Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-06-06

it was belief i did not inherit and
only acquired. My present desire is-it
always has been-to do to tie church
exact justice. ] think it does as well as
it knows how. Laughter. The fault
with the church is that it is church
Renewed laughter. Church means or
ganization. Organization means the
adoption Of received idea. A church
gets it, and then fossiizes into solidity.
[Applause. 1t can 90 no farther. 1t
rarely holds its own. generally backs
down. That's So 1t never advances
to its own inherent impulse. The events
of Providence may so shape as to allow
it to advance. But it never advances
bearing its own cross. For instance, it
accepts the war. But the war is gone
issue. 1t is no cross. The cross OF the
hour is the washing out of the race dis
distinction and sex distinctions in our
national and State constitutions Loud
cheers How does the church stand on
that2 1t opposes. Finally, we Radicals
will achieve the issue. Then the church
will rush up with a Didn't | tell you
so2" Laughter and applause. have
no more confidence in the church now
than did in '35, when it was brother
hood of thieves Sensation The rea-
son is because it has moved without any
wish or volition of its own. Events
have moved it; Radicals have moved it.
The church is, as / have said, solid.
Now, solids are standstills. II is the fluid
force which is the motor. Laughter.
Weeks ago | walked over the Missis-
sippi on the ice. The ice is good
bridge; SO is the church. Renewed
merriment.] 1t is good thing to walk
over. But one day, in one part, the Mis-
sissippi receded twelve feet, aud in an.
another it rose twelve feet The result
was that the ice, which is the church,
went under, and was swept into the ocean
of absolute truth. Still, as | said, the
church carefully preserves respectable
ideas. And the church improves. Lu-
ther insisted that bodies of men had the
right to come out and repudiate Roman
ism. Applause That was much
But men Individually, who dared criti-
else the conduct of the body whom Lu-
ther led out, went under. The age was
not ripe for them. Then arose Congre
gationalists, Baptists and Independents
They claimed that men had right to in.
terpret the Bible, always admitting its
inspiration, as their mind, within this
admission, dictated. That was great gain.
Soon, too, came the Quakers. They in
sisted man had right to judge any
thing in morals, independent Of the in
spiration ofany book. Loud applause ]
That was greater gain. The church pre-
serves undisputed truths, and so far is
good. Let it stand, and minds its own
business. Let not radical religionists
quarrel with it, unless it convert its posi-
ton into an engine of hostility and mis-
representation. If it hurl upon US "schis-
matte" fanatic" blasphemer;" if
it espouse wrong and connive at OPP
preston, then let Radcalism do for it
what the rising Mississippi does for
the ice Till then, let it alone. Let
us do our work steadily. When the
triumph come the church will be there.
We, aided by Provideutial events, so hast
ened the destruction of slavery that the
church, gathering up its gown, concluded
it would be indecent not to be in at the
death Great cheering.] And in it was
clamoring: lis it not IN our cardinal
principles long ago adopted that slavery.
is a sin and slave-holding a crime p
Yes, it always was in your principles,
but you never had the grace to apply the
principle. [Good and applause.1 That
is the way to treat the church. Now,
how shall we treat the other evils in the
world2 There are two methods. The
church takes one. Social science, which
is religion, takes another The church
alleviates, relieves. Social science cures.
The church opens its ventilators to let
leaking gas out of fremont Temple.
Social science sends for an engineer to
mend the pipe. The church puts or
phans in good institutions. Social science
establishes eight hours labor day aud
shuts up dram shots, so parents do not
die to make orphans Appreciation. ]
The church offers the penltent prostitute
the charity of an asylum. Social science
gives 10 all women the same rights men
have This ennobles and enables her to
earn her living without shame. Loud
cheers The church drives out the
seven devils. The devils come back be
cause Aut pihNt DONAoA
puts IN seven angels. They take up all
the room. [Cheers.] An immense land
owner in Illinois said to me 81 will
deed you half l have if you will enable
me TO pass that tavern without entering.
The church holds the man up if pos
sible. Social science shuts the door OF
the shop by prohibition. Then the
man walks the street erect, free and
alone. [Applause ] The pressing ques-
tions are eight hours work, the ballot
for the negro, the prevention Of proslitu-
ton. Social science will effect all by
agitation. That is the way slavery went
That is the way Christ worked. People
say TO me, "Why do you 90 down 10
Fsueuil Hall aud talk eight hours work
10 the Irish They always hated the
pegro. They have mobbed you. /
know It, and so much the worse for them.
They know no better. | propose TO give
them eight hours work, eight hours
lsisure, eight hours rest That viii give
them . chance 10 learn better. Loud
cheers Fourteen hours work aud rum
have put their souls out Of relations with
things They need only opportunity.
They need to have reserved wealth yield
less, and growing capital yield more. IL