, 1873-03-08
CUR NATIONAL SHAME,
A Sermon Delivered by tho Rev. Clark:
G. Rowland, Pastor Of tho Uni
tartan Church, Kalamazoo,
Nffc]'., March 2, 1879.

M Surely mon Of lay aoareo vanity. aud mon OF
aro altogether lfghtor than vanity.--Iaainls, ir., o.
Tho question iH asked, Aro mon really grow
Ing hottor? AFRO thoy moro honest, Bobor truth
full, free from vco, now, than thoy woro hundred
yoarB ago? Aro orimcH less froauont? Haa
thcro boon any increaao Of commercial integrity ?
Is thoro aa high aonso of. personal honor
among public mon as in tho tirno Of Washington,
or In tho timo Of JaoAaon7 Those quoH-
tiona nro not all ensiy answorod.
II tho morals Of tho country remain ur,-
changed and proportionaly tho aa,no aa they
were at tho clo8o OF tho Revolutionary War,
thero should bo about twolvo tlulcs rs much law
lossness. and crimo, and corruption rs thoro
woro at that time twelve mon should now buy
their Senatorial seats whore ono did at tho time
Of tho adoption Of the Constitution; twelve men
ahould flow bo executed for murder to ono then,
providing tho laws remain the same, and nro on
forced In tho same way.
1t would probably 10 hard to prove that vio-
1ent orimos hayo become any moro numerous
than We ought to expect. Tho immigration OF
'10,o00,00O OF tho ponsaptry Of Europe hae not
contributed to our merely moral forco. And
tlon tho war had great doal to do with
domoralizing tho nation. Tho vlcoa OF
tho camp, with mono Of it's strong
y'rtuos, penetrate tho country. And worao tlau
any Of tho camp-yices TINT wore brought homo,
wore tho atoaling habits ongondered in tho s,1p-
ply-dopartmont Of tho army. This, 1 thin1 Is
ono Of the OWLS that has lastod tho longest and
dono tho moHt 10 injure tho character ct tho
peoplo.
Somehow. OWL chnngoe form, and las con-
tinuous lifo, like the forces Of Nature. A fow
years ago, the evil was slavery, roproaeh to-
the Saxon raco hit nj lcrct, s,avo,v .ros t,,r,ad
;nto wor. as,s, ~; maa tutnea
.nso va" 'Felnenao"a owl LOOK anothor form,
aud Tor four yenrs tho country was filled with
bloody strife. But tho evil has been changed a
Becoud timo. transformed now {nto po1;t;c.,
naaenoas' IN 1851, oppression turnoa into
na'no ana plooa anu, alhcc l6G5, tamo, and
blood, and bate hayo been converted by Bon1o
diabolical proocss into moral pollution. TIM
actual amount Of evil and ilnnpor l,oa NOT boon
Broa'ls un'n'snoa oy tne aooht1oh OF Slavery.
Tho first notable instance Of q corrupt use Of
power on largo scale was in the government
of New Ne York ctty still, tue earnest belieyers
faith When they saw corruption hitherto un-
thought.thht our city population is exceptional
aud that rustic virtue would a1ways bo strong
that time, Satan possessed tho country almost
"a perfectly as he did tho city lis sl1ny track
was Been in village politics as well as in metro
politan hsunntsi md now tho open buying and
places arc poisoned. KansaB, onco an object OF
sollctudo lest 1t should bo doflled by tho touch
Of Slavery, has boen overwhelmed by an evil
scarcely less to be deplorod seatB In tile Senate
Of tho United stateH nrc bought, the eamo as Mt
tho opora. II is now d profitable businoas
to be . mombor OF tho Legislature during
Senatorial .ycar, md have a .voto to sell
IN. tho market. And THO evil does not stop
thoro. What iR q hundred timos worso, q COM
mitsee Of the United statcn Senate takes tho
aano Wow Of the caso as the man who buys tile
Senatorial honor! Still, They aro willing to ad-
NIT that it is little Irregular; TINT il Is not
exactly in accordance with tho old method Of
political dignity was Always obtainod md 3 ths ths
benato are indalgcnt, hc ID not to DO expelled.
Tho markct-prlc Of State legislation ia not,
Florida and south Carolina, e25 is % considered a
fair price for o vote; while, in Kansas, from
81, ,060 to $1,000 haa boon actually paid for
sixgle vote. But tho investigating committees
at Washington reveal still moro alarming
whole country is astounded, not so much
because tho Government has been epor-
mously dofrauded, but that tho gigantic
awintle Of this generation should have boon in
dorsed and encouraged by score Of Congress-
men, by Senators, and by tho Vico-Presldent OF
tho United statesl With what mingled feelings
We regard those disclosures feelings Of regret
and Indignation, Of deep sorrow and stern ro-
buke.
Even political rivals and those who might DO
thought envious Of their successful carcors, do
not exult. How audden1y it becomes manifest
that "Men Of high degreo arc 1io." Nobody
suspected tho personal honor of these mon;
they had the public confidence to IN unusual
degree i; one Of them was tho favorito Of tho
Nation. Yet we may soy Of him as was said of
Tito. He could lio with dirnpled smile" Mr..
ing positlon next to tho highest In tho land,
with the fairest prospect Of taRing the highest
by and by. We should suppose there would bo
something in the fact that a man holds such
great position to koep Linn above moanness. II
ls m Infinite ahomiuation for King to lie.
Better that half his Bubjecta should
tell falsehoods. I should think q con-
sciouHneBs of his placo would mako
a King manly. and fill HIM With q sublime md