Weekly Clarksville chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857, 1857-06-26
aCLARKsVILLE, TENN FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1857.

railway and the steamship, is also respon.
Isible for the wild vagaries of free-love and
Ispiritualism; and, if churches are more
numerous and magnificent, who will say
that many of them are not trophies OF
pride, rather than contributions of piety
In the northern cities, churches and
theatres are often built on speculation; the
same people patronize both and a piquani
preacher and a popular actor are needed
to make either paying concern. What
though the people are more richly attired,
live in palaces, and ride in coaches when
the records Of, the court show that crime
lis frightfully ON the increase; when the
drugged cup, the murderous knife, and
the fearful garrote are busy with their
work every night, and life is no longer
safe; when the press teens with details of
robbery, forgery, railway peculation Of
managers in high social position; and when
the proceedings of Congress reveal the
fact that even lawmakers from that Sec
ton of country where progress is extreme,
are grossly corrupt, and can be bought and
soldl These things indicate, with uner-
ring certainty, the decay of the moral and
religious sentiment in the minds of the
people among whom they occur.
"History teaches that in all ages and
among all nations religion has beer the
active principle in forming the character
and manners of the people; and it is
equally true now, that, to great extent,
the priest who ministers at the alter moulds
the opinions and shapes the conduct of
the populace. The pagan placed implicit
faith in the oracles that the priest, from
his eoncealment in the hollow statue of
the god, announced as the Divine will; the
Papist has equal faith in the infallibility
of the Pope, and his power to remit the
punishment of sin while the less credulous
Protestant, in many case surrenders his
conscience and his opinions to the care of
the minister whom he pays to keep the
one and form the other. The Puritans
claim that, by the great religious revolu-
ton wrought out by their forefathers, con-
science was emancipated from the thraldom
of ecclesiastical tyranny, and religion freed
from the fetters imposed by the reign of
intolerant laws. The superficial observer
fwill not only readily concede this claim,
but will doubtless be disposed to exagger-
ate the extent of religious freedom in this
country, and more especially in New Eng
land. But if we penetrate beneath the
surface, and view the springs and mach
inery of the system, it will be found that,
aside from the pains and penalties of legal
enactments, there is tyranny of public
opinion that is formed and guided by those
who minister at the altar. The control of
the priest is not the less absolute because
submission is voluntary, 1t is the settled
conviction of the people of this country
that the cultivation of piety is calculated
to promote the purity of society, and there
fore advance the prosperity Of the State; /;
and this undoubtedly is a great philoso-
phical fact Piety and religion are inti-
mately connected, but by no means con-
vertible terms. Religion has its forms
and ceremonies, while piety scorns the
frippery of form, and knows no ceremony
but an all pervading reverence of God
Religion rears her temples with marble
and metal, and decorates her altars with
velvet and gold, while pietyplants its altarin
the heart clothes it with humility and
prayer, and sacrifices in secret to the liy-
ing God A people may be religious with
out being pious, but they cannot well be
pious without being also religious Reh-
gion without piety will neither purify the
hear: nor improve the morality of man.
To promote piety rather than propagate
religious creeds is then the duty of the
faithful minister of God. &
"In the Northern States, more than in
any other portion of the Union, the minis
listers of the gospel mould and fashion the
conduct Of the people. And as in that
region material progress is regarded as Of
paramount Importance, it is not wonderful
that the preachers yield to the pressure of
popular precedent, and apply to religion