The New York herald., 1871-11-06

y tSSs
pulpit of this city to be eloquent over the
approaching elections and the duty OF the
hour But tanner batch Of sermons on any
special and public subject has never
before come under our notice. If we
except one or two the rest are so weak that
they resemble the tufts Of grass which the old
farmer in the fable threw at the thief In
bis apple tree. There are no stirring appeals
to Christian voters, no strong denunciations OF
city plunderers no very clear statements OF
the requirements of the present hour nor OF
the coming days and weeks. The great Apos-
tie Of Plymouth passed by the event OF Tues
day az If it was of no moment compared with
drunkenness and gluttony. DR.. Talma2e, too,
so far as we are apprised, kept quiet, and
the leading ministers in this city whose
utte.ances on any subject carry weight
with them to the community were voiceless
in such crisis as this. Perhaps they were
afraid of the bugbear Of sspolitics in the pull
Dit" or deemed that the voters of New York
had already decided whom they should choose
by their ballots tomorrow, and that anything
said to them on this head would be worse
than wasted. 1t is only when politics is
made the trade Of the pulpit that it becomes
nuisance of the worst kind, and with such
glaring example Of negligence before US we
are Inclined to think with Mr. rockingham
that the Church Is now the only
power which does not work for the
regeneration Of society. His own view
of our condition and our duty was hardly as
vigorous and outspoken as might be expected
from suoh as he DR.. Hepworth, too, was mild
in his treatment of the subject. He would
maintain municipal integrity by educating pub
lie opinion, but he forgets that the other side
have more educators Of vice, and more dill
gent ones too, who can more than neutralize
all that we can teach. Our first aim should be
to get rid of the false teachers, and then we can
flll their places with the true. But from present
appearances we shall hardly do this on Tuesday.
Weagree with the Doctor, that our labors should
not cease until every criminal, whether
in high or humble Office, meets his deserts in
State Prison. ''The prison for the guilty and
public trusts for honest men, is good motto
if sternly adhered to; but the men who
have the power to make the sentiment
fact will soon tire Of their task and let it fall
again into the hands Of unprincipled men. AS
Rev. Mr.. White declared, the professional
politician sacrifices peace and rest and honor
itself to grasp at power. We must make cor
responding sacrifices if we wonld keep him
from it.
,~kk al frAn
pulpit by our representatives yesterday come
from Rev. James M. CLANCY, Of st. Josephs
Roman Catholic church. The working men,
his auditors, have most to lose or gain in this
fight with corruptionists, and their pastor rose
to the Importance of the occasion. s'Half Of
those whom you have sent time and again, }"
said he, "to represent you in the Legislature,
have never read the constitution of the
United States, or that of the State Of New
York, and probably are not aware Of its
existence. And no business house in New
York, the meanest or poorest, would take
them as agents, and, with all their boldness.
they themselves would never be guilty Of such
an absurdity after the training they have re-
ccived by listening to the speeches of the
session to apply even for clerkship; and the
very smallest item of these things which
you entrust to their care is the enormous
wealth of the Empire State" sDepend upon
it, he added, ''every workingman spends half
of his earnings when he sends corrupt man
to the Legislature. He could afford to spend
week instead OF day for electioneering
purposes if he was sure of putting in capable
men," Never was a greater truth than this
uttered, and if the men to whom they were
spoken could have the luxury of honest gov
ernment for ten years they would see and feel
the difference, and would not grudge day or
a week at any time to secure it. What striking
contrast those words present to the advocacy
by the Rev B. Gleason, of st. Anne's Roman
Catholic church, Brooklyn, of men for Office
who, upon his own showing, are unfit to be
placed in power But some of his congrega-
tiou showed that he had insulted their intelli-
gence and integrity, and we hope they will
show it more determinedly on election day.
The Rev. Mr.. Boole, of the Beekman Hill
Methodist Episcopal church, who ''knows
how it Is himself" let bis congregation peep
through o hole in the wall, and showed them
the creeping things and the abominable beasts
which our rulers have portrayed on our city
walls. Yet he was free to confess that years
ago the men in authority were just as bad as
now. He had very little faith in the Com
mittee of Seventy or its selection of can
didstes, and desired his people to look well to
them before voting for them. The election
matters we're treated Of also by DR.. Bellows,
Mr.. Evans and others, a synopsis Of whose
remarks will be found in other columns Of the
HERALD to-day.
Two STRINGS TO HIS Bow.-James Irving
IL running for Assemblyman aud Alderman