The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-21

The religious press this week is essentially
been ignored, our religious contemporaries
having apparently exhausted themselves upon
that subject last week. The Hepworth lapae
from Unitarianism furnishes no positive pose
upon which to swing an original idea. The
Independent thinks that Mr.. Hepworth has
''burned his BRIDGES" and in Stalking his
new departure has left nobody in doubt
as to which way he is going" Softly,
softly there. He has. according to the
the Independent, gone to the platform
on which that paper stands as an evangelical
chronicler, making the reverend gentleman a
monthly transcript of pictorial illustrations on
religious tergiversations. Passing to political
topics, the Independent trusts Congress will
not do 30 "foolish q thing" as to give legal
effect to the feature In the bill presented to the
House by Mr.. Willard, of Vermont. in regard
to civil service reform. According to this bill
the tenure of Office of all appointees shall
be permanent during good behavior, thus i'm
posing restraint upon the President and
heads of departments in making removals
The Independent believes this bill to be un-
constitutional, and eff it were not it con-
tinues: -
the interests OF reform In the civil service While
aiming to prevent the President from making re-
mOvalS on political grounds, 1t would create more
evils than it avoids. There Is no necessity Tor any
such DILL. provided Congress shall see At to adopt
to the manner OF making appointments.
THESE rules, by divorcing appointments from
On the GROUND o. such reasons, and thus gain the
end without interfering with the constitutional
rights OF the President
The strict Observer, referring to the s'True
Basis of Reform" says
We have said that reformers must first reform
themselves. we snail shock the feelings Of some OF
nev0lent phllanthrOpic religious and social ass0-
Citations are In great need Of being reformed. 1t
would be invtdiOus and perhaps injurious to name
TINS society that club or another association and
show wherein 1t has departed from its original basis
are willing to take the responsibility Of saying, in
general that some Of our largest and best national
and the practice Of their earlier anu better history
And here the strict Observer perpetrates
joke, to witt
The Citizens Association was established for
the Sands.
Whether those "Sands of life," like those of
notorious quack medicine advertiser, are
'nearly run out" does not appear, but the
strict DISORDER goes on to say
We are credbly informed that club. popular and
powerful exists in chs city, Ito resist and expose
corruption and promote reform and to elevate the
aen memSers are mem almost daily denounced IL
our most prominent journals as VIGOROUSLY corrupt;
Others whose associations with the .whisEey ring''
for public usefulness even If they do nor unit them
for the society OF gentlemen.
This is good deal like pigeon shooting from
a trap. One hardly knows whether the object
the strict Observer wishes to hit is a ''driv-
ing Bird" Towering bird" ''quartering
bird" or an incoming bird" 1t is very
likely, however, that the "bird of income" is
the one levelled at, and our Custom House
general order" pigeons may be regarded as
the targets at which the marksman of the
Observer aims.
And yet we may be mistaken even in this
view, for our Presbyterian contemporary con-
tinues:-
We know OF abuses in benevolent and charitable
institutions that would incur the indignant censures
OF political men, but the promoters OF such wrong
are conscientious. and would regard as their enc
mics those who denOunce their errors. Such abuses
creep in and continue; the longer they tolerated
the more lnveterate and incurable they become.
Therefore we say that In the light OF religion, OF his
tory and philosophy, the very agencies for reform
need reforming.
If the strict Observer knows all these things
why does 1t not come out fat-footed and give
names2 If the Every agencies of reform need
reforming" let us know where we can catch
those agencies, and thereby be enabled to
hold them up to merited public odium. That
there is something ''devilish sly" in the preten-
tious rtkorm movements going on nowadays
may be gathered from the concluding para
graph of the strict Obseroers article, which
we reproduce
The auspices and banner Of reform should be, at
right TO demand ana we do demand, that the
friends OF reform should apply uniform test to all
the movements and operations conducted in Its
name-some sod principles on which they shall
proceed and by which they shall be governed AS
such movements and operations originate with in.
gin with ourselves, our errors, faings, faults OF
character, doctrine and lie.
The above, we have no doubt, will afford
food for solemn reflection to many of our read
ers, in this city and elsewhere, on this blessed
Sabbath day
The strict Observer wants to know whether
''Fisk and Tweed are the natural product of
our soil, and proceeds to discourse upon our
peculiar civilization as follows -
The London Times attributes the tragedy that has
recently Mortified the town as the fruit OF the pecu
liar civilization OF the United States and some OF
our own daily papers resent the insnuaton. 1t Is
very easy TO relort the charge and make list as
some papers do, OF worse things done in England,
France and Germany; but that does not touch
the spot. 1t Is easy to say, and we say, that
iQhtlng. and adjourns Parliament for a
horse race, and permits paupersm, as in
country that would produce or permit such
as Is just terminated In the murder Of Fisk. The
same may be said of Tweed and his friends No
city In the world but an American city would
tamely permit such an unnlitigated scamp as he has
| been long known to be- 10 hold the place IN its
| councils and government that ne has held. But
Fisk and Tweed were rich men. They were sue