Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-02-23
THE RUTLAND HERALD
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1871.
Political Temperance


men, leagued together for propagasdisn
Of any sort, act and react upon one an
other until conviction degenerates into
bigotry, until zeal grows into enthusiasm
and enthusiasm into fanaticism Tht
remark holds with especial force to al
concert for the spre ID of religions, and
the enforcement of moral and religious
dogmat. The speech Of political contro'
versy is acrimonious, but the wrangles Of
rival creeds grow furious in idiotic ribal
dry. Fanatio,l zealots scout conserva-
tive truthfulaess, and the earnest appeal
OF audi aItsrane parteut (hear the other
part finds no listener in all their con-
ventioles. Sad paradox of the human
mind, that eager seeking for the right
sometimes grows to sheerest madness to
the right.
1t is true that we see less Of this now-a-
days than iu older historical periods. The
breadth of education, not merely of schol
astic training, but of that better educa.
tion which comes Of II knowledge of things
as we'll as of ideas. has done much to tenn
per and liberslize human thought and
conduct, SO much that bigotry and fanata.
cism now find their only foothold in the
less intelligent classes, In secluded rural
districts, in the purlieus of great cities,
where mems ideas are dwerfrd by isola-
ton or the uuilocul,r mental habits of
mechanical drudgery. In broad sense
religions are becoming more tolerant.
DoRmas are not quite SO inexorable.
Creeds travel with wider tires and the
ruts they cut are not so deep AS they used
to be. Still some specimens of the ancient
pharis-e, enfeebled az hey are by rigorous
in-and-in breeding, are to be found scat.
tered amongst modern people, but yet true
to the ancient type in all but the sturdy
vigor of the stalwart covenAnter. II
Pharisceism Affects the church less in
these days than of yore, it is rather be-
cause Christians have grown in wisdom
than that Christianity hos altered. Driven
from eoclesiastioal fairs by the growing
hherAity and education of the clergy,
Phari-eeism retreats nowadays to the
isms of 70 called reformers, into the lunar
tbeologits of certain sort of emotional
philosophirs. We find it shaping the
policy of spiritnalism, teetotalism. and the
kindred 1nanities of this ebullient age.
S4y they not one and all "stand back, l
am holier than thou" As the Pharisaic
ChristiAn holds that the sum of Il religious
life is regular going to Meeting so the
gospel of the teetotaler is fulfilled in ab.
sttining from lager beer. As the regular
Roers 30 meeting tl4tsntly deplores the
Installation nf publican and sinner into
Judicial authority, so the whisky phobists
uplift their hands in holy horror at the
exaltatiOn of publican who per-
chance has furnished, as our Lord
did, wine for the marriage feast.
The temperance organization has
just now openly, and with all the
solemnity of public convention, plainly
said to all aspirants to Office, "stand back
we are holier than you" If their resolu-
tion does not mean this what does it
mean If it is not in substance deolara-
tion that no one is fitted for office who is
not temperance man, then it means
nothing, it is an idle threat, a bugbear to
frighten timid politicians, sham.
In the interests of temperance we
we protest against this phariseeism of
the temperance societies. It is as sad
sight to see a cause so good debased by
bigotry. 1t is a mournfnl thing, that the
efforts of earnest, thoughtful kindly men,
to bbeck the evils of spirit drinking,
should be made obnoxious to the commu-
nifty by the distempered zeal of self elect
ed and self righteous teetotallers. The
curse of drunkenness is too solemn thing
to be triaed with or ranted about. Tenn
perance reforms are not to be compelled
by popular outory. Conscience is not to
be shaped by legal statute. A man is not
to be convinced by ever so specious an
argument in which the postulate is lie
Nor is his favoring attention to persuasion
best secured by srraigning him as a Grim
inal unfit for public trust. Men are not
enlisted in reforms by charging them
with crime. Nor are criminals best won
back to virtue by holding them up to
public scorn. Men and brethren what
shall aoe do to be saved" is the language
of holy writ. "God be merciful to me
sinner" said the publican We think our
temperance friends might without special
harm borrow something of the Publican's
spirit of supplication. Barbaric force
builds temples and burns them, but it
builds no Christ in the human heart
Pixies may cram catecbisms down heather
throa ts, but not christian piety Persus-
zion, not force, is the sword of christen-
dom not so much the persuasion Of words
as OF example. Christ gave no formula
OF argument, but he said "let your light
so shine etc. The apostles were taught not
khe force OF objurgation, but the persua.
NVe beauty of holy life; not the pro.
P'esndism of tenets but the influence of
example.
p'i cutlery eompels none but the
soWsroly and re'rieves none but the cor.
rupt' Cowards fee before dennnc;at;on
Lhey huddlef for safetyin the biggest bands
OF noisy brawlers. Corrupt men are ever
ready to purchase preferment at tho oo..
OK iaoile complaisance, but no manhood
ever trucklss to bluster or defamation