The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-10-18
FROM MiGH.6AN.

r the Editor Of the woskISex,Ss ADVOCATE
The Rev W. A. Jarrel. Of Springfield,
III in commenting on Interna5ionalism.
Con munism, and other isms, intimates that
they burnt Chicago, Boston, and intend to
burn New York. London, and indeed,
pretty much all creation, unless they can
have new deal for the benefit If the poor
az the expense ~ the rich, and rem srks, in
conclusion The best Saviour ~ the
country is more religion il the church, this
would have saved France from the reign Of
terror, &c
This is the great blunder Of clergy
men everywhere ; they want more religion
n the churches, more prayers. more cere-
monies, more formality. instead Of a prac-
teal application Of the precepts Of Jesus
to everyday life, to the organ ism Of soc-
ely, to the laws Of the land IN reality,
church members have religion enough y,
~ Church, but the trouble is they ha We
none outside liz the church they are very
devout, outside they are no better, often
not 81 COCO, "a an iniidel or a heather. II
IS true that a religious system and religious
influence may l1sg delay the sword Of
Justice The religio. Of France and the
vast influence Of her PRIESTHOOD DELAYED
for generations the punishment Of the Oh
pressors Of the poor nut at length the
load Of sir became too heavy or both
I,h,,-.,I, a. ~ ,nl l,U
church and state together, to the righteous
retribution that awaited them, made mt-e
terrible by the long delay. More religion,
indeed. VIII Mr.. Jarrel open his eyes,
read the records 81 the past. and tell US
what his religion did to save us from the
righteous retribution Of God in the great
rebellion What was the position of the
church with respect to the asrocious slave
system, which has cost us 50 much blood
and treasure That system was ar actual
pecuniary loss % the church at the North.
producing her much evil and no profit. ex-
copt, indeed, the brides hbenlly dispensed
to her leaders. But so rotten IS the church
on all practical matters, that Garrison
graphically charged withhaving ''mado
covenant with hell and an agreement
with the grave r John Jay said the
Northern clergy neither rebuked slavery
in public nor in private. GOd deliver us
from any more such religion as this. IL
was the humbuggery, the shallow pretence
81 religion, while the vtdity, the whole
practical value, was wanting Its paying
tithes of mint, and rue, and cummin,
while the weighty mattersot the law, Jus
tice. Judgment and mercy were neglected;
''its straiuing at gnat ard swallowing
camel, that cost France hundred thou
sand lives and America half million,
with destruction Of property that a
Communist never dreamed o. Terrible
is it to think Of. that the south should be
devastated and desolated, ner whole length
and breadth her cities and villages, and
even isolated farm houses, mills and man
ufactories consigned to utter ruin, and
millions OF property consumed III an
"ocean of ilAme Her sons slain without
number. almost limitless blood and car
mage Add to this the enormous loss Of
blood and treasure at the North, and what
a pouutain or horrors. But was the pearl
rot worth the price Was 1t too much
to pay for the extinction of slavery We
think not. We shudder at fire and sword;
we hope the appeal to them NAV not be
needed but, in view Of the pas. how can
we expect Gods Justice will always slam-
Der How can we say that he has not
already decreed the utter extinction Of the
cities and aristocracies Of Europe, that
equality and human brotherhood, the es-
sence and life-blood Of the teachings Of
Moses and Jesus, may be there and forever
established. This terrible retribution and
costly ls,=on may be avoided by ''break
ING Of sin by righteousness; and iniquity
by sshOwing justice to the poor" by ex-
tsAguishing the enormous monopolies, and
Isuppressing the gigantic robberies that per
wade civilization, by applying the precepts
of Moses and Jesus to the organism Of so
ciety, by establishing reciprocity and the
exchange of equivalents as the fundamen-
tai law, and by that means only.
From the experience Of the past, we
dread the influence Of the Church in every
attempt at social reform. Intidels might
listen to reason, but the Church depends
upon faith. "The salt has lost its SAVIOR"
and is 'trodden under foot of men, being
good for nothing but to be cast out" The
money changers have not only regained
the temple, but control its action. Gam
bling and ROBBERY have come to lie recog-
nized by church dignitaries As Legitimate
business, and extortion and oppression
are the rule, not the exception.
In ancient times, when the lsborer was
and lost his interest in the social |