The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-05-08


Of cur thea res liz discusses tie various meriss
and clients Of the several actors, acd crtcses III
qua ty Of the pl.ys they perform Tee press
usy therefore, not without reasou. be called the
OF gan Of tue stage. There Is acother stage. how
ever, and another class # actors who staGd a'oof
from The FIRST, who alec have their organ wb ca
IL called the religious press This latter orgaa is
xholy devoted TO the Interests Of the seVeral
parties il represents. II descr.bes the several
preachers, applaods ttem highly, tells wcDd rfdl
stories Of she great results OF their preaching, in
forms the world fom time TO time of The great
revvals which are going on 10 tne 90 Igregatioos
of their fseorite preachers, and, 10 a VOID does
sll In i,s power t. promote tue views ADD tote
rests Of the parties II represents Now, since the
religious pres. is, In fact, nothing but the STRAIT
ensd atd narrow organ Of peculiar Style aad
character Of performers OF Especial and .cu'iar
department. we thick 1t Is remark able exhioi-
tion Of arrogance and effrontery for this special
organ 10 assume the airs 1t has lately beea
doing IN attacking the organ OF the other
sage, and venting its spleen and malice against
those Who speak in lis favor
The secular press, properly conducted, Is de-
voted to the instruction of maukind, and 10
giving that Information which, being afterwards
collected and digestcd, constitutes history. II
does more thau history even pretends to dot
gives In siogulsr and wonderful details view o.
economical stats Of the world How much more
accurate and instsuulDge Our knO Wedge Of the
ancients would -AGw be, il, instead of mere
chronicle of political events and military exp sdt-
djtions, we had view Of the social condition Of
the people ia reports similar to Our police and
law reports and records Of criminal trials Be-
sides serving these purposes the press contains
literary and scientific reports, and dlsquisitiops
on various subjects, involving oftentimes pro-
found learning and deep reasoning But the
religious press ful1ls none Of these useful OBJ
jects It's chief purpose Is to extol and magnify,
at the expense of truth, the special sect and de-
nomination of which each several sheet is the
organ and representative. The religious press
ia the special instrument and organ Of religious
Jealousy, opposition and hostility. Contention 10
its life, and hostile attacks upon all contrary
scots is the very bread 1t feeds upon 1t fomeuts
religious quarres, 1t exoites religious bigoty, il
stirs up religious snlmosity, filing the minds Of
men with gall and bitterness II does all this
necessarily In the pursuit Of Its avOcation, which
Is, with each several sheet, the exaltatlon of one
sect over all others and in thus doing all this It
breeds Doubt suspicion, and disgust against 70
lieioa, in the minds Of many. All these baneful
Influences are wholly unmitigated by Its religious
can't, its uuctuous afeceat!oA Of sauctity, II.
fierce medication Of Judaistic severity in Sab
beth keeping aud other nero formaities, In
which neither Justice nor right conduct have
any share. Il is therefore, an unmitgated evil
Who can venture TO deny the truth Of these
positions Viewed in the mirror of truth, the
religious press will be seen precisely in the light
We have here described It. It would, In fact, be
impossible TO calculate the evils inflicted upon 30
ciety by such an organised band Of polemicsl
CRUISERS" whose business 1t Is to quarrel with
each other, and with all the world besides Yet
this so-cslled religious press" in the most pro-
found ignorance Of it's o IN character and merits
and assuming the character Of truth and virtue
itself, has come out In the fercest style against
the dramatic stage and against the great Bel
lows Of the day for having ventured TO blow
kindly Of It. The Ooss,e--one Of tho Religious
sheets referred to-pronounces DR.. Bellows late
address a. the saddeA moral spectacle we ever
looked co." and charges the Doctor with "pan-
dering 10 the diseased appetites Of the play going
public, and exhorting people 10 90 TO the DEVIL
house" The InSsgaacs, another Of these sheets,
Is nearly W. bitter a. the OJsersr, and pronounces
dramatic entertainments 10 be "inimical to vir-
tue and detrimental TO morals" Another Of the
same press-the EtuagSss In SINH
lar bitter strain aud oonsigrs all TO the assoola-
ton of the worm that never dies.
Now Let us look at the class and profession
which has been thus 30 numerically attacked by
the religious press With all their faults, which
are neither greater nor perhaps lees than those Of
other professions and classes Of men, they GER
tanly exhibit nothing like the stsrched pride, the
mschievousness ard lttleness Of the "white
cioker the Kslloch rsce-whch has fallen foal
upon them On the contrary, they are generally
a cheerful, mirthful, sociable and kindly set OF
people. Compared together, leaving out the
question Of absolute morality, the actors on tho
stage-s,nnors "a they sre-eIhibit moro Of the
Kind good and quslitleso practical religion
than many Of their fierce opponents do. But on
the other hand. taking up the question Of strict
morality, we bear more In our law reports Of sdul
tory, fcrnication, smony end peculation among
their oppcncnts-sain's a. they profess 10 be
than we do among the people whom they denounce
and vituperste. fla strict comparison were made
II would stand out in bold relief that the class and
profession Of men which the religious press ertol.
To the skies Is not whit better more virtuous
nor more moral than the class and profession Of
men which the same press consigns to the lowest
and hottest regions Of Tartarus The one clsss
aims 10 amuse aud entertain mankind. bat the