Daily national Democrat., 1858-10-15
biography of Ten Preachers.


that all preachers are scoundrels, and that il
makes no difference who they are so that he
gets the lives of ten of them, by hook or by
crook. The pith of his proposition is con
tanned in the following note to his circular
NorE.-Each person of the first ten who
| volunteer to compose this book, is expected
to pay twenty-five dollars, which entities
! him to one-tenth of all the books printed,
not subscribed for, which will be mailed to his
friends, or otherwise disposed of according
to his orders. No composition will be re
ceived, unless it wars the clergy, and infuses
| the spirit of liberal reform
Voluminous sentences and bombastic learn
| ing is not called for but we want the pointed
language of the farmer, driving conviction,
like the beetle logic of the woodman. The
inviting theories of Wickltfe long pervaded
Europe, Intellectually, until the zeal and des-
perate language Of Knox established posi-
ton of force, and beheaded the Catholic
Queen. Our theories have pervaded the
public and our present wants are moving,
actionable words and if our friends speak
out earnestly, we will succeed in marking a
new era in the history of the world.
All persons who are willing to assist this
publication, and spread the reading, will
please encourage us with their promises to
subscribe for 50 many dollars worth of the
books, when called upon.
For further particulars, inquire of
w. A. d. Ewing, San Francisco.
Well, if this anonymous enemy of the
clergy can find ten men who will not only
write these contemplated sketches, but pay
for having them printed, he will be in a
streak of luck fully equal to his impudence
and that is saying good deal But, what a
notion the lives of ten clergymen, in book
form, with the view of breaking down cleri-
cal influence "The proposed book" ae.
cording to the circular "will be the com
pilaton of ten different authors, each choos-
ing his own reverend character, and who
will remain unknown to each OF er and the
public, whose war Of ambush is designed to
trouble the advances of religious domination
in the State of California" The authors,
provided he can find ten men willing to pay
S25 for the privilege of slandering, are to
remain unknown, so that they may lie array
character with impunity, for that would be
the effect of such anonymous security. The
elevated and refined tone of mind which be-
longs to this unknown protector of mighty
plans for the overthrow of the Christian re-
ligon, by weakening the influence of its
ministers, is fully exemplifed in the follow
ing extract from his manifesto. Speaking of
the terrible tyranny which is exercised ac-
cording to his notion, over the human intel.
lect by the moral supervision of the preach
ers, he says
This assumed patent-right control of NOR
ais, is mean, low, sinking trick, by which
they gull the weak-minded into the belief
that they are the real founders and conserva-
tors of society.
Mean, low, Sinking trick !" Very chaste
and very elegant language to emanate from
the wonderful enlightener of the present age,
who is to overturn, with his puissant arm,
the old order of things and establish in their
place new state of society and newer and
better relgionl
The author has sent us this circular, with
the view, no doubt, of having us notice it.
We shall do so with pleasure. Briefly, then,
We think that the issuance of an anonymous
attack upon the personal character of any
man or men, whether clergymen or the mem,
bers of any other profession or class of socie.
ty, deserves the contempt of every decent
and respectable citizen. And, in the next
place, We think that any man, who would
deliberately go to work to destroy the infu-
ence of the Christian religion upon the hu.
man mind, and especially to encourage the
spread of infdelity in his own country,
should be regarded as an enemy to the hu-
man race and traitor to the land which
bore him. Tear up Christianity from its
present hold on the substratum of society,
and you would tear up with it all law and
all morality as they now exist in the civil
ized world, because civilization and Chris
tanity have been intimately blended to-
gether, and together have laid the founda.
tions of all the leading governments of the
earth. Remove but one stone from the fab
ric of Christianity-pluck but one star from
its constellation of truths, and see how fearful
would be the consequences. Destroy, for in
stance, the obligation of an oath, and where
would be the security of life or property in our
courts of justice? Teach men that there are
no rewards or punishments, hereafter, and
that an oath on the Bible is no more than an
oath on an almanac, and what would be the
value of testimony in any of those important
cases of every day concern, where life and
property are staked upon the word of wit.
ness who is solemnly sworn to tell the truth.
as he stands in the presence of his Maker ?
Life and property have always been most
respected, and virtue and morality most
prevalent, where the Christian religion and
Christian institutions have prevailed. This
fact alone is a sufficient answer to every ar
gument of the infdel. 1t vii! not do to say,
that the ministers of the Gospel are many Of
them wolves in Sleeps clothing" They
may be, but that does not make the religion
of Christ impure These wolves in sh eep's
clothing are very generally soon exposed,
stripped of their borrowed sanctity and turn
ed forth into the desert where they belong.
But, because there may be Evolves in
Sleeps clothing" like thai clerical Lothario,
Mr.. kallock and others of his stamp, it does
not follow that we arc to treat with scorn
and contempt those lofty and venerable men,
whose pure and spotless lives have been de-
voted to the ministry of saving souls. The
authority Of men, of vast mind and common.