The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-09-22
Grrlriug Telrgraph
SATURDAY. spprEMBER %, 1see.
PoIi tics I'M the PuInit.

THAT most turbulent of all the spirits which
iniest Iepublic-the spirit of political dis
customs invoked as seldom as is consistent
with public safety, and every wise Govern
ment seeks to allay it by having as few popu-
lar elections as possible. Great Britain allows
1T but once in six years, while despotic
Governments avoid it altogether. The jea-
lous care for freedom which actuated the
trainers of our civil polity, led them to make
appeals to the popular sentiment almost too
frequently. Not year passes but we have
our whole country convulsed with the vio-
lence Of political enmity, and the fires of
party discord no sooner begin to shoulder,
than new elec ion causes them to break out
afresh This continual evincing of partisan
ship may be necessary evil, but it is already
carried to the very bounds of safety. Under
such circumstances 1t is evidently the duty
of those who lead public sentiment to seek to
restrain this intolerant exhibition OF opposi-
ton, and rather smother the flames than
kindle them anew and fan them into blaze.
1t is duty which the public journalists owe
to ther country to act as expounders of SEN
timents and not as infamers Of passions. 1t
is duty the public speaker owes to
his land not to sacrifice temperance to de-
sire to gain applause. But how much more
is it the duty OF the clergy, that sect whose
only object should be to bring peace and
goodwill among men, to avoid any topic
calculated to heat the enmity and excite
the temper OF the people! Looking at their
duty merely in the light of what they owe to
the community, we deprecate most strongly
the indulgence in the style of political
harangues which is gaining currency in our
churches. Any unnecessary reference on
the part of a public speaker to topic tend
ing to cause i'll feeling is wrong; and any
interminglDg of theology and politics is
most certainly unnecessary.
There is, however, still stronger reason
why the minister OF the gospel should keep
within legitimate bounds, and not soil the
gown with the filth Of partisan discussion.
Whenever he leaves the Bible and enters
upon field not his own by right of Office, he
becomes an officious lntermeddler in the con-
Germs OF what does not belong to him; he re-
moves himself from the protection of his
sacred office, and must expect to be treated
the same as ally stump orator. 1t is an act
OF gross officiousness on his part, and one
which should be, and generally is, rebuked
He was selected by bis congregation to tell
them of heavenly things; he is paid for that
purpose. His people agree upon but one
subject-that is, a desire to hear the words of
divine truth from his lips. They may, and
PR badly do, differ in regard to the politics of
the day and when he touches upon that sub
iect he insults part OF those from whom he
derives his pay, and whom he has Inveigled
into his hearing by false pretenses. A tacit
contract is entered into between the congre-
cation and the preacher, that those who
attend his ministration shall hear the Gospel;
when they hear any thing else the contract is
broken, and the listener is as much justified |
iD leaving the church as the minister Is in
leaving his proper subject We, therefore,
consider it extremely ungentlemanly, and
showing!a gross want of taste, Tor clergyman
to touch ON topic which may insult some OF
his hearers, who have come under false
promises
Again, a large proportion of every congre-
cation are ladies'. To them such harangues
cannot but be distasteful. They go to hear
the Gospel, and to have subject both uneX-
pected and UNIV shed for thrust upon them, is
calculated to bring the Church into disrepute
and ALLEVIATE number of her children.
The public spirit is excited enough. The
heat Of the discussion is endangering the
safety of the republic, and it is pre-eminently
the duty of the clergy at the present time to
seek to allay, and not increase, the frenzied
tone of the hour. They are strangely forget
full of their duty, and are bringing discredit
on the name and religion OF their Saviour,
when they fill their pulpit with partisan doc
trines, be they ON either side, and distract the
mind from holy thoughts, and fill the heart
with rancor instead of universal peace Let
the country take care OF its sons, and let them
seek only to save perishing human souls.
The Richmond Dispatch thinks 1t "mar-
yeIlous that Mr.. johnson should allow such
men as Bolts, BroWnlow. Forney, Greeley,