The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-03-03
For the Conservative.
Shall Reason, OF Shall Bigotry
Shape and Rule the Desti-
MES OfMankiud!

article in the Conservative of the 9th
ult. from John F. Moody, which, al
though in the main devoid of point,
argument or logic, yet contains some
statements which / wish briefly to con-
slider, as the spirit they breath and the
assumptions they make, are alike de-
moralizing and absurd. He common
ces by saving;
at is not necessary for the Christian
Religion to be aspersed by the foul
mouth of Spiritulism and ~Infdelity,"
&c.
Now why this urgentlemanly and
untruthful epithet, foul mouthed' 2
and why applied7 Simply because
Spiritualists and Inidels chance to be-
lieve, and have the honesty to express
opinions differing from those of Chris
tians. lOf course l allude to the whole
family, not recognizing the right of one
small sect TO monopolise the generic
name.) And how this style of argument
smscks of that used by 9 Calvin, and
P~uritanical bigots, when the gibbet,
faggots and the rack were deemed APP
propriate arguments for the conversion
of refractory "Inhdels. When will
clergymen learn TO recognize the fact
that defamation and scurrility are not
arguments which appeal to the reas
soning and rejecting faculties of man
kind2 Again he says:
"But here, l think, the Doctor cries,
Reasonl Where7 Who has it, How
much more has he than the philoso-
piers of yore ? and 1t has never taught
our race anything but idolatry, the
history of which is foul RIGHTEOUSNESS"
What q commentary is this in this
age of culture and scientific attain
msnts, upon that faculty of the mind
which prominently distinguishes man
from the brute7 How appropriately
may we exelaim, "a blind leader of the
blind" and again, in poetic phrase,
knowledge to their eyes her ample page,
Rich with spoils of time, did ne'e< unfold;
Chill penury (bigotry) repslled their noble
rage,
Chokedth noble impulse Of theirsouls."
And yet, this has always been a fas
vorite dogma of Christianity. that rea-
son is deception, and deplorabls in its
results to mankind, and she must ne
oessarially ignore reason, as its free use
invariably results in infdelity, and
self-preservation is her only law. Yet,
from this faculty alone, has resulted
the discovery of America, the arts of
printing and weaving, the application
of steam, the Electric Telegraph, the
Sewing-machins, and all the arts and
refnements that distinguish the high
est civilization from the lowest condi-
ton of the savage. Again he says:
"You may draw a line by the Bible,
and for it | will place sll the good and
pure earth ever had"
This statement displays as much ig-
norance and bigotry, DR. culpable dis
regard of Teracity as was eyer couched
in so many words. Does he not know
populops kingdoms and empires exis-
ted thousands of years before Moses
was born, and that some exist at the
present day, yet not one in 8 million
of their countless multitudes ever
heard of the Bible Does he not know
that not more than one-twentieth of
all the peoplenow inhabiting the earth
know anything of the Bible And,
yet, is he so silly as 20 affirm that there
is no goodness amongst this vast null
titude, nor has not been throughout
thousands o. ages? Has he not, at
least, heard of those paragons of virtue
and goodness, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
and Joseph, who lived and died sges
before Moses was born2 These, GER
tainly, were not good by virtue of the
Biblel But to come down to our own
nation and time. An hundred years
of threading, Interpretation and prayers
from the expounders ofthe Bible, only
seemed to confirm a large portion of
the Christians of the United States in
the belief that that "sum of all villain
les" Slavery, was of Divine apuoint-
mont, and they found no lack of passa-
ges to prove their doctrine and send
0nesimus back to bondage; and 1 think
| may safely claim that three-fourths
of the forty thousand clergymen of
this country, taught this doctrine at
the breaking out of the late rebellion.
But, when a Spiritualistic President
had declared the bondman free, then
the Church, with its Bible, acquiesced
in the reform. Again, for nearly forty
years intemperance has been denoun.
eed in this country, outside of the
Church, a. q great evil, a sin, q crime;
and ave prohibitory laws have exfs-
ted in some of the States for years and
the reform has become quite popular
all over the country, and, yet, never, to
my knowledge, has any Christian sect,
IS q body, taken any action in refer
enoe to this crime until within the last
year, and, oven now. tipping is not
considered a bar to membership by
any sect that am aware of again pro-
wing that refermatory movements are
in advance of the Church, and that
it only sluggishly follows in the popu-
lar wake.
DR.. W. n. HAMILTON.
McConnelsvills, Feb. rs, 1871. }