Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-04-15
Tht guteIItgEuter.
PerIII ofIEnoranee.

There il no instance on record OF an ig-
norant man who, having good inteuAons,
and supreme power to enforce them, has
nat done far more evil than good. And
whenever the intentions have been very
eager, and the power very extensive, the
evil has been enormous. But If you can
diminish the sincerity Of that man. if you
cau mix some alloy with his motives. you
will likewise diminish the evil which he
works. II be lie selfish as we'll as ignorant,
it will often happen that you may play on
his vice sgainet bis iguorsuce, and by eK.
citing his fears RESTRAIN his mischief. II,
however, be has no fesr, ii be is entirely
unseI6sh, If his sole object is the good OF
others. if he pursues that object with en-
ihusiasu, upon a large scale, and with DIS
interested zeal, then it lie that you have no
check upon him, you have no means of
preventing the calamities which i9 an
ignorant age, an ignorant man will be
cure to irfict. How entirely this is verified
by experience, We may see IN study
ing the history of religious persecution.
To punish even a single man for his relIg.
ioos teuets, IL assuredly q crime Of the
deepest dye; but 70 punish large body of
men, to peTsecufe an entire sect, to attempt
10 tziirpste opinions, which, growing out
OF the state of society in which they arise,
are themselves q manifestation of the
marvellous snd luxuTisnt fertility of the
human mind; to GO this is cot only one Of
the most pernicious, but one of the most
f0oiiEh acls that can possibly be conceived.
Nevertheless, il is IN uDdoubied fact, that
an overwhelming msjority of Feligious per
secprors have been nep of the purest inten-
tiopa, Of the most admirable and unsullied
morals. II ia impossible that this should
be otherwise For they are lot bad inten.
toned men who seek TO enforce opinions
which they believe TO be good. SdIl less
ere they bad men, who are so regardless OF
erPorsl considerations ss to employ all
the resources Of their power, not for their
own bentf:, but Tor the purpose ofpropa-
eating religion which they think
Necessary to The future happiness of
mankind. Such men ss these are not
hsd, they are onIy ignorapt; igno-
rsut Of the nature OF truth, igno-
uorant of the conse quences of their own
acts. But in moral point Of view, their
motives are uuimpeachsbIe. Indeed, it is
The very ardor Of their sincerity which
warns them into persecution. 1t is the
holy zeal by which they are fred that
quickeus their fansticism into deadly &C
rivIiy II you can impress any man with
al absorbing conviction of the supreme
importance of some moral or religious
doctrine; if you can make bin believe that
those who reject his doctrine are doomed
to eternal perdition; if you then give that
man power, and by means of his ignorance
bliud him 10 the Interior consequences of
his owD acl,-he will infallibly persecute
those who deny his doctrine; and the ex-
teo; of his persecution will be regulated
by the extent of his sincerity. Diminish
the sincerity and you will diminish the
persecution; iq other words, by weakening
the virtue you may check the evil. This
ia truth of which history furnishes such
innumerable examples, that to deny it
would be not only to reject the plainest
snd most conclusive arguments, but to re-
fuse The concurrent testimony of every
age.-BuckLe.