National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-06-18

OF the heathen belief in OracleS and
omens, and their practice of consult
ing jugglers and priests in impor-
tant affairs of life.
The audience smiled contemptu
Ously at their folly; but Common
Sense In ought of the multitudes
who consult fortune tellers and clair
voyants in important affairs, and
saw before him men and women
who believe in signs and old witch
es' fables, and latterly had even put
faith in board called Planchett,
and he pronounced them not one
whit less heathenish than the ma
tions in foreign lands.
The missionary horifed his audi
cnce by his account Of heather
parents who sold their beautiful
daughters into slavery, and for Il
consideration doomed them to a life
worse than death.
The audience wcpt over wicked
ness like this but Common Sense
remembered marriage ceremony
in that Christian church where the
bride was young and beautiful and
the bridegroom old and ugly. He
remembered the smiles of the brides
parent as he gave away the fair girl
to the cruel-visaged foreigner, and
the disgust on the brides face as
she shrank away from the man who
claimed her as his wife.-'Gave her
away were the words the parent
used bnt they were not true. Sold
her away, he should have said sold
her into slavery for money and po
sition. That parent sat within til,
house of God that day. and in hi'
heart condemed the heathen bar
gain; but Common Sense, with hi
clear sighted vision, saw that th
, Christian contrast was alike crimi
nal. The missionary told his audi
, cncc of heather festivals, with thci
| offerings of gold, fruits, and flowers
and sometimes human lives. lie
described the attendant drunken
, ness, debauchcry, and immortality
in language that made the Christian
audience before him shudder.
Common Sense beheld the shud,le
with Il sarcastic smile. He knew
of festivals in America with offer
: ings of gold, fruits and flowers, an,
, not unirequcntly eXcesses that wcr
: suicidal in their nature. He kney
that debauchery and drunkenness
: often marred these social fcasts an
the tone of morality was exceeding
/, " low. He could look around til
n the Christian audience and see me
. who in their club.houses' were Il
f better :han the degraded heather
+ and women who, IN the eXcesses {
g fashionable society violated thei
+, marriage vow of love and honor
1 and sacriticedtheir tsuc,pure won
/ anlss in the dance and in the win
A cup until they could not east tn
stone of condemnation at .hcir he t
= en- sisters. The missionary told Ii
:. audience of the ahject condition ,
/. many foreign tribes W II o herde
5 together and lived in miserable hu,
If in an atmosphere of filth and deg
ration. The refined Christian aud
I encc sickencd at the description
1t and ON their incredulous fac es W;
Il written questioningS if such thin.
Is could be. Common Sense trownt
II at the iucredulity, and wished th,
IL might take step only little o
n of Broadway, where the New Yo
H. poor huddlcd in cellars and crowd,
$. tenement houses, breathing an 4
,r of filth and contamination, and Ii
m ing lives of lowest degradation ~
is crime. 1t were caser to believe
10 foreign heather with such IL sig
lc of American heathcn.
1t The missionary talked of the n;
ii tionS who bowed to idols and 60
of their own making.
&c The Christian audience dcvout
Il. thanked God that they were Il
IN like the poor hcathcn; but Comm
TO Sense was picking ont of til
Christian audience men and won
Is. who bowed to Mammon, Fashi'
ut Pleasure, Ambition. and II thouSa
on gods of their own making.
i'd At the close of the service
It's missionary made II powerful plea
it's foreign missions and solicited Il e,
lg tribution for amcloratng the 20
as dition Of the benighted heather.
no The audience responded liberia
n for their hcaits had hcen touch
lse and Common Sense smiled appro'
rn- His smile was followed by the 81
by gcStiCn that another contrihut
OF double the previous sum be Ia
lcy for amcliorating t he condition
la. American hcathcn and advanc
he the cause OF home missions.
in The audience was utterly COMO
Bile ed and highly indignant. They
cg. not understand Common Sense
all
ned
49, MI. NM, - ia, p,ngi I1Iipul Ii,