The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-06-01
CANTON, STARK COUNTY OHIO JUNE l. 1870
From the New York Observer presbyterian.
SOCIAL. MORALS IN NEW YORK -
The TiItOn School Reviewed from n
Religious Standpoint What Is a
Christian?

Religious What Is d
ChrIstianP
The trial, just closing, of Mcfarland
for the murder of Richardson, the seducel
of his wife, has made some revelations
peculiar and startling. 1t has brought to
public observation and remark a state Of
social morals and habits. and tone OF
sentiment IN some quarters, that few.
even of the well informed. believed to ex-
lst IN the heart of a christian community.
1t was known to some that the free love
school had among Its pupils and friends
many literary vagabonds, male and female
hangers on upon the skirts of the press
and society, who get a precarious living
by their wits, and spend what thev get
upon their lusts. But this trial of Nc
Farland has unearthed state of moral
corruption more widespread and alarm
ing than had been imagined hitherto =
We cannot doubt that it will be of public
benefit. If we cannot cleanse the CITY
and the world of such plague as is re-
vealed, 1T is at least well for us to know
that there are men, and men in the midst
OF US teaching IN our religious and politi-
cal papers, forming public sentiment eX.
pounding moral principle, and professino
to be leaders of social reform, who are
also, and at the same time, undermining
the wholes social life amongus by such man
ners and customs as would make a CITY
worse than mormondom, and equal to the
depravlty of Sodom and Gomorrah.
We have devoted considerable space in
recent numbers of this paper to show
that the Independents idea of ''what is a
christian" is not the gospel idea. Now
this Mcfarland trial discfoses the I7lde-
Pende1acS views on morality to be as de-
tectlve as its ideas of christianity. When
pressed to define its theological position
the independent copied the whole of our
blessed Savlor's semon on the mount. and
triumphantly' said: "That is our creed. .
In that sermon occur these words:
ut hath been said Whosoeyer shall
put away his wife, let him give her 8
writing of dicorcement. But I saw unto
you, that whosoever shall put away his
wife, saving for the cause of fornication
causeth her to commit adultery. and who.
soever shall marry her that is divorced
committeth adultery"
1t will be remembered that at the time
OF the killing Of Richardson, and wher
The Astor House Gnte-mortenz MARRIAGE
was perpetrated, we called attention t.
the utterances of the Indcpcnde7n. II,
teaching on the subject of marriage anc
divorce was abhorrent to our ideas O
christian morality. These We're some o
its words:
'To chain two human beings fast tC
each others side, against the perpetua
protest of CALLED and wounded nature, j!
an offense at which angels weep. The
great, indifferent public have no right Il
say, either on the basis of anv statut,
law, or on he deeper basis of anv sup
posed religious tenet, that any two indi
Ylduals, man and woman, shall live to
gether as husband and wife, against tn,
protest of their own individual souls
Derived from whatever source. based OF
whatever foundation, sanctioned by what
ever tradition, such a legallzed tyranny j,
unworthy of a christian civilization
shamefuiIy perverse the fundamenta
teachings of christianity, and DESTROYS tn,
sacred claim of religion to the reverenc,
of mankind"
Now, compare those lines with tn
verses from the sermon on the mount
above; the sermon is the EzdependenP
creed, the passage Just quoted is its prac
tleal application. This is its idea of mo
raity.
HA4@D4SASAi - neat WlInOuI Hglb. Ines
philosophers and reformers have heat, bu
they shut their eyes to the light. Som
OF them profess to be pious; all claim t
be Vlrtuous; but They call evil good an
good evil. So the Mormons claim to b
holy, and the Oneida communists to b
perfect But their righteousness is filth
rags; very filthy, and virtue shrinks fror
their touch with unspeakable loathine
Have we made our point plain? We d
not propose narrow creed and affirr
that you must hold our creed or YOU can
not be christian. We lay down n
! creed.
We say the bible, and the bible only
but 1t must be the whole bible; not tW
chapters, nor three, nor four; nor a ser
mon of precepts, nor an epistle of doc
trlnes; but the full gospel, the core {
which Is the atoning sacrifice of Chris
And we hold that the rejection of til
distinctive doctrines of the gospel by tn
Independent and the school it represents
is essentially the rejection of christianity
We find the proof of it in its view
marriage contrasted with the Sermon O
the Mount" we find proof of it also i
Oliver Johnson's letter to that erring VIC
man whom, with a levity shocking to ey
cry instinct of christian, he addresses 8
chief among ten thousand and one alto
gether lovely