Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-04-20

my township, Washington, gave handsome
Democratic majority, without ticket being
scratched. At the same time Hardy town
ship gave 10 majority against the Democratic
candidate for sheriff, and only SO for the
candidate for Auditor. Should again be
defeated, promise to use my influence to
bring about the same result in Washington
township.
In this canvass I will say nothing disre-
spectful of my petitors--do nothing cal
culated to divide or distract the Democratic
party / consider the harmony and success
of the Democratic party of vastly more i'm
portance than the election Of myself or any
other person. 1t is alone by the success of
our party that the sorrows and Affections
brought upon US by abolition rule can be
driven away, and peace and prosperity, hap
piness and security returned to our dwellings.
GEORGE REED.
PREACHING AND PaAYINa -Sinbad the
Sailor was once upon time ridden by the
old man of the sea, and all his efforts to dis
lodge him only fastened the old man more
painfully about his neck. The condition of
this country is somewhat similar, only aggra
waited by the persistecy with which the
humbug is perpetra;ed. Preaching and
praying has become al epidemic and seizes
upon communities with most fatal virulence
Preachers are now engaged in the practice
of mesmerism. No tumbug is regarded as
too palpable not to be attempted. And
every failure stimulates both the performer
and the subject. They take the ground
that God hears and answers prayer, and
without knowing that He hears and with
the fact that He has not answered they still
persist in the same mummery, because it
raises sense Of moml motion. They for
get that prayer is answered to the mind by
its own act Of expectation, and the belief
that it will be answered, and that the effect
Of exertion, part physical and part mental,
is to bring sense Of relief after the exerton
has subsided. They preach the doctrine
not because of its lntrensic merit but to
arouse mysterious belief of special good,
and by preaching and praying together they
bumbug the people with disappointed ex-
!, pectations-with pretences Of ultimate good
and excuses that God acts in mysterious
way This theory of evil has originated
since the war commenced. A large ma
Iiority of ministers have become common
falsifers, and feed themselves by the net
proceeds of the public charity of which the
public are defrauded God acts by general
laws and there is not the slightest evidence
that He has changed His mode of operating
at the request of the gentlemen who cut
fastastic tricks in Gods name. Since the
war commenced there is not the slightest
reason to believe that any preacher has ben
efitted the Union cause except with musket
in hand, The war has been carried on by
men and arms, not prayers. But praying
and preaching has produced one result, and
that is the wide spread contempt and detes-
tation with which the public regards these
farcical actors in the pulpit. Demoralized
by practice of hypocrisy, agitators, meddlers
--brutalized by their wishes and miscon-
ception of their feelings being of God
scarce one can walk the streets without the
stigma that involuntarly attaches to de.
PRAYED, dangerous charity y-demagogue. -
They pray for the army-a battle is fought
and the army slaughtered. They pray for
Lincoln-Lincon is found at the theatre.
They pray for long life for the President
the President is assassinated on a day o.
general prayer They pray and confidently
tell the people they pray advisedly and Goo
will answer-the only answer is from the wal
department of misfortune. Of all the mis-
fortunes with which country may be tried
there is none greater than the praying anc
preaching of an ignorant bigoted, sin besot
ted, blood-stained damnable ministry. TIL
result is certain, christianity has lost ad
herents and character, the church has be
come meeting place for fanatics and hypo
crits, society repelled from good motives
and outrages fathered by sanctifed scoun
drels. The sooner these gentlemen refec
upon empty stomachs, the more clearly vii
they see the deformity of religion when il
the embrace of sin.
Of course, these remarks do not nor arr
they intended to apply to the few whc
preach the precepts of the Bible and teacl
the gospel of Christ