Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-02-22
Communicated
The Coming Crisis.

NO people in the world are more
addicted to Boosting and Dragging of
national greatness, popular intelli-
gence, superiority of laws and gov
eminent, than the American people.
We talk excelsior in our families, teach
1t in our schools, read it in our pa
pers, preach it in our pulpits, proclaim
it in our lectures, sing it in our con-
certs and dream it in our slumbers.
And yet when we concentrate our
sober senses on the present status of
the country, exercising the little
imps of pride and selfishness, we
begin to realize the grand difference
between the real and imaginary.
Ours is a nation of one idea-an
idea, it is true, great and inspiring
In itself when properly understood
and expressed but let it be borne
in mind that there is but o single
step between the sublime and the
ridiculous; and, in losing sight of
real matter of fact and chasing the
ethereal visionary offspring of an in
toxicated ingenuity, both individuals
and nations are liable to make the
transition.
What other nation Than ours
would tolerate in its midst such
monster Of iniquety as Mormon po-
lygamy, under the specious plea of
liberty of conscience2 This is a
free country, it is said, and the rights
OF conscience must not be abridged.
Suppose that strong man becomes
religiously impressed with the idea
that he ought to seize and possess
the wife of weaker one, or the rich
man tho wife of the poor, should
such conscious convictions be toler-
ated because, forsooth, this is land
of liberty The Oneida Free-love
Society, hundred fold worse than
Mormonism, is permitted to flourish
like q green bay tree, in az much as
the rights of concience mus. not be
invaded. The Hindoo, coming to
our shores, might conscientiously
burn the widow on the funeral pile
Of her deceased husband, and of
course the government must close
its eyes on all such horrid rites
Liberty liberty is the watchword
of America. like the small pallet
OF snow starting down the mountain
side, at every revolution increasing
in magnitude, rapidity and momen-
tum, until it starts the avalanche,
this idea Of liberty, SO called, is roll
ing on threatening the ruin of our
government.
To-day herculean efforts are being
put forth by a few fanatics to prohib-
it, by law, the reading of the Bible
in our public schools, because they
are conscientiously opposed to this
time honored custom. They seem
To ignore tho fact Gb@t a. great me-
jority Of American citizens are con-
scientiously opposed to infdel schools
without the Bible. ! do not wish
to be understood as arguing either
for or against the Bible in schools,
but simply to inquire whether the
minority or the majority should con-
troll questions on which they cannot
agree. Is it fact, that In this won
derful age Of ours, we have so far
progressed that the conscientious
convictions of handful of men
must subordinate the conscientious
convictions Of the masses? Certain
ly the world does move, though it
may BIO in reverse condition. We
are rapidly drifting to a crisis The
man or nation that undertakes to
pander 30 the whims, notions, and
preiudices of every little upstart, in
divIdual or sect, will in time learn
the truth Of that homely proverb
that "the last feather broke the cam
els back"
The false conceptions Of liberty,
unless soon corrected, will be the
ruin Of the country. Never were
men more deficient Of law than now.
Never did red-handed crime and di-
abolical infamy exercise more ubiqui-
tous control over the nation than at
the present. Never was justice so
nearly strangled by the strong hand
of policy as in this generation. If
the nation would save itself from
ruin let it apply o strengthening
plaster to its spinal column, maintain
its dignity, assert its authority and
enforce righteous code of laws.
Patch Grove, Feb g. 1870 C. BUsHBY.