Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1874-05-01
RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

The Otner day the Telegraph prouSut
some frightful news from Russian Po-
land. 1t is the old tale Of persecution
under the pretense Of religion, that has
so often disgraced the pages OF history.
We say pretense, because there certainly
is no true religion in the persecution of
others for opinions sake. We learn that
the inhabitants of whole districts are be.
ing tortured indiscriminately. Men, wo'
men and children are being lashed with
the fearful Russian knout, and for what!
Simply because they wish to worship the
God of their fathers, according to the
dictates of their own conscience. Whose
blood does not kindle, and cheek not
tingie with emotion, when they read OF
the brutal persecution of the Scotch Gov
enanters, and who fails to admire the
sublime, heroic devotion with which the
fierce assaults of cruel, pitiless bigotiy
were met? In the deathless pages OF
Sir Walter Scott, are depicted in glow
ing colors, the trials and struggles of the
Covenanters, and the steady, unwavering
courage that supported them in the sorest
| needs. What emotions Of wonder, awe,
and pity are excited for the victims OF
that bloody tyranny, and what indigna-
ton arises against the instigators and
instruments Of such awful cruelties. But
this is only one instance. Turn to the
histories of the Huguenots, the Hussltes,
the Wicklillites, the Lollards, the Albig
enses; in fact, to the religious history
of every nation where the church Ii
allied with the State, and the record is
written in blood. The gore OF millions
of all ages, sexes and conditions have
dyed the chronicles OF religious history
a deeper carmine than the blood-soaket
arena of the most slaughterous battle
that was ever fought. These facts ar
recorded in as they frightfully dishgur'
the history of civilized nations. But
this late day, far advanced in the nine
teenth century, with all the light of cul
tivated intelligence, Of science, of art
above all of that, religion, whose divin
lawgiver taught his disciples to succo
the afflicted, to clothe the naked am
feed the hungry. With all these helps
incentives; nay, commands toward wei
doing, what do We see? A government
protesting christianity scourging the in
habitants of whole province, who ar
also christians, without regard to age
sex or condition, to compel them to com
ply with some formalities that the cor
science Of their victims will not perm
them to perform. Who did not thin
that the days for such frightful deed
had happily gone by. Who did not afte
they shudderingly read the record of tn
horrible atrocities of former days, {
the burnings, the slayings, the tortu
ings, lay down the volume containing IL
terrible tale with a sigh of relief and
prayerful exclamation of thankfulneI
that those days had gone by. never
return. That the time and the me
could never more be found who won
propagate religion by the sword, or pu
ish differences of belief by the stake, 4
- rack and the LASH But we were all m
l." taken. Right here in the eighth deca
of the nineteenth century, i'll the Fl
Il blaze of all its learning,
= arts, its philanthropy and countlt
" schemes for the amelioration
= the condition of the mass of mankin
right here Russia revives the occurs
70 prosecutions of the middle ages a
D sends fourth the furies of intolerar
- and bigotry to fatten upon the blood
~ tottering age and innocent childrt
- There has been vast amount Of phils
i thropy expended of late years. We've
= der if there is any left for the wretch
- Poles writing in the grip of a sup
stitious tyrant.