The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-06-03
chicago Tribune. April 2s
WHAT'S RELIGIOUS HERESY?

H0crates, Penelope and Catherine III.
1t is one of the curiosities of mod
ern civilization that special ecclesi-
astical court has been convened in the
city Of Chicago. in the United States
Of America. in the year 1874, to try
and determine the question, among
others, whether, under the economy
Of God, either Penelope, Socrates. or
Catherine III has been admitted to
Heaven, and whether the man who
suggests that Penelope and Socrates
have possibly Jared equally well with
the Russian Empress ought not to be
regarded and treated as a herctic. Let
us first inquire who were the persons
whose possible doom is now to he
passed upon, ,s se
Waving all doubts, We will consid-
er Penelope as an historical person.
As such she is known as the wife of
the wise and war like Ulysses. Though
not intellectually as gifted as her hus-
band, she possessed virtues that have
rendered her name illustrious as the
chaste wife, the careful, prudent moth
er, the skillful regent Of her husbands
kingdom, and as the unquestioning
believer in predestination. To her the
gods seemed always just, and she az
cepted, without nurmur, the decrees
OF fate-which even the gods could
not reverse or evadc. Her husband was
absent twenty years; she was young
and comely; queen, and possessed
Of wealth; she had innumerable suit-
ors. and, though tor ten years it was
uncertain whether her husband was
| living or dead, she neither sought o
divorce, had lover, nor consented to
marry any Of her impOrtunate suitors.
Surrounded by crime and corruption,
and with the vicious examples of all
her contemporaries before her, she re
mained to the last the pure and devo.
ted wife. the illustrious queen and ex-
emplary mother. vi ao AS
The next in the list of those whose
eternal fate is to be discussed by the
Chicago Presbytery is Socrates, the
philosopher who wrote nothing. but
whose fame has mantled all the ages
that have come after him.. Socrates
been-having lived nearly 500 years
before Christ. He was not jew, and
knew nothing Of the Hebrew scrip
lures. He vas . Greek, and has, been
described thus: with naturally I'M
y petuous appetites, OF an irascible tenn
n per, he has yet been called the most
illustrious example in history of the
; moral conscience and tho creator oi
moral science. Z He taught al the yir.
|; tues and practiced them. He married
and cheerfully endured his wiie's vio.
: lent Emper as = course of self-discip.
. line. He Was patriot, q seldier and
: scholar. and applied his love Of countr,
and his wisdom to benefit mankind
Finally, after long life Of usefulness
|! he was accused of hereey. Was convicted
; and was put to death for refusing L
/, recant. When his last hour arrived b,
seemed to have had his Chicago tria
in his prophetic mind, for. in dismiss
ing the friends around him, he said: /
! is How time that We derart; l to die
you to live; but which has the bettel
: destiny is unknowA to all except th,
|; gods.' His, last conversation with hi
! friends was full of faith in the dsit,
4 and in the Immortality of the sepl. I
The Chicago hereto, now on trial
r in enc of his sermons, ia illustrating
o certain point, thus spoke:. s9Irs5
Il There 10 no doubt the notoriou
Cathefine III held more truth and bet
: ter truth than Wa known 10 all classi
!. 1 Gresces held to . belief in Savior q
: whose glory that gifted 1 SCOT kne,
: hought; yet such q the 8randeuf q
q soul abote mind that / doubt pet TN
~ Quees PeheSqps. Of the dsEk 1aAA, sp,