The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1867-11-16


Tor the rsst or my days 70 live for this world.
Tf u y With dificsltv tbat . rich man can
enter Heaven (according 90 the Bible) there
u certainly no lack or rich men Ia the
churches. Il II necessary for one or moreto
b in every impcrtauf movement for religion.
The American Bible Society, which has its
head Institution In lAis city, u, or was, pre-
sided over Il believe an safe in saying itl
BY q millionaire-one who had made bis
money ONT II labor-and 1t axes q rich man
70 foster almost every religious undertaking
But ''the truth will make rs free" a. the
Bible says chow it happened to be there
don't know, and the hybrid churches can
keep mp their establishments, and their hy-
brid members may sing dolorous tunes, and
make themselves happy. while all around 10
suffering. It will one day come to naught.
By sbe way, those rare old church tunes
snch as DsnAis, snd score others Of that
stamp-are 40 much out Of place to be sung
In our modern churches, % a ballroom tune
would be TO be played at fnneral (t is the
best comparison can bit upcn) "Ihe Cos
pci'' i made for the psor-bis true the poor
want . gospel, and the labor unIons, hope.
arc teaching them one as fast rs possible
Well l. the Christian religion called the
"HoIy Faiihr-not being las hold fdci =
and 30 the slergymen shelter themselves be
hind their ''holy filth" Faith j. very wei
II We dcn't build TO n.ach upon it-t0O
broad and high an ediRee on a foundation
tAat We know nothing Of, may be dangerous
This cheating is story; in worldly
stfairs " 10 the way, it is said, AsLor tJohn
Jacob) begun his fortune, VIZ, by passing
"bogus" Spanish dollars on the Indians for
furs II Is The way ILdisn agents are doing
to-day, in passing counterfyit greenbacks
Themselves woit1 only fifty cents on the
dollar) on the indians.
Henry Ward Beecher gets a new organ
he don't want = new organ-but something
must BE- done 70 keep the pot boiling (He
gets $l2, 900 Q year salary it 10 sald). Il l.
poor and then take mp collection for them.
OF course they can Affrd it-
Is il much wonder, after oil these things,
that | should have an evil wish about these
churches,-these places that are kept open,
Tor ooe thing. forcarrying on gallanuy-viz
that they might, every one, De rAZsd TO the
ground pot TO patch, put in the place OF
it-and th. minister sent to work on il. Or
Is II much wonder that | should have re-
commended to ciergymen, two or three, or
three or four years ago, to conclude their
prayers latter the " Amen'') with @ Tiger"
Is the boys do their cheers.
oniy fv~ days ago | passed L" parson-
sge"-new, Just 6ulit--tRe church by Its
siIe not vet completed the first thiRg that
attracted my Attention Yves bird-cags IN
the window-Sita, as | have no doubt, an
imprisoned bird 10 4. Many may ask what
harm there j. Ia imp-isonIng birds Pre-
sumihg that there was a bird in the cage, il
was o0iV q little peccIdillo for the clergyman
10 keep Il there perhaps the bird IS .
small animal, and lis fIeeion a small &C
cOunt-hariy worth uientionins.
This is saying about enough on religion
a thing that appears to be really based, not
on the fall Of nan, rs il j. said, but mans
mature vis.ing an eternal lie. Ga that,
among other fulcrun., the clergy know how
u work
repeat, IL u only a little derelicton in
clergy me- that they learn people to grow
old before they save much money.
The clergyman Ot occurs to me 70 say)
20 fishing once in 4 while (in some countries
they are addicted to nunung)-as Mr. II. w.
Beecher IN his Star Papers and NorwOod-
but that is only another peccadllio taking,
in sport, life that cannot be restore
propose one OF these days to read the
Bib,e (aga,n) with a view q siit out what
sense and truth there Is IN IT, think IL
~i1 be found stripped Of the supernat ural
stuff there IS in u, a good book on morals,
some good poetry In u, and some history
more Or less authentic.
4 religion, would say, that stops short
VI the happiness OF all IN the world, Is 20
| religion for my approval, add | think II
Christ was on earth he surely would not re-
cognize the present church as his own sad
there would be no such stampede since the
day the money chan gers we're criven out OF
the temple, rs we should witness when liz
came (as he certainly would come).to enter
| temples or the present day with a scourge 20
I .rive out che congFegstioas--She scattering
that would take place would be a a caution"
II Christianity was -Vhee distasteiul to
the NATIONS, II seems to me II mast remain
so.
Take it (the Bible) all ye that love il; let
it be rem anded back to You, in all its func-
tions-but tell me not that the Red Sea
parted its wsxus and Yet the children oi
Israel 90 through dry-shod.
| We wIst, perhaps, no society religion, bat
every man q relig'on Of his Own-except
such al (l have said) honesty-tor justice
>hould be the central idea Of any Religion
| If a man IL honest he scarcely needs refi-
gion, ard il may be said 70 be yearning in
man because of his sine Of sel6shness.
THIS will do on the subject. find | have
no sDsce for war and must reserve il for