Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-06-04

or system, with rules for insuring
never-failing results; and the Prot
estant State bodies sanctioned the
jesuit system by adopting such parts
as appeared adapted to their rather
more enlightened masses. But in
America the several religious bodies
rejected almost from the first the on.
tire code of governing the masses by
superstition. including the art also OF
using this weakness of woman kind,
which Mrs. Stowe calls "Ueneration, /"
thorn worshippers, makers of sill
yer shIines for some divin nifty or 9TH
err, which they think fell down
straight from heaven"
From the very first Protestants
saw that, from the drift toward in
telligence in America, under such a
government as ours, the whole art
OF perpetuating religion by means of
superstition must not only fail but
actually change the masses into skep-
tlcs-just as the effect is proving
among the educated in Europe.
We can even remember when the
question was adroitly being discuss
ed in Protestant quarters, Does the
Bible contain such truths, ia them
selves logical and sound to the mind
Us to stand fair and open test 10 tho
field of conflict with reason and SCI
ence? Perhaps the real question
was-can our religion stand without
a mask of superstition and hypocri-
sy, and without the usual use made
of this feminine weakness, "Ven-
Grafton 2"
The American Puritans, or Calvin
istic sects, first discarded wholly the
superstitious mysteries, including the
Presbyterians at the head. the Con-
gregationalists and Baptists, and the
smaller sects. The Methodists and
their diverging scots never relied
much upon superstitious imposture,
except that, by pretending to me-
chanical airs Of sanctity they out
Heroded Herod in capturing the
masses by Deans of that feminine
weakness, generation" The tend
ency of EpiscopaIians to this day, as
shown by their strong leaning for
the ritualistic arts, is for that skep-
teal illusion, which holds that there
is not enough in the Bible to perpet-
uate Christianity, and that therefore
the masses must be charged with SUI
perstitious imposture TO make them
faithful.
Had the Purtanic sects stood by
their old practice of splicing truth
with signs and dreams, with emblems
and pow vows. aud with witch craft
and other wonderful monstrosities OF
superstition, one of two events must
have followed a common combina-
bination of all the religious sects to
arrest education among the people !;
or, general popular march into the
ranks of infideIiLy by the educated
masses 1t is now certain the Puri-
taniC chiefs were right in their fore
seeing, and that their conclusions
and conduct in abolishing the super
stition of the fathers has saved the
Church in America.
The Unitarians' recent offshoots
from the Puritans, thinking they
could see superstition in the miracles
Of the Bible and in Jesus as held and
understood by the orthodox, have
made regular come-out from or
thodoxy, and organized without arti-
Giles of faith, except that miracles
and Jef us and justification by faith
are to be held TO with notifications,
each member to be the Judge as to
whether these shall be much or little
in the scale of faith. Some of them
are taking wide latitude, and some
wider still, aud few are retrograd-
ing in the direction of orthodoxy
WIthal, the Unitarians are doing a
a very good work, as they are catch
ing up much of the drift floating to-
ward infdelity, and saving it to be
worked up into something else at the
next revelation. 1t is law of ma
ture that matter &drift and 2float
must finally come to rest in great
masses, and be worked over into
what it was at first, which is about
as true of men and spirit. If Ortho-
doxy be truth and right interpreta-
ton, the drift will come to rest some
time and be worked up for the true
church.
1t is not at all TO be wondered
that the abandonment opens the
road for excess the other way-just
as the abandonmentof the monarch
ic rule with its man-worship opens
the way for excessive republication
or anarchy. The French and others
in Europe are adrift without knowl-
edge as to what practical republicans
ism means, and they rush to ex-
tremes. In describing their Priests,
and religion too, they go step furth-
Grand discard about every thing else /;
but seIfshly boiling that Republic
anism is better paying institution
than Imperialism they cleave to that
as a saviour of promise to the nation.
Now we cannot believe that any
people SO trained to man-worship OF
monarchy, and to veneration for
Priests and hobgoblins, can change
about at once and carry on Repub-
lican government, the Masses withal
brought up in ignorance of books
by their monrachs and Priests 10
view of making them worshippers of
men and saints. Republican masses
must 60 thro' secular training and
learn to read and think for them
selves in politics and religion before
they can be entrusted with the ballot
and the official service of repub-
lie. No superstitious people can ev-
er support a republic, nor can any
people without some religion which
binds men to morality and integrity
and which makes men responsible to
God for their conduct as voters and
citizens There must be Cody men
in a republic, aud enough such to
prevent bad men from getting the
INNER hand and plunderiBg the reve.