The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-06-06

cultivation" Hume's History of Eng
land, vol. II. chap. XVIII. page 45l.
During the dark ages, when the Ro
man Catholic religion was at its highest
point of ascendency, such an uniformity,
in great measure, prevailed. But in
those times the art of printing had not
been discovered, and none but the priests
knew how to read or write. All the
learning and the science extant, were
confined to them. The slavery Of the
people was of the most abject kind, since
bodily they were mere machines in the
hands of their barons, ard their minds
were in complete subsection to their spir-
itual confessors. Nor in this particular
were the mobiles in better situation the
cowl Of a monk carried more terror to
their souls than hundred spears, and
an accommodation Illuminated against
them by the See of Rome, struck them
with more dread than the dangers of
battle. Not able themselves to peruse
the Scriptures, they were compelled to
receive their doctrines from the monks,
who used their position to aggrandize
themselves. From scenes of bloodshed
and murder. the barons rushed to the
altar, bowed before a saint, confessed
themselves to priest, and purchased
with money absolution from their sins.
There was, as Mrs. JAMESON observes,
Gin her Loves Of TIE Poets, vol. l. page
%, can age when religion ruled the
imagination and the opinions of men,
without in any degree restraining the
passions, or influencing the conduct"
All crimes could be committed with i'm :
punity by the rich for they had moth
ing to do but purchase an indulgence of
the Pontiff at Rome or one of his priests,
and the sin could be expiated.
The people, during this period, were
in such state of slavery, imbecility and
habitude, that they did not presume to
entertain any other sentiments than those
furnished them by their pastor. Among
them, therefore, such thing as free dis.
cussion did not exist, nor did it prevail
to any extent among the priests. They
occupied themselves in series of scLo.
lastic studies which were systems of alb
surdities.
Such was the state Of theology when
chrlstendom possessed the most uniform
ity Of belef-such the deplorabe dark.
ness into which it was plunged, when
liberation was disregarded and enlight-
ened free discussion was not encouraged
During these dark ages, the human mind
refrigerated, and the sciences and the
polite arts had well nigh been lost to
Europe. They might have been so lost,
but for the prevalence of enquiry and
examination among some learned Ma
HoMETANs, thus showing how much de-
ponds upon the exercise of these faculties
of the intellect. In this long night OF
monkish bigotry, as is remarked by
WASHINGTON IRVING, (Lite and Voyage
Of COLUMBUS, vol. l.. book l., page 78, }
the sciences took refuge in the bosom OF
Africa. "While the pedantic school
men of the cloisters," says he, "were
wasting time and talent, and confound-
ing erudition By idle reveries, and So
phistical dialectics, the Arabian sages,
assembled at SEMINAR, were taking the
measurement OF degree of latitude, and
calculating the circumference of the
earth, on the vast plains Of Mesopota mia.
AvERRoEs, ALrRANGANUs, and other Ara
bian sages. kept the sacred fire of science
alive during tho interval of European
darkness"