The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-06-29
NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, JUNE %, 1857.

fore we cheerfaIy recommend 10 The cordial aid of all
Glasses Of Christians.
ANOTHER CHARAcrxAIsTIc or THB RRLIaIoUs PRESS
Is ThE RIrTIRNxsS AND NNIrY WITH WHICH IT
ATTACKS ALL OF MANKIND WHO DO NOT BELONG TO
THEIR PANTY AND UNITE IN THEIR Ox8ANizA-
TON.
There il no truth more certain than that happi-
ness consists in virtue. Il Is equally certain tnst
virtue emanates from the Deity, Is derived from
Him, and Is his nature. (Whsn we say the Deity
we mean that Supreme Being and Creator OF all
thiDgs, who has revealed His Word and truth ID
mankind, first in the letter of the Scriptures and
then in bis SOM Now, II the religious world
were possessed of virtue they would be happy and
at peace with themselves and all manknd d; they
would not seek to torment mankind by threats Of all
kinds they would not desire to render them more
miserable Than they are by forcing them TO the
curtaiment of what little enjOyments they
have. They teach aud profess that all mankind
except themselves, are gong TO hell" Nsw, then,
# they had any kindness in their hearts and natures
would nor that BE- misery enough Tor mankin99
Why then do they seek to torment in tails worli,
thOss whom they c0nsga TO eternal misery In the
world to come? Yet they are engaged 10 constant
warfare with the outside world aud interfering with
them in the things wherein tney ebjoy themselves
for short time ia this world before going to the
place to which the religious worli consigDs them.
Why this meddliDg with them? Why tas labor TO
curtail them Of few Innocent eDj0ymen,sl Why
pass laws, or urge upon government IN pass laws to
prevent these p1or wretch-s from tasting drop OF
wiIei What bitter hate, " hat enm'ty against NAH
KIND, to doom Them to an discriminating and sane
bell nr ever beresfter- and not con tent there 20
SEEK to make them miserable nov. Why NEEDLE
vito their dolngs and amusements wherein they do
not meddle with them? If they are all going 10
hell' Why seek to deprive them of little en-
j0yment now? Why attack them and abue
them because they oance, because they drink
vine, because they go TO the theatre
All which things are innocent properly enjoyed, u
bone Of which are prohibited by the law OF & %.
Toere is no mercy, pity nor kindness 10 all tbis.
But mercy pity and kiDdness TO his feowc features,
which are the essential cterst,cs of true CHRIS
tianiy are not 10 be found in conduct engraved
in the heart OF the modern professors OF religion
TIE ATTEMPTS OF TIE RELIGIOUS PRESS ON THE
DRAMA AND DRAMATIC LTrERArUts.
The religions press not con eDt with q1arrelling
potentially with itself, and living Ia a state OF civil
with its own religious c'tem poraries, induiges
itself egu sry in attacking the world and crt,os-
ing and condo inning its avOcasons, with Vhijh, n
this r. Rious press we're really religious, 1t wo0ld
have nothing to co.
Among other things it directs its venom against
dramatic literature. If WE compare the t~o 'oge-
tber viz religious AID dfamatic literature, the
periOrity will be found greatly on the side OF the
latter. Religious Ii erature is most intoleranS and
absurd. 1t paints its characters 10 the most anna'
tuIal light aud the most repul-iVe colors. It's ns
rors, like the genius that con ewes them, are M
kind N amiaoDe, high pretending, hoasting can't
Jig, disgusting Creatures, exhibiting perfection Of
severity and bigotry which is quite bate'u Nan
kind are rendered conceit d, canting bi2ots by
other hand, represents men as they are
il abounds in truthful and striking pi,tuIes
of human nature. 1t Represents folly and VICE by
klein ridicnle aud astic repr0ach; it paints In
its dtnou6ments the inevitable fare OF vice end toe nj
innate reward Of virue; it instructs mankind TO "A
certain extent it reforms the taste and manners Of
the age and has the precursor or the attendant
of the highest civilization which maokiOd have
attained. An admirable and comprehensive COM
pendium OF morals and ethics night be gathered
from the dramatic works Of Shskspere and other
writer's for the stage-whereas a compendium OF
morals collected from the religious literature Of the
day would be both absurd and contem ptible IL
would am mt TO showing silly things, In which
there is neither virtue, honor nor honesty; 1t would
be all summed in the precept, You must go 70
church on Sunday" some similar thing, which
cat might do, and yet remain cat, which dishonest
men do and remain dishonest men. Such is the ma
ture of religious literature when compared morally
with dramatic.
Such are some of the characteristics Of the reli-
gious press which have here briefly con- dersd.
There are doubtless many other features and cha
racteristics upon which we might exten1 our re-
marks, and not without profit to the rejecting mind
true that ''tna which Ia crooked cannot be made
straight" We make no condemnation, for he that
is without sin only has a rgnt Tn lift up stone
against and boast himself over the foes and errors
Of his fellow creatures One thing, however, is
clear and certain and that Is, that the truth ~hch
men have 90 grossly disgured AMI perverted Is the
truth still. IL lives still, though over shelmed by
the multitude of coupterfets. IL will come ont
day or other cleared OF all those vile ountereits
IL will prevail and they will he destroyed ard come
at last TO the exposure and infamy they deserve.