The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-06-07
Religion and Politics.


Religion and Politics.
A rare Convention was held in Bos-
ton, Saturday last. It was an assem-
blage of those who, in slang phrase,
are called 'tcomeouters;" in other
words, the "Free Religious Associa-
tion." Wendell Phillips, Olympia
Brown, o. B. Frothingham, and such
crazy bodies, were present. There
was, indeed, q perfect freedom of
opinion amongst them; for they wero
hardly agreed in anything, except
that every body had q right to their
own opinions on everything. A let
ter writer, describing this strange as
semblage, says that s'their faces had
the indefinable look of folks who are
deeply in earnest and thoroughly out
Of killer, with the received order of
things"
rockingham was made Presi-
dent. He declared that Christiani-
ty was but ''a sect;" and sssci-
ence confounded Christianity" "For
instance" he said, Christianity
''taught that the world was made
in six days" This, lie thought,
would answer for an age in which the
earth was considered So little piece
of land. whereon two or three tribes
of men could raise their subsistence.
But .'biology, geology, psychology,
and all the rest" of the ologies,
taught that Hundreds of thousands
of years elapsed before the earth
evolved from nothing into beauty"
The orator pinned his faith to the
nebular theory. ''Out of misty mat.
ter, and not out of chaos" said he,
"did the world COME. e., we sup
pose, out of F1othingham!
The next speaker was James Free
man Clarke, who showed rather too
much good sense for the company he
was in. He denied that Christianity
was sect. He said some things so
striking that we make IN extract:
''Christianity contains oil the ele-
ments of good that all other known
systems have ever taught. The vir-
tues inculcated by Brahmanism, the
dignity and Immortality of the soul,
taught by Buddhism, the duty of re-
sisting evil by good, and of loving
the neighbor, taught by Zoaroaster;
all the excellence in the religions of
Greece and of Rome, all, all are con-
tanned; all, NIL are exceeded by the
doctrines of Christianity. Great
applause. Mr.. rockingham declares
where there are walls there can be no
freedom. I declare that without there
are walls, there can be no freedom.
[Sensation.] What use is steam till
you confine it? It must be impris.
oned, and then it is next to omnino-
tent Unless live within the walls
of my house, I have no freedom OF
hospitality to offer my friends.
must fence in my orchard, before
can raise apples to give away. If all
our apples grew on the common, no
one would have any, for without pro-
perty, there can be no general pro.
perty. Applause. I assert freedom
to be dependent on law, for where
there is no law, there can be no Ii.
berty."
Wendell Phillips, the great light oi
the affair, closed the exhibition with
one of his peculiar speeches. He
elaborated Higginson's idea that the
Church (meaning all the churches
which believe in radicalism,) was fos
siliferous, and standing still, save
when urged on by radicalism. HI
represented it as coming to share the
triunphs of radicalism, and proclaim
ing. OF the success of measures they
at tirst opposed, II told you so.
The Church, viewed in the Phillips
light. could be only Satan and ICON
ing in at the death, as he describes
it's appearance at radical victory
would be better indicated by t6,
words, ''And last of all came Sata,
ALSO"
Phillips went on to speak OF th
great advantages of agitation, an,
declared by it they would yet secur
the ballot to the negro everywhere
He thus concluded:
II propose to do it just as Chri.
tianity occupied the throne of th