North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1867-12-04
ROsseau.

Kosseau as seen through the lenses OF big.
otry we publish portion of his letter tc
young friend, to show that no man eve,
lived who was more sincere than Rosseau
lie was liberal towards others, Catholic
curate--not priest-honest in his tho ts
free to express them, and for this the bril-
liant essayist, adviser and Man, has been
denounced by takers who know SO little as
to be bankrupt in the Court of Sense il
they were on trial. Why will prcfessed
religionists misrepresent Isn't Truth a
better retainer of respect than Falsehood
easily exposed by those who read We
are cordial admirers of Natures Poet, the
gifted BURNS. "Wicked," like himself, We
quote his admirable language s. a,r
All hail, Religion Maid Divinel .-
Pardon Muse SO mean mine.
Who in her rough imperfect line ID
Thus dares to name thee,
To stigmatize false friends of thine,
Can neer defame thee. . .. ..
God knows I'm not the thing should be; .... .
Nor am cen the thing could be;
But twenty times I rather would be U..
An Atheist clean,
Than under gospel colors hid,
Just for q screen.
Were desirous to begin new examin-
alton into the truth of these sentiments, !
could not do it with more sincere love to
truth and my mind at present less active,
would be less in state to discover it.
purpose, therefore, to remain as ! am, lest
my taste for contemplation should become
insensibly an idle passion {; lest it should
make me Indifferent to the discharge ofmy
practical duties, and reduce me into my
former state of scepticism, without leaving
me force enough to extricate myself
Above half my life is already spent, the
remainder will not afford me time more
than sufficient to repair my errors by my
virtues. If l am mistaken, it is not viii.
fully. That Being who searches the hearts
of men, knows that am not fond of ig-
norance. But under my present incapa,i-
ty to instruct myself better, the only meth.
Cd that remains for me to extricate myself,
is good life and if out of stone God can
raise up children to Abraham, every man
may justly hope to be enlightened when
he becomes worthy to be so.
If my reflections should lead you to
think as do, if my sentiments should be
the same as yours, and We shall both be of
the same belief, would give you the fol-
lowing advice Expose yourself no more
to the temptations of poverty and despair;
lead no longer life {; f ignominy, subsiss.
ing at the mercy of strangers, on the bread
of charity. Return to YOUR own country,
embrace again the religion of your faith
ers, adopt it in sincerity of heart, and give
it up no more it is very simple and very
pure of all the religions in the world,
believe it is that which may boast the most
refined and rational system of morality
With regard to the expenses Of the jour
ney, give yourselves no trouble about that;
you shall he amply provided. Be not
abashed, also, by the false shame of NOR
tifying return we may blush at the COM
mitment of a fault, but ought not blush at
repairing it. You are as yet at an age,
wherein every thing is forgiven, but be-
yond which you cannot proceed to err with
impunity. If you attend to the voice OF
conscience, thousand vain obstacles will
be dissipated. You will perceive, that in
our present state of uncertainty, it is an
inexcusable presumption to presume to
profess any other religion than that in
which we were educated and great er.
ror not to practise sincerely that which we
profess. BY different conduct, if we err.
we deprive ourselves of powerful excuse
at the tribunal Of our sovereign Judge
for will he not rather pardon US the errors
in which we were born, than those OF
which we have ourselves made choice
Preserve your mind, my son, always in
a state to wish there should be God. and
you will never doubt his existence. AS for
the rest, whatever religion you may en-
brace, remember that its real duties are
independent of human institutions, that
an upright heart is the temple Of the Di-
vinity and that in every country, and in
every sect, to love God above all things,
and thy neighbor as thyself, is the sum-
mary of the law remember that no reli-
gion upon earth can dispense with the OBJ
legation Of morality, that nothing is truly
essential but these, that the heartfelt ad-
oration of the Deity is the first of these
obligations, and that without faith there
can be no true virtue.
Avoid all those who, under pretense of
explaining natural causes, plant the most
destructive doctrines in the hearts of men !;
and whose apparent scepticism is an hum
dred times more dogmatical and affirma-
tive than the decisive tone of their adver-
saries. Under the naughty pretext of be-
ing the only persons who are truly enligh-
tened, honest, and sincere, they subject us
impiously to their magesterial decisions,
and give US, for the true principle of
things, only uninteliigible systems, which
they have raised in their own imagina-
tions. Add to this, that while they over
turn, destroy, and trample under feet eve-
ry thing that is respectable among man
kind, they deprive the afflicted of the last
consolation in their misery take from the
rich and powerful the only check to the in.
diligence of their passions they eradicate
from our hearts the remorse of guilt and
the hopes of virtue: absurdly boasting
themselves, Mt the same time, the friends
and benetactors of mankind. The truth,
say they, can never be hurtful so far
am of their opinion and this is to mo a
great proof, that what they teach cannot
be true.
The contending parties reciprocally at
tack each other with so many sophisms,
t:at it would be a rash enterprise to un-
dertake to expose them all. One Of the
most common on the philosophical side Of
the question is to contrast an imaginary
people supposed to be all good philoso-
pliers, with another people all bad Chris
tians as if it were more easy to make a
people true philosophers than good Chris
tians. ! know not whether among indi-
viduals one be more easily met with than
the other but this know, that when we