The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-06-03
Religion and Politics.

Religion and Politics.
A rare convention was held in Boston
Saturday last. 1t was an assemblage of
those who, in slang phrase, are called
comeouters -; in other words, the !" Free
Religious Association" WENDELL PHIL
LIPS, OLYMPIA Brown, o. B: FRoTHrNGHAM,
and such crazy bodies, were present. There
was, indeed, a perfect freedom of opinion
amongst them; for they were hardly agreed
in anything except that everybody had a
right to their own opinions on everything.
A letter-writer describing this strange as
semblage says that "their faces had the
/" indefnable look of folks who are deeply
" in earnest and thoroughly out of kilter
" with the received order of things"
ROCKINGHAM was made President. He
declared that Christianity was but 90
sect"; and "science COMPOUNDED Chris
tianity." " For instance" he said, Chris
4" tianity taught that the world was made in
"six days." This, he thought, would an
swer for an age in which the earth was con-
sidered ga little piece of land, wherein
"two or three tribes Of men could raise
"their subsistence" But biology, ge-
ology, psychology, and all the rest 3" of the
ologies, taught that Hundreds Of thou
sands of years elapsed before the earth
"evolved from nothing into beauty" The
orator pinned his faith to the nebular
theory. "Out of misty matter, and not
out of chaos,' said he, "did the world
come ii. e., we suppose out of Frothing-
ham! s.... 81. -., IS.
The next speaker was JAMES FREEMAN
CLARKE, who showed rather too much good
sense for the company he was in. He de-
MED that Christianity was q sect. He said
some things so striking that we make an
extract:
Christianity contains all the elements
of good that all other known systems have
ever taught. The virtues inculcated by
Brahmanism, the dignity and Immortality
of the soul taught by Buddhism, the duty
of resisting evil by good, and Of loving the
neighbor, taught by Zoaroaster all the ex-
cellence in the religions of Greece and OF
Rome, all, all are ceaaAined all, all are
exceeded by the doctrines Of Christianity.
,IGreat applause.] Mr.. rockingham de-
clares where there are walls there can be
no freedom. declare that without there
are walls there can be no freedom. lSen-
sation.l What use is steam till you con-
fine it? Itmust be imprisoned, and then
II ia next to omnipotent. Unless l live
within the walls of my house | have no
freedom of hospitality to offer my friends.
/ must fence in my orchard before l can
raise apples to give away. If all our ap-
ples grew on the common no one would have
any, for without property there can be no
general property. lApplause.l / assert
freedom to be dependent on law, for where
there is no law there can be no liberty ''
CLARKE, who announced himself an or
thodox. Unitarian, was followed by ROBERT
CoLLYER, from Chicago, also Unitarian-a
man Of note in his way, who was, indeed, a
collier for many years of his manhood. He
was quite sensational. He was for. imita--
ting the Saviour In everything, especially
in his courage. He doubted whether he
[CoLLYER] could have the courage to imi-
tate his goodness and independence when
+" he sat by the abandoned woman at the well
"of Sama1a, [quite SANDER Of that wo-
/" man by CoLLYER and talked to her Of
g wickedness, her duty, and her destiny"
Co1LYER was afraid he, would be looking
round to see "if DR., PLUMMER was not on.
6 one corner, and DR.. PATTON on another !
" both.eager to report that he [CoLEYERl
-tt' had been talking to woman Of the town"
fSensation and applause.l g..-.'., aEss,l
We leave CoLLYER there, and 60 to WEISS,
q " Rational minister, }" at Waterbury, Mas
sachusetts. He desired to remand our
g selves to the operation Of our own intelli-
|" gence; [he;should be remapded to the in
sane asylum; g TO the strictly scientific
/" movement Of God thought ~ TO make
this further clear, he added: = 4 ,.4ss Is. 1.
! .Faith in Gods mind-not in Scripture,
not in any story of the Old and New Tesla
ments, but faith In the ordinary, processes
Of history, of psychology, of anthropology,
and Of, all scientific and vital truth-this is
what is required '.. rstgsf s..s5aya. s.E:3
: One H1Go1NsoN opened the evening ses-
sion, and soon enlisted the general sympa-
thy by dogma. he declared that the
Church stood in need OF the world, and had
to fan in with the progress Of the world in
science and politics. He alluded especially,
to the alliance Of the northern Church with
the Radicals, which he thus forcibly illus
trated 800 ...s,.Ss, !.
= "The Radicals were to the churches what
the Bedouins are to csraSan-the caravan
fears, but is forced to follow them; SO are,
the churches forced 70 follow the Radicals 3
4 The comparison is good. The Radicals
are indeed !" Bedouins," and tho churches
following them trading ''.esrayans,"' making
|fair weather With the Rsdouius for worldly.
advantages. s4fy,
WENDELL E PHILLIPS, the greet Hight Of
the affair, closed the exhibition With ons Of
his peculiar speeches. he elaborated H,aI.-.
4 ~ sattl,