, 1874-02-10

Christians ? Havo wo uny re'iyion7 How do
wo Wow tho world aud How aro wo to ro9u-
lato onr livoH
In anawcr to tho flrst quostion, 11o rc)ccta all
tho alticlss Of tho ChrlBtiau fuitll THO Trinity.
scripturo Inspiration. ohr,at, tho Resurrection,
oil the essential points Of tito creed are diH-
1nisaod as absurtlitieB, borrowed from Oriental
religions, and Incredible by toao whose intolli-
gonce has hcen atrongthonod by oandid md
healthy culture.
II We 1nust " ho Says, " Rs,awor like upright,
honest mon, NO must confess that wo aro not
Christians" In tho second placo, he comes to
tho conclusion that wo hayo no religion. No-
ligion, he hodH, with tho Ataterialists, Ind itB
origin in mans ignorance OF Naturo. "Gol aud
Nature arc hut two expressions of tho Rame
idea." Modern culture has abolished God.
With anothor celebrated German Froe.thinker,
strausa would Bay, There is no room In the
universe for God"
As to tho third question, Strauss docs not re-
gard the world a. the work Of m Intelligent
personal being. He accepts no other sources of
information as to tho origin or destiny Of things
than the dlscoyorios and theories Of geologiBts
botaniats, chemiats, and phynicIats. Concerning
tho regulation Of our lives, ho follows Kant,
aud makos tho rule OF life to be to strive 80 to
act thut onos example may be universal
rule for mankind. Tho ten commandments Of
MoBos arc vol enough, but aro only tho results
Of experience. In tho place Of Tho Bystem
/ which he swcops away BY tho foregoing doc-
/ trlnes strausa offers for the consolation Of
mankind poetry and music. In the old faith,
bolieyora looked to O nedoomer, rested upon tic
protecting arm Of Providence. hoped for eternal
happiness a. an Offset to prosont 1niaory. Thoso
who accept tho now faith have for Roiloerner
"the consciousness Of effort = for Providence,
"the in,mutability Of Natnros 1aws;" and for
eternal happiness "the knowledge that tloy
have participated for their brtof timo in tho
| play Of the clements.
| Il is getting to bo aerioua thing to bo = hus-
band in so1no parts Of Iowa and Missouri Mrs.
John johnson, OF Montgomery County, Iowa,
furnished tho first of Horios Of instances of tho
practical solution OF tho woman question. When
N1r. John johnson came homo afd kissed lila
wife ho neglected tho procantlon Of examining
hs pistol, and Mrs. John johnson took advan-
tage Of hiB carolesBnesB by putting a bullet
through tho spot On hls forehead which a
u,oment before sho had marked with kins.
She was what they call in Now England a
'spry" woman,-moro go than Mrs. Jeremiah
Shepard, Of Monona County, who tried the samo
maneuvro and blundeEed. Mrs. Shepard sal
down On her husbands lap. and eoothcd him in.
to a favorable condition Of trustfulnoss. Tho
| mistake ahn made waa In not firing quicker, 70,
Shepard lodged, anl the bullet only acrapcd the
sido OF Ills hoal. A1ra Shepard Is described Il,
"buxom, well-devoloped with a alarge amount O
vitality" which latter characteristic might ex
plnin her desire to rob her husband O.
hia. After reading these two cnsos, on'
canuot learn, without suspicion Of design, tha
Mrs. J. E. Gillon shot at and wounded her hus
baud in Kansas City under tho apprehension
that lie waa burglar, Nra John johnson wa
clever, because she was successful. but Mrs
Gillon was cleyorer, inas1nuch as ahe leaves
reasonable doubt as to her intont,on Of becom
ing widow. It ia evident, however, that tn
market ia oycrstockcd with husbands in thoB
sections. Tho alternative appears to DO whole
salo emigration by them to Massachusetts, c
tho application Of the law Of natural Helectio
md survival Of tho httest through the agene
Of feminine choice.