The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-29
CHRIST CHURCH.

The Evils of the Day nnd Their Remc-
dy-Lecture by DIR. Ever.
Last evening DR.. Ever delivered at Christ church
the second sermon OF the course on the evils OF the
day and their remedy. DR.. Ever opened by stating
his desire to make Two preliminary remarks forced
upon him by the incidents OF the past week. First,
he wished TO impress upon his hearers that In this
course OF sermons nc should have nothing to do
with questions that divide political parties 1t
was an axiom with him that such questions
ought Just much to be settled outside tho Church
as questions touching electricity or phil0lOgy or
anything else concerning which there has been no
revelation OF God to the Church. 1t was his happl-
ness to believe that there just as many men In
one political party who love honesty as there are in
the other, and his opinion was in behalf Of upright
ness to the honest men OF both parties He desired
neither TO be misunderstood nor mlsnterpreted, as
had often been his luck in the past four years. For
instance, In having been lately charged that he had
stated
CHRISTIANITY WAS A FAILURE,
which ne took this occasion to declare was simply
an utter and absurd falsehood. He was led to these
remarks from the fact that one of the papers had
attacked him. thinking, no doubt. that some false
rumor other was to be bazoned here to the detrl
ment Of its political party.
theological differences Of Christendom; but. as an,
other paper had charged him with being on new
track. it was due to himself and his parish to
explain that he was on no new track
and he desired to do so now, once and for all, tnat
there might not be afterwards In these sermons the
faintest auSiOn to controversial theology.
Three years ago, said the speaker, he had en-
deavored to point out the underlying cause OF the
INFIDELITY OF AMERICA
and therefore of the Widespread mquty, the God.
cause was departure from the early Church Chris
tianity which, between modern Romanism ana
modern proteslantism, was wen nigh forgotten. II
disp.Oyed, the only lasting cure Of our enormous
evils would be not TO try either Professionalism
or Romanism over again, but to fairly and truly
Chrstianze the people according to the early
Church standard. This process, instead OF being
failure in this church anywhere else, "a the news
paper referred to insinuated, and therefore calling
Tor abandonment, is. on che other hanu, advancing
hopefully everywhere. This process Of cure, how
ever, was too slow TO 0vertake
THE CONSEQUENCES or OUR INFIDELTY
bred evils, and he therefore looked for some other
remedy that can meantime come IN to act more
wrath. He was on no new track whatever, con-
tinueG the speaker, but on the same Old track-after
the evils that anlict our land. While sti continuing
to appeal to the theological intellect OF America,
Satan and the SINS around rs, upon the vast
reservoir OF moral power that exists in tho commu
not Just now agree with us as to the causes and cure
for evils, we may be sure that the vast majority
OF Americans do believe In honesty.
II takes but half an eye 20 see that the honest men
OF this land, OF both political parties and Do'n re-
lgions, have borne the general iniquity with which
we are surrounded almost as long as they propose
to- 1t takes but half an ear to hear
MUTrERINGS or VIGILANCE COMMITTEES,
and the mere mention OF such q cure suggests
crying need OF something. IL was precisely such
mutterngs that took place In San Francisco as o
precursion Of the storm OF 1851 and again IN 1854.
But do persons who make such terrible mention
realize what vigilance CO nmtteeism is2 1t may sue
ceel in q small place like san Francisco, but once
let it break out IN our large cities, and IL means
nothing less than awful bloodshed and an anarchy,
from which may the good God deliver u.s.
The speaker then compared the apathy OF our
citizens to the similar apathy that prevailed In san
Francisco In 1850 and 1853 GO to them in their
counting houses and say ''What are you going to
DO about II I" and they answer,
WE CAN'T HELP 1T,
we have no time to attend TO IT, and there tho mat
ter rests. The speaker here showed that in a hum
drSd subtle ways the prevailing oppression Of the
lower classes BY the INSCRIPTIONS wealthy ana the
illegal voting the III gotten and badly administered
laws and briDeries, the neglected hot beds in which
murders, arson and burglary grew, were inter.
rerlng all the time with everybOdys business slowly
undermining the security Of banks ana churches and
the sacredness OF private homes. This was discov.
cred in san Francisco, and there the citizens paid
dearly for their apathy In the terrible times OF the
vigilance committees
Tie reverend doctor went on to state was futile
expect that government or laws would be one whit
better than the people who made them. 1t was
found in San Francisco that the gamblers and grog-
shops made the laws they were not going TO make
labOrer, but in their own interest. And they would
be laws through the meshes OF which iniquity could
escape and be protected In fact 1t Is useless to
pect honesty to come from dishonesty. aud the soil
tary basis out OF which good laws and good govern
ment can spring Is good citizens.