The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-22

department of the government; just a
our great cities by their examples in thing
evil as well as good, exert controlling in
nuence over the towns and villages.
Nearly century has passed since thi
omission was made Ii is not too early
therefore, to look for some of its results
Three generations of men educated under
the Constitutions, can hardly fail to exhib
1t some OF its ripening fruits.
In the first place, then we may notice
among the results of this silence, an en-.
| tire pcrversion of its meaning. 1t was
| originally intended quietly to dispose ol
the difficulty presented in the great diver
sity OF religious opinions in the country
10 britg them over, and give every sec,
| OF Christians an equal position before the
law IL Is now being Interpreted as a re,
Jec'ion OF them all. Intended as Il tolera.
tion Oh error, 1t has come to be transform.
ed INTO rejection of the truth.
NOR is tnls solitary instance in our his
| Tory OF IKE Transformation At the time
| OF the establishment of the Constitution, il
seemed to be assumed that slavery as an in.
stitutiol must soon cease to exist upon our
soil. 1t asked not for justification; it
sought no enduring tenure of life 1t ask
ed only not to be thrust out. 1t begged
that its foreign means of support, the
slave trade, might not be suppressed be.
fore given time. 1t anticipated it's fate
at no distant period from that glowing
fire of liberty which had caused the revo.
luton ITSELF
But when it had gotten the respite il
sought it began to cuddle itself in its nest.
1t drew to itself nutriment it struck out
right and left; it became an interest; it
demanded the same consideration given to
other interests it talked of its rights, and
finally claimed all other rights, if need be,
must stand aside. So long as there was a
single foot of soil over which it might not
drag its chain, and from which it might
not eject the votaries of liberty, its rights
were infringed. Hence when the nation
gave its bounds, and said "no more slave
territory" it unsheathed the sword and
deluged the land with blood. From
being tolerated as an evil soon disappeared,
it came to be great interest imperatively
demanding its rights.
So has il been with the silence of our
national charter in regard to the authority
oftfe Christian religion. What was meant
as toleration of differences among Chris
tians has come to be interpreted as rejec-
ton of Christianity ITSELF The older OF
you will remember with what indignation
you heard years ago that diplomat to an
Eastern Court, urging the conclusion of
treaty with the United States, denied
that we are q Christian nation-denied
that we could not legally controvert.
Upon the vantage ground thus gained
the enemies of Christianity are pushing
their warfare against it. They demand
that our civil polity form the highest to
the lowest places of the government, shall
be brought into harmony with the Consti-
tution, all recognized nations of Chris.
tianity, whether in law or usage, shall
cease. These demands are stated in their
full proportions, and without the slightest
disguise, by one of the boldest, as he is
one of the ablest, of the rejectors of Christ
and his authority. They are summed UP
in the following nine particulars.
al. We demand that churches and other
ecclesiastical property shall no longer be
exempted from just taxation"
90 We demand that the employment oi
chaplain in Congress, in state Legislature,
in the navy and militia, and in prisons,
asylumns, and all other institutions sup
ported by public money, shall be discon.
tinued"
On the hypothesis that the silence of the
Constitution is rejection of Christianity
and that such rejection is proper, these de-
mands are logical and just. Church prop.
erty renders no service and shoul1 not be
exempt from taxation. Chaplains lend No
aid in the tempering of law or reforming
the criminal, and should not therefore be
supported by tax upon the people.
"3d. We qemand that all public appro-
priatlons for sectarian educational and
charitable institutions shall cease"
By "sectarian," he means probably any
form of Christian institutions, &c.
"a. We demand that all religious .servi-
ces now sustained by the government
shall be abolished )" whether free or not
What becomes of liberty and conscience OF
the part of officers Of the government
"And especially that the use of the Bible
in the public schools, whether ostensibly
as textbook or avowedly as book o
religious worship, shall be prohibited.
The spirit of this demand would also
eliminate all mention of God from our
textbooks of science, and all Christian
extracts from our reading book
"5. We demand that the appointment by
the President of the United States or the
Governors of the various States, of all re-
ligious festivals shall cease"
"6. We demand that the judicial oath in
courts and all other departments oftht
Government shall be abolished, and that
simple affirmation under the pains and
penalties of perjury shall be established
in its stead"
Affirmation is now permitted, why i'm
pose it upon all to the exclusion of the
oath Is this ON enhancement of liberty !?
"7. We demand that all laws, directly ol
indirectly enforcing the observance of Sun
day as the Sabbath shall be repealed"
No more paying our notes on Saturday
when they fall due on Sunday: no more
closing your business places on Sunday
no more of Sunday stiffness in the marts
of trade no more exemption of Sunday
from common school time by the autbori
ties of public instruction no more closing
of the theaters, lecture halls, art CALLER
les and public libraries on Sunday will
any reference to its use as a day o
Christian worship and all this to secure
| harmony with the Constitution.
"8. We demand that all laws looking Il
| the enforcement of christian" morality
shall be abrogated, and that all laws shall
be confirmed to the requirements of natu
raj morality" What ever that may mean
"ecual rights, and impartial liberty"
| When these demands shall have beef
secured, we shall have sunk again to th'
morality of Pagan times The said man ant
woman had better loiter, mercy which nov
tempers our criminal laws will have givel
place to the sayageness of barbarian lands
Where then shall we look for "equal rights
and that impartial liberty" which neve
ripened except under Christian sun?
80. We demand that not only in the Con
1 A. >G u
several States, but also in the practical aC
ministration of the same, no privilege o
advantage shall be conceded to Christianit
tirel political system shall be founded ant
administrated on purely secular basis
and that, whatever changes shall prov
necessary to this end shall be constantly
unflinchingly and promptly made"
That is, in short, we demand that thi
government shall be 'unfinchinglv an
promptly" reduced to the nihilism of Ath
eism. Rather big job. And when &C
complished, what next? Will 1t res
there The human constitution make
man religious being, just as it makes hir
a social being. Eliminate the Christia
religion and you but clear the field fo
something else. Heathenism will take II
place, and all the superstitions and corruI
tons of heathenism will abound.
The truth is, there can be no moralit
natural or special. that has not God in i
All genuine moral laws have man at on
end and God at the other. We have hear
so much about development these ls'
years, that not few believe that God hs
developed out of the Universe, and Mora
ity developed into it while the most col
spicuous of all our modern development
is the egotism of boastful learning.
These being thelmodern demands of Lii
eralism, let us inquire how much it has a.
complished.
1t has, as we have seen, demanded tn
elimination Of all mention of God an