New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-29
4 SATURDAY SERMON.


1t is hardly our province to add to the ser
mons which the Lenten season calls out. But
if politics are banished from the pulpit and
religion from secular newspapers, where Is
the relationship between them to be made
goodf How can two be agreed unless they
sometimes walk together? Or will our readers
tell us there is and ought to be no kinship
between them That is the creed upon which the
great mass of our religious population act. Our
neighbOr Johnston is not only an honest but
a devout man. He brings up his children In
the fear and admOnitiOn of the Lord. He
carries the principles of justice, which the
Savior taught, into his minutest dealings with
his customers, and His mercy into every dole
or kindly word he gives to the poor. Into his
share of social life, and study Of science or
literature, even into his recreation, he takes
these great truths, and orders his be-
liefs and actions by them. But the
moment he approaches his duty as citizen,
Christian principles are thrown aside as effete
and impracticable. Either he votes or engi-
neers his party tactics according to the expe-
diency of the present moment, or else he
washes his hands of the whole unclean bust
ness. He will sit by the hour bemOaning that
"pohtics are hOpelessy corrupt" that the
City, State, or National Government is in
the hands of men ready and willing
to be bought to favor any iniqui-
tous scheme Of peculation that the
elections in the cities are carried by fraud,
and are virtually controlled by the basest
class of politicians and the element of rufian
ism which they bring to bear on the ballotbox.
Yet he and thousands of his like decline to
interfere. They are content to sit TRANQUILITY
grooming, day after day, over their newspaper
and the depravity of their fellow men. Sheer
Incidence is the motive power with most OF
them in their inaction. They dread the shame,
the bruit of unearthing corruption. Stir not
sup muddy water" is their favorite maxim
But with many the deterrent cause is the
weight of an office held by themselves or
their friends. Who ever knew the holder of
an Office turn against the party which had
given it to him, however corrupt Why should
we GUST any bribe-taker or heap reproach on
him, when he "spOke kind word to get Bill
Sin the Custom house." or to send Dave as
"Consul to the South Seasf" Honesty has
weight in public men, doubtless, yet our own
bread and butter on the other scale make it
kick the beam.
THIS sort of reasoning may do for the poor
inortals who profess no religion. But is it
sufficient for those who ostensibly follow the
example of Him whose actions will tomorrow
be expounded in countless pulpits throughout
the land Now if Christianity means anything
at all, it means honesty. 1t means clean
hands 1t means fearlessness in duty. And
if Christian owes any duty to his neighbor,
it is that he shall choose men to make
the laws, and execute them, who
have at least not been branded
as thieves, liars, and perjurers. 1t is that he
shall use what little strength and influence he
has to keep our elections from becoming an
exhibition of the power of the most brutal
mobocracy our judiciary clear of at least
open bribery, and Congress free from such
disclosures as those of the last two months.
The devout man who keeps himself alOof
from politics and politicians, inwardly thank
ing God be is not as these men, is in his
place clearly derelict in duty.
Eighteen hundred years ago this very ques
ton was tried before the Jewish public. Their
suffrages were asked, as now, whether to
choose as their ruler the embodiment of JUS
tice, Honesty, and the highest law of Human
ity, or to sacrifice Him for a man publicly
branded as felon. Jesus, as King of the
Jews, would have been just Az inconvenient, ]
as antagonistic to old precedents and old
prejudices, as Jesus controlling i'll spirit our
ballot boxes, our courts, or Congress. The
Jew had his office to lose, his warm little
income to sacrifice, before he could subscribe
to the faith of teacher who babe him sell
all that he had, and give to the poor. Conse-
quently he preferred that matters should con-
tinue comfortably as they were. Let Jesus be
crucifed out of the way, and Barabbas, whose
habits had grown into one of the institu-
tons of the country, be released. Now, as
then, the old question is asked, "Will
"you have this Man to rule over your And
we, like the Jews, reply, "Not this man, but
Barabbas." What does it matter to us that
Barabbas is a robberfn
Ex-senator Alex. G. Cattell of New-Jersey, who