, 1873-03-31
Elonucnt and Sensible Discourse by
tho Rev. DR.. Ryder.
Does Hanging Qualify d Murderer
for Heaven 2
IT It Is d Means OF Grace, The More
of II the Better.
How the Condemned Should
be Treated.
Tho Material Idea OF Heaven
and Hell.

The Material idea OF Hcaven
and Hell.
Tho Rov. Dr.. Ryder, pastor Of St. paul'a Uni
fvorsa]iBt Church, preached II practical and uenk-
bio sermon yostorday morning on Capital Pun
aehment. Tho largo congregation which listened
to 1t, doubtless possessed views similar to those
OF tho learned divine, nnd they woro not back-
ward In expressing thoir sentiments when dis
mlHaed. Tho reverend gentleman took as his
text:
whither shall 1go from thy spirit or whittier shall
flee from thy prcaerce7 II uscenl III, into heaven,
thou art there II make my bed IN hell, behold sho,i
dwell In tho uttoross parts Ut tho sea; oven there
shall thy hpn lead mr., and thy right hand shall hold
me. 1aa Psasm; I, 50. 10.
TIE SERMON.
Tho discourao ia given in fn1l below. Ho said:
Ono is surely acting in harmony with tho spirit
Of tho Gospel when lo anterosts himself in tho
wolfnre Of tho criminal clasBes. No man can bo
so low as to bo entirely shut out from human
sympathy. 1t mnttors not Of what offc1Bo against
The law ono may bo guilty, lo il to DO treated
human boing, and to bo subjected to no noodleaR
torture. Gods mercy Ia extonded to tho vi1oHt;
Ills grace is FREQ ALL Ho should mans By7npa-
thy DO; nnl NC ought to DO actuatod by desire
to do tho worst OF our race as much good as wo
conveniently can. l do not hold, therefore, TINT
a man should bo suffered to so to the gallows, na
If by tho act OF murder ho Ind shut Aimselr out
from nll human regard.
by common consent, the civilization Of our
timo has pronounced against many Of tho forms
Of torture formerly employed to deprive ono Of
his life, ,-suol aB qunrtering g man, burning him
in'tho uBo Of grocn wood, pouring heated lend
and oil into Ills ears and Dyes. AL such instru-
monts Of doath arc utterly sot aside as nhuman,
md, even when NO employ hanging, wo demand
Of tho Sheriff that lie Bhall apply that ponalty
without neotless torture. This much say On
the aide Of humanity.
And I think, also, that ono is acting in tho
namo Of religion who socks to offer to tho cu1-
prit the benefits Of religion, a1d as far Us possi
bic, bri ng him into u proper tompor to enter tho
etorual world. Tar be it from mo to condemn
the efforts Of clergymon in this behalf. Loom
mond them for it. Dut this ay1npathy which is
offered to tho criminals, especially those of
particular class, mny be iniuaiciously expressed,
and 60 harmful to the public morals us may DO
nlso the efforts to promote the spiritual welfare
of Tho criminal, md 80 injurious to the
cause of religion. Undor tho former head
I place oil attempts to pardon criminals
out Of regard for thom or for tloir families, or
on the ground TINT tho ponnlty fB Eovere. /
condemn all such intorpoBit;on In behalf Of
criminals as Tint employed by DR.. Tying, Of Now
York, in tho case Of Fostor. It is no matter
whethor Foster went to DR.. Tyng's church or
not It Ia no Mattor whether llo belonged to a
respectable family Or not. It is not at al perth
nent to tho caso that his family wero the friends
Of tho pastor, and tho pastor wished to bo tho
friond Of tile family. Tho simple fact in tho case
fa that tho nlnn Foster was notoriously guilty OF
murder, and, being 30, deserved the penalty Of
the Inv. It is 1nipaten compassion aul nliH-
tahen sympathy TINT 1ea.lB Clergyman to try to
sayo from the geows lnan clearly guilty
Of, murder, who may happen to bolong to 9 fam
ly In whoso welfare he is interested. On tho
other hand VIC aro not to cook to savo ono from
Tho just condemnation Of the law, because, in
Iossly severe. Docauso some Of you may
belioyo that imprisonment for life Is proper
poualty for murder, md not hanging, you nre
not therefore to oppose tho execution Of the law
renonlbor that your Judgment with regard to
iutorfere With the Just execution of tho law, 50
long aa hanging il the penalty. The like ie true
In tho oaso Of recent murderer in this city, and
In the caso Of almost every murderer there la an
earneBt effort made to saye the man from Ills
Just descrtH. Petitions arc sgued: benevolent
Christian mon and women, well-dlsposel, sign
tlore Is some reason for it outside Of sym
death penalty, outside Of tho fact
TINT it is terrible thing to take man'a life III
that a. aEe r harttu m to The public , mera'. and
attempt to get murdcrers pardoned ia rightly
quoted sco, latterly, in favor of capital punish.
mont; and am frank to say that unless you
regulate tho pardoning power, hanging seou1s te
suro,-not because as some Of our. preachers sn5
God said to Noal, "Whoaoeyer Bheddeth mnu's
blood, by man shall his blood be shed," but .be
cause tho .aafoty Of society requires IT.. Got
fore ho uaid tho other; In tho rocorl
it stands two Or thrco verses boforo), ssBu
flesh witt, the life thereof, which tho bloos
thereof, shall 70 not oat." But MS most por
necessary to the hoafth, they leave this conmant
TO Noah unenforCed. But ono is Just as nu
thoritatiyo NJ tho other, and neither has IN,
more to do with our timo than communicated
That may hayo been lnado to the antodilnyiauB
/ Personally, 7 prefor, if could have everything
as + would with it, imprisonment for lie to th'
death penalty. But, II man condemned TO
murder is to be pardonca and set at liberty ii
nn Ya sy b1 ny
the side Of those who defend capital punishment
The dignity and majesty of tho law must b.
maintained. That is a fundamental proposition
No matter what I may like or DISLIKE the lar
muRt DO upheld, for we arc all Of ua dopendon
upon tho enforcement Of law, and nothing is 70
liable unless tho criminal classes are made tt
understand that tho law means what II saya, ans
must bo respected Tho penalties OF law sioux
not, therefore, hc net asida to plonso an indiyid
hal, tor tho welfare Of millions should never b
jeopardlzed to crafty few. !, and the per
Of my church, may wish to Enyo somo ono fror
the gallows, but shall and they be gratifod
tho detriment OF the whole community
Tho oxorciso Of tho pardoning power in som
cases Boems necessary; but, after the court
have pronounced against criminal the ponalt
Of death, it ought not to be competent for til
Governor to set asido tho verdict, unlosB fact
which ara developed subsequent to the tr
Justify It. The criminal as q criminal, d.
sorvcs no sympathy; pity, but not sympath
The wrong-doer has claim upon our humanity
but not tho wrong-doing. And am satislie
That sometimes sympathy is exercised IN til
connection so indiacrimiuatoly that 1t really ait
and abeta crime.
put this loads mo to tho noxt topic-tlo il