The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-03-04
Professor Julius II. salys, o.

Professor Julius H. Sulye, Of
Amhsrst college 10 another vice
presidsnt Of this band which proposes to
make sne nation pious by law. He con
b. relied on. Ne ID orthodox. His theory
10 that of a true Christian who has been in
the habit Of committing murder or adul.
terry and promptly repenting, is surer Of
admission At the golden gates than an I'M
believer who has not trausgressed either
Of the commandments that came unto Mo-
soc out Of tue thick darkness.
Toe terror Of the orthodox wildly APP
pears in their religious circular. They are
IA doubt whether the nation will preserve
tho christian features of its life. They
suffer AN agony, like that Of David OF old
because the constitution OF the U niteo
States acknowledges neither God nor the
Bible, They "will not down" till the
ackno W edg inent OF God as the author Of
the nations existence, jesus Christ as its
ruler, and the Bible rs the foundation Of
It's laws, 10 down in the constitution. Their
zssl Is such that they seem almost doubt
fui concerning the continued existence Of
the Great Author Of nations and disposer
Of events, unless 1t 10 down in the consti-
tuition.
Mr.. Francis 4. Abbott of Toledo, edi-
tor of the Index, has issued u pronounced
pronunciamento to the "Liberals Of Amer.
ica," calling on them to organize against
this orthodox attack on freedom. The
commanding characteristic Of these "Llb.
erals Is that they are too liberal to toler.
ate Christianity. They don't want church
property exempt from taxation. They
don't want any chaplains in the country.
They object, of course, to Bibles in schools.
rhey dislike judicial oa,hs. They are dis
susled with all sunday laws. They are
opposed to "Christisn" morality, and no
one can tell what other kinds of morality.
they protest that the Christian religion
shall not DO allowed to get any advantage.
they have proposed u organize for resist
ance The taltle Of the religions, there
fore, may be said to have recommended on
Wednesday Of this week.
1t n not easy to determine which is
more ludicrous or unphilosophical Or fool.
ish-the senseiess zeal Of the evangelical
men ~ put God Into the constitution, or
the senseless Zeal Of the Liberal" men to
keep God out Of tho constitution. The
Great Jehova who ri les ON the storm and
the ~h,rlwind; who speaks in the thunder
and whispers in the breez.; who appears
III tue othi tlhIiOis Ou thliilOHs OF ullIes
sway and In the daisy Of our feet; whose
hand Is seen In all history, in picture and
poem Ss well Ms in constitutions and gov
ernments, neet no, to be, Oanoied about by
frail mortals, and legislated into this and
out of that. Plny men, directed by pi-
Gus zeal without knowledge, can no more
legislate the Almighty into the cons,itu.
ton by their proposed methods than they
can legislate Him into the violet which
His woodland paints blue. Puny men de
rectei by an impious zeal, equally without
knowledge, can no more keep Him out Of
the constitution than they can keep Him
out Of the sea or tho sunshine or the
professions Of the spheres. Ifthe coDsti.
tuition lacks wisdom, or truth or justice
put wisdom and truth and justice into the
consttution-thati is God in the constitu.
ton. Infuse purity and virtue into the
national life--that is obeying the behests
of the ruler of nations. His name need
not be stamped on the lily or written in
the constitution. To sickle about that is
more trivial than to bother with the out
side of the cup and platter. This battle Of
the religions Is emptiness.