Political news
papers, which have for their object the
advancement of any party, or party meas
ure, are expected to be faithful, stern and
uncompromising, and whenever they fail
to be so they are abandoned by the party,
as milk and water concerns, puerile and
contemplate; but when a religious jour
nal whose avowed object is waging war
with vice in every phase, attempts to
speak with the same energy and decision,
we occasionally hear the cry of cant and
transcendentalism, religious bigotry, ETC.
Though we do not think it the duty of
religious paper to meddle in politics or to
interfere in the legitimate business of any
one, where that business is legalized by
the sanction of Legislature, we must ap-
prove of their faithfulness in condemning
what they conceive to be wrong, indepen-
dent of legislative enactments, which we
regret to say are not always the wisest
that might be conceived, and it is tyrany,
to which no other class of men would SUBJ
nit, to deny even to ministers of the gos-
pei, the right of expressing their opinion
on any subject which concerns them as
citizens, for although they are soldiers of
the cross, their warfare is not against
their country.
Who ever thought of reproving the
barefooted chaplain at Valley Forge, for
inveighing against the tyrant that caused
his fellows to leave their bloody tracks on
the ice and snow? and yet that barefooted
minister was meddling in politics with
vengeance-with his face upturned to
Heaven he was uttering treason, ringing
into the very ears of the King of the Uni
verse, his protest against the doings of
his Sovereign. But that was one of the
occasions when the United States had
need of Heavens help, and christian, jew,
in6del, preacher and layman, forgot their
.creeds, and stood together round the altar
of u common God.
The better part OF the people of Cali
fornia, have become weary Of the yellow
covered literature and obscene trash which
has become nuisance in the mines. The
literary, political and religious papers are
now within the reach of every one, and
the demand for vile publications has
diminished.
In the most out-ofthe-way mining dis
trict there are those who watch for the
dawning of the day of rest with the same
interest that they did at home; and though
they hear not the tolling of the Sabbath
bell, they instinctively look for something
to read, which reminds them of the church
and Sunday school. Though religious
books and newspapers might lie neglected
in their shanty during the week, when
Sunday comes, old letters are looked up
and reviewed, the memory of the lessons
Learned in childhood returns, and when the
yellow sunlight creeps down the hillside
to the miners camp, the stiffness which
reigns continually seems more profound,
and he wishes for something to read,
which may chase away remorse and
drown the memory of broken Sabbaths
and nights of blasphemous revelry. This
may seem to some over wrought; but we
appeal to every one who has not become
quite an outlaw, whether there have not
been hours in his mining or business life,
when he would have given worlds for the
peace of mind and the hope of the gray
haired christian, who leaning upon his
staff, slowly halted up the aisle in the old
church at home?
1t may be superstition. or it may be the
effects of stories of hobgoblins and devils
.told to Us by silly women on whose breasts
we pillnwed our heads in infancy; but who
would have the heart to tell this to the
.dieing nan? Infdelity may do when the
heart beats high and warm, when men
collect together and reason each other in
to the belief that the scriptures are
fable, and the history of the Carpenters
Son is only a romance; but when one of
these mighty reasoners is convinced that
his grave is to be made beneath a pine
tree in the fasness of the mountains. the
icy hand ofdeath presses more heavily on
his brow, when the thought occurs, awbat !