The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-09-01

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Orr sernsnJ q PuAR1s Rslaaleaana
ns Society Is subject to moral asxsll -
physical epidemics. It is then. thAt the
vital organs Of the social system lesa their
healthy action, and cease to perfeEm their
appropriate functions. The populw mind
then becomes partially derapged. qnscks
and impostoss become important person
sges, Ananciers, bankers and capitalists
become thieves, defsalters and forgers;
statesmen become peculators and the reci-
psnts of brides; politicians only dema-
sosues, and women mount the rostrum,
composing with men for public applause.
inefe is one unerring criterion where
W We may know that society has reached
tnls CRISIS Of social pestilence: it Is when
n ma;.srs Of the Gospel become pulpit
society Is made up of parts.-With APP
pointed. duties, -of which, childhood and
maturity, male and female, Iay, and cler-
ical, are grand divisions. There, Is fit-
ness in the relations Of all tn, n AFT, of tho
social system, which conmuniSss 4 thar
healthy periods are always pto,nnS - "a.
cognmNand enforce : aua ,vifHnn
la For example, the Judge ofsanyrsa;.;.,
tribunal cannot without violating, q = csu-
mon estimate Of judicial dignity aad pro-
priety, mount the stump and ind6lge in
political lharanguessl 3 Sash sopaduotHou
BE- regarded o, degrsding and, ooatsnp6-
bic ia the man, and a. damaging toeeoie-
ty, because the effect would Be 10 dimin-
ish popular respect for Judges o. tho
Bench, ~ impartial xna5dianso md dis.
pensers Of law and Justice IT, j. etvnly
gratifying to observe that in the midst Of
the social pestaence which Is MAKING such
havoc Of the moral sense Of Our country.
that the Judiciary, although generally cleo
tive, maintains,r with rara exceptions. it's
high estate, and abstsins with decent pro-
pnety from all political csucasee, selmp-
speaking and partisan excitsmeutib In
this general commentator there il, how.
ever, one notable exception, the Chief
Justice Of the United States, whose over.
weening anxiety for lPreadentialo honors
has made him the asspised demAeogue Of
negro hastings, and exposed his name and
conduct to the almest unanimous reproba-
ton Of even the Republican Bar and BSnohi
of the country There IL evidence 81 this
fact of reoaperative force and tepaoify of
moral life in our social system.r psaseGing
the whole bedy petite. q - 7l'''S 20
. Here then il our hope, that while the
pulpits Of most ofour Protestant churches
have become the restrums Of politics. and
their occupantsy the self-seeHng te0ls Of
politicians, our Judges on the benGk have,
in their o&oiaA capacity, ignored politics,
and held the scales, Of justies with asteady
hand.
Ii While the bench thus maintains it's az
allied dignity, the political prsschers Of tho
day will appear In history as our example
of recreancy, bad faith, and 'ssilmAnencs,
which all ministers ef the gospel win be
taught to svoid, regardingthem a. wolves IN
sleeps clothing, who pat on |" the livery
of heaven to serve the devil in. -,5gE
The teaching of our age, and Of all other
periods, is this, that the preacher, who
falls from the pulpit into politics, is like
the woman who, losing her virtue, prefers
the batteries, carressings and vOluptuous
excitements Of the brothel to the suiet
duties Of pious home. Such a prsacher
with mind full OF political issues, popular
turmoil and partizan acrimony, can no
longer content himself with the Labor of
teaching and preaching the gospel after
the manner of Christ and the Apostles.
Only the vocation of politics will satisfy
him he prostitutes the pulpit 10 the base
uses of political demag0gaes, and. is in
tent upon making the church the mock
and scorn of all decent people he does this
under the pretence of religious duty. As
consequence, it is fact, easily verified
by reference to individual cases, that the
most vindiotive, the most unscfupulous,
the most trickey, and the most ambitious
Of partizan publicity among politicians,
are the political preachers.
A preacher politician Of this city, who
gives his views in the Press, says:5sa
Not q few ministers of religion now recoe.-,
nize the obligation to instruct men from tie
pulpit in regard to their political responsibili
ties and to impress upon them their account.
ability for the use of the ballot. -.
But this pulpit politician is not satisfied
with Whist he can do for his party IN the
pulpit He advises his clerical friends To
60 with him into the primary meetineA
and there tight out the 6ght, mot Of thsfith
of Christ in the gospel, but the 6aht Of
political religion Hear him; he says:
Still, few clergymsn and religious mel Beam
to recognize the fact that the machmSy Of
government in this country Is worked not 60
much at the polls - At the preliminary meet
lngs OF the parties Here thsy muss exert
their activities, or prepare 70 see all the gound
won BY yeas Of struggle for higher standard
OF morals in politics, lost
When preacher falls from the gospel
OF peace and good will to all men, into
the excitement and strife of politscs, there
is, we admit, as little hope Of saving him
in this world or the next, as of saving the
harlot who has fallen from virtue. New
ertheless, we commend to the serious con-
sideration of the pulpit politician who
wrote what we have quoted from the
Press. Gt may save him from perdition1