East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-04-07
A Serious Question. 4.
From the New York Journal of Commol

4
Can we go through time of war lik
this now on our hands and preserve on
national character uncorrupted No
our patriotic character, nor our polltica
character; but our moral, in short, on
Christian character. The question pre-
sents itself to good cillzens with
weight of Importance that cannot b,
magnihed.
The prevalence of vice in the country
is alarming. 10 high places and in low
places the moral standard has been re
duced to such grade that it may be
said to have vanished almost entirely
We all hear constantly of great fraud
OF astounding corruption in the highest
positions, and the degradation of our
public moral sentiment is evInced not
only in the fact that these revelations
are received with certain calm content
10y the people, but also by the astoun.
ding truth that men who are resting
under charges of criminal dishonesty
yet hold high offices, or are elevated to
other higher offices and are made the
special objects of praise by partzan pc
litical newspapers.
But that dishonesty is net con.
demned, or is, on the contrary, reward
ed, is not the only evidence of a dan
gerous condition of the moral sentiment
of the country. We appeal with con.
tidence to the Christian community,
when we say that the tone of the relg.
ion of the country has undergone
great change within the past two years,
and the respect of the people for the
church and clergy has been SO disturbed
that their. influence Tor good has been
terribly shaken, aud in too many in.
stances wholly gone. The church has,
in fact, by the errors of some of the
clergy, and not few of tie laity, come
to be regarded as one of the common
worldly machines. Why is this Can
any one hesitate to answer What
has the church been accomplishing in
America during the past year Has
it restrained the evil passions of men
Has it inculcated the peaceable doc.
trine of the gospel? We regard the
church as the grand conseryator of the
people. Such 1t ought to be; but
large portion of it has failed in its work.
While it was all important that the war
should have been conducted on prnci.
pies of humanity aud high, calm jus.
tice which grievcs The necessity of the
blow it strikes, it has become only too
plainly true that there is on both sides,
North and South, hatred and enmity
totally distinct from all desire for justice
and right. This hatred is the pet pas
sion OF politicians, is applauded, prais
ed, encouraged when it ought to be
discouraged, and if possible removed
This spirit the church should have been
instrumental in suppressing. Whence
arise the bitterness, the vudictivc
spirit, the desire for vengeance, and the
cutlery for the most radical measures of
warfare No thoughtful man will con.
tend that such spirit is necessity, or
even a proper accompaniment of war.
1t does not prevail in the army on either
side. No one can doubt that it is the
spirit which today makes the hope of
he Uni on most dark, the prospect of
peace most uncertain, while it weakens
our own power in the conflict. Whence
,ame this spirit in the national mind
Fit did not originate in the pulpit itself, |
I exists bscaute the pulpit has failed in
IS proper sphere of teaching true doc.
rine and doing its own work. War is
he administration of justice. 1t is de.
ensi6le only on the same grounds that
he punishment of criminals Is defended
AS the ordained method of enforcing
light between man and man. But JUS.
ice is never vindictive, never fcrocious.
Z ceases to be justice aud is mere re-
'engo when it becomes the tool of pas
ions aud Of hatred. The American
,hurch had a great work to DO when
his,war began. The field was the most
Important on which that church had
ver entered; the responsibilities thrown
m the church, on the clergy and on
hurch officers aud members, was q
Iaeater responsibility than they had
yer before borne. Some of them full.
He'd their duty, we rejoice to say. -
ONE OF them at once faithfully devoted
themselves to the work of their calling
With new zeal, in view of the new state
4 the world around them. They 70.
used to allow their holy Office TO be
sed Tor any other purpose than that