The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-03
LYRIC HALL.


the Public SchoOls--A Scnthfng Rebulke
ingham.
| There was the customary large and fashionable
| attendance at Lyric Hail. opposite Reservoir
| square, yesterday morning. The subject upon
| which Mr.. rockingham spoke was "Christ In the
Constitution" This subject was suggested, he be-
| gan, by q convention that met last week In this
| city, under the auspices OF an association formed
| to introduce amendment into the constitution
OF the United States. The convention was not sue
cessfuEfor such conventions In New York are sell
| dom successful. The attendance was at no time
large. The speakers were dull the arguments
feeble; the appeals cold; the responses incordial
The daily press thought 1t not worth a notice and
did not degn to send
A PEBBLE REPORTER
to write it up. Many Of the great in the commu-
nifty jelt Interested in It, During the times Of the
old prophets there was great drought. The peo-
pie prayed for rain. Finally the intercessions of
the prophet prevailed; clouds appeared in the sky,
and the rain descended in good, plentiful showers
There seems to be q similar tempest in this small
cloud no bigger than a mans hand. Several years
ago there was q proposition offered to make this
country Christian nation. II was laughed at.
Some Of the most powerful men in the United
States belonged to this convention, yet at the
meetings IN New York none OF these men appeared.
THIS Is the most foolish and irrational movement
that has ever been thought OF Americans have
great confidence In their stars and believe their
principle OF liberty will carry them through. We
have On the one hand the
TERRORs OF RoMANIsM
the other the dread OF raticnalism and unoelief
generation ago who supposed that ANYTHING
could disturb the moral repOSe OF the United States
on the question of slavery 1t was protected by
the constitution and Church. There was not per
ability who ventured TO question the institution OF
slavery. At last one man lifted up his voice: He
handful of men like himself without reputc, with.
out social rank with nothing but courage aid the
consciousness that God was with the right cause,
taking his life and his reputation in his hand,
divided the nation ana awoke its soul. It is worth
while to take notice Of this movement that is going
forward. Who are these people that call for the
CHRISTIANITY OF AMERICA2
Do they represent the literary ability, the
commercial strength or the financial ability Of the
The movement cannot be tolerated. Who are dis
iranchsed Not the Romani s and md, none Of the
sented in the association. There are some three
hundred thousand Jews who VIII be disranchlsed.
take oath Of office or testify in any court of law.
Besides the Jews there Is vast mass of people,
sPIRITUALIsTs AND INFIDELs,
who would be equally dslranchised / heard q
%hetSer m %oa be- say rUo
citizen. We will allow him to live, but he shall
dwell in the community as the lunatic does. Accord
ing to this amendment George washington could
not have taken the oath or office, because he was
deist Thomas Jefferson, because he was a disciple
OF votare, and Abraham Lincoln, because he was
not an evangelical believer. There are two Sena-
tors who could not hold oflce-Carl SEIZURE and
Charles Sumner. Disiranchisement means perse-
THE AXE OR THE aIBBEr,
nor chains imprisonment and blood. Not such
persecution and drove the HuguenOts from France.
1t Is persecution nevertheless to compel man 10
take an oath he does net believe; stopping cars
and shutting up libraries on the sabbath. People
must be deprived OF going out on Sunday, the only
holiday they hayei certain people cannot testify In
the BSe in public Schools is an insult
to all Roman Catholics. It is not the
Bible Of the Hebrews but Of the Christians: we
should be In delightful state Of perplexity II the
Bible made our laws. An eminent Boston preacher
espoused the ''wemans suffrage" cause at first.
nothing to justify it. In heroic ages such things
as these would ruin the community and keep mil
would withhold from us their skill, integrity and
high social organization. The ingenious French
be careful ta to wasss
Italian would net be heard. It is seldom that yeu
find man or woman willing to sacrifice anything
listen to sermons they do not believe and hear
ministers they do not love, because 1t s convenient
Their wives go there or they
LIVE AROUND THE CORNER.
They would not walk block for their faith. Be-
&c II 70 me eeSe rs Inc
faith. Let us prepare by bahishing everything like
religion from the constitution. Religion and the
State should be divorced forever. There should be
no more oaths In the name OF the orthodox Deity;
Bibles in the schools, no fasts and penances by
the government secular government must be
secular all through. A democratic government
must be Just to each man. In the name OF decency
and justice men should not be compelled to listen
to prayers to which they cannot respond There
Is not u great
PUBLIC SCANDAL
but It involves professors of the evangelical re.
llgton We all know that the plumbers of the mu-
nicipal ring In New York were committed by
Roman Catholics. The frauds Of the Methodist
Book Concern and the scandal OF the Credit Mo-
biller are before our eyes, 1t is an old saying that
proposition and practice are very different things.
Who Is It that says, MANY viii come to me and
say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesed In Thy
name and In Thy name cast out devils p" 1t was
God. and the answer was, 81 know We not; depart
wisdom outside the Bible look into Mohammeds
Koran. 1t says In that beck that 100 horses were
put into the scale with one true word.