Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1866-03-09
Results of the War--No. vi,

Vlctl0n OF the honor that Is due to II
from our nation and people. This is
great proposition, to be made with
serious deliberation. This we are
fully aware of, and still we believe il
to be true. We know that war is a
relic of barbarism, that it is cruel; in
its incidental influences it developes
and often fosters a great deal that is
wicked and corrupt. But in other
aspects and broader influences it NAV
rebuke sin, correct great wrongs. de
vo.Upe Individual pioty, uuu sneU upon
religion increased honor in the sight
of men. In the brOadest and iustest
acceptation of our proposition, we
need to make a distinction between
the religion Of the loyal and the dis.
loyal people. Every christian h a S
felt that one of the saddest things con-
nected with the war, the hardest to
be understood, and to be reconciled to
his faith and his conscience, was this.
that on each side the same Bible was
believed in and its instruction sought.
the same Saviour was accepted. and
the same God was invoked. We can
not doubt that there has been, and is.
much true piety at the South. But it
Is the fruit of that teaching of the
Bible that has been kept free from
other teachings intended O uphold
slavery, and to urge on secession, and
OF the general teaching of religion pre-
vious to a recent period. From the
early history of our country down to
some thirty years ago, there was no
essential difference in the teaching of
religion, and the character of christian
piety North and South. Since about
that time southern religious teachers
have sought to make the bible sustain
slavery. The effort has been carried
further than was at first intended. and
its effect has been greater probably
than any of these teachers intended,
that Is, to defend many of the inciden-
tai wrongs and cruelties that are nev-
er separated from slavery. Thus it
has permitted men who lived in the
habltual practice Of cruelty and wrong.
to be enrolled as christian communi-
cants, and so to give reputation to
religion, because that teaching which
would establish slavery from the bible
could not exclude members who prac-
ticed what was every where known
to be the concomitants and the fruits
OF slavery. Political leaders also. be-
cause the pulpit was a powerful means
OF educating the people, and because
the government was not likely to in
terfere with its use for that or any
other purpose, to a large extent, sub
sldlzed it for their malign purpose.
and from it, "fred the southern heart"
The early taught religion of the
South, on which its earlier, and its
genuine plety was founded, advocates
sound theology, pure morality, and
the equal rights of man. That re-
ligion is honored by the war and its
results. BY the destruction of slave
ry; the crushing of al! armed resist
ance to the laws of the land; and the
opening to the colored people churches,
schools, the possibility to keep sacred
the marriage covenant, to know the
meaning of the word home, and to en-
JOY the society of wife and children,
the war has honored the old teaching
OF the bible at the south, and its uni
versal teaching in all loyal pull pits
1t has shown the God of the bible to
be ON the side of freedom, equal
rights and domestic purity; or in the
expressive language of President Lin
coin, it has shown the position of the
North respecting the rights of the
colored man to be on Gods side. for
His side always wins.
The war found us with a president
who revered the name of God. and
bowed reverently to the wisdom of
Gods word. All the public proclama-
tons and messages he sent forth ac-
knowle dyed God as our great
Sovereign, and penitent submission be-
fore Him, and obedience to His will
as the proper posture of those who
desired His blessing. As far as he |
could, there is no doubt, he favored
the promotion of christian men to posts
OF responsible duty, and the labors of
christian men for and in the army.-
No armies of the world were ever %
largely furnished with bibles and re
ligious reading, or had so much evan
gelical labor done in them. The sor
dlers of no army were ever drawn 81
largely from evangelical churches. and
from social life where religion pre-
vailed, or were followed by more
numerous and fervent PRAYERS for
their spiritualgood. Asa consequence
OF this, with the blessing of God, we
doubt not no soldier ever returned
from SO long service in the field with
morals and religion less impaired
Our soldiers have, with scarcely an
exception, returned to us no worse :