Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-15
90 RrIneIpies Of. Policy.
SECOND NUMBER

longer able to live the simple animal
life in direct dependancs on, and COM
munication with, God through the in
spirations of instinct. The simple,
sensual existence, in its utmost perfee-
ton Of conditions, was no longer suffi-
Gent to satisfy the acquisitions of his
being. The animal life makes no de-
mands beyond The. necessities of senses
It has no prescisnce of death or its in
evitability, and its consciousness Of life
lis that of eternity. "a 7Ng1qA ~
Cast out from the simplicity of natu-
raj life, man can never return to it. The
flaming sword of imagination forever
forbids his retreat from the consequences
of his eating of the fruit Of the tree. 1t
is well. There can be no future " Para
disc regained." That is possible only
to the fancy of the poet, or the visions
of false philosophy. 1t has long been
our opinion that the capacity of bring
ing into coaptation independent facts,
and circumstances of no apparent con-
neesiotl, which is the faculty sof imagi-
nation, constitutes the essential difference
between the reason of the inferior ami
mated creation, as compared with that
of man; though of these latest years We
have had very imperfect opportunities
of contrasting our thoughts with the
most advanced or cherished opinions of
! the times.
Our senses, aroused and refined, we
say, BY Imagination, can never cease to
demand a higher development of physi-
| cal life, and each stimulates the mental
energies to exer!ion towards its grati6
cation, and thereby becomes the agents
of our intellectual, moral and physical
elevation. 1t has been the habit OF the
nations to exalt themselves when they
had arrived at certain stages of achieves
ment. They began to conceive them
selves at the height of human attain.
ments. and of the Interpretation of ma
tnre and it's word. They prohibited in
novation, aud by all the forces of civil
authority and ecclesiastical dogmatism
proclaimed, thus far, and no further, shall
YOU 90 They succeeded in killing theen-
ereies of the people and smotheriug their
minds, for there can be no activity
| where there ia to be no reward. By
persistent effort, the conviction was at
| las. successfully beaten into thsmi the
habits of thought OF these nations at
/ last obeyed the orders aud inculcatioHs
1 Of their masters aud teachers. They
became dead nations. Life has never
again animated those dry bones. Not
one of them has ever had aaresprrec-
ton. They buried their talents in the
| ground, and the monuments of an ex-
tinct activity, . prior active, progressive
faith and ancient greatness, crumbled
and crumbles around them. Moses and
the prophets became dead Aletters to
/ them: forms and formulas without spirit
or any Specification but such as suited
interest or prejudice They had no eyes
tito see, no, ears to hear what the spirit
said. They would not believe that the
order of nature was the order in Para
4 disc. That the devil is allowed an
equality of privilege, and that mans
freedom of thought, expression and
choice should unlimited II
n his no rare occurrence to hear and
! perceive censares of the, ways of God
to man., and the arrangements OF ma
turexs Many Of the faculties and do.
i sires with which we have been endowed
by oene6cent Creator, are regarded
4 by many worthy Communities, as quite
derogatory- to their author,- and every
impulse toRards their qualification must
be forever and always suppressed. They
j can by no means censent-to believe that
every faculty, every desire, every capac-
ity, every achievement and acquisition
of art aud science is designed for use,
carried to the highest perfection, and
that they have no rightto prescribe what
these shah be. The straightest sect OF
the Pharisees were very straight in the
4 eyes of men and their own, but very
4 crooked in ths1view of God. Doubtless
those people, whether of older or later
| times, would have suggested the
propriety. of prohibiting the lib
erty Of the devil, eand Of putting a
wall around the tree of knowledge Of
good and evil. We know that such sug-
eestions are often vehemently urged
upon the powers that be in these days,
4 and upon society. Do as we tell you,
they reiterate, and not as the voice oil
4 nature and the Word of God has in
structed us. Satan was free to give his
version of affairs, and man was at liberty
to listen in Eden, and we know net that
the. one was ordered not to follow out,
or that the other is not privileged to- lis.
ten. Such is the liberty OF choice and
judgement granted and designed for
man by nature md its book. Isit wrong
The world q history is sufficient answer.
/ One after another the nations have fallen
from pre-eminence because of ignoring
these prineval rights. One after another,
from excessive reverence for rituals, and
from strait. laced attention, continual
devotion, and determination to know
| nothing bat the forms of narrow, self
satisfied, but erroneous righteousness,
| more souls have been ruined and people
4 checked in the authorized career of sub
! DUNG the world by a. persistent Phari-
seeism, than By falling into licentious;
| ness from legalized liberty. IncoW-
! parably more numerous. How could it
be otherwise when the word and works
alike condemn all attempts at restriction
or smothering of the faculties, or their
| 61pauSICu III Wn6toUcFOk 0iECGttOn tuSl
choose TO wander, Phariseeism and
despotism, of all sorts, sscorldly and
| spiritual, swallows the gnats of forms
and words, and days and seasons, rituals
and formulas, and oyerwhelms with loads
of these and artificial sins, and prohibi-
tons, the camel-the mighty traveller,
the God given, the inaliensble right of
individual freedom The tendency of
mankiud is always toward selfish in
tolerance, whether professedly liberty
lovers or not, ard therefore it is that
the FIRST lessons of the Word are lessons
of tolerance, intoxicating Unlimited free.
dom of choice, and one of the nextis the
punishment of intoleraee, and of jealousy
of more acceptable aud profitable ser.
vice, in the story ofCain and Able. The
law is always more needed against
selfshness, than liberality, stealing
than liberal giving. Against interferencs
with individual freedom, and for, not
against, personal liberty" Cain was dis
satisfied with the ways of God towards
him and his brother" He served dis
trustfullY, uncharitablv and bigotedly