, 1874-11-01
It's Evil Effects Upon It's
Devotees.
How II Leads to Infractions Of Social
and Moral Law.
Necessity Of Thorough Teaching Of
the Ethics Of Individual Purity,
And of the Incubation OF Sense OF In.
diyidual Obligation for 1ndi-
yfdua1 Sin.

f1AuAA 1AHs
In these days Of ragged edges and caves Of
gloom Of seeking by so many people for m
easy fendng- -asunder OF their marriage e-bonds.
it must seem to every thinking person that there
is something inherently wrong in system which
produces such evil results. There has probably
not been a woman in the land, certainly not a
mother. Who, in the face OF recent events, has
NOT felt that sensational religion
WAS FA1LuHE;
That something more than mere abstract ideals
Of right and wrong were necessary 10 prevent,
under similar circumstances, q total warping OF
mural thought and action. II such & warping
has been possible to 3 woman Of mature years. to
mother Of whom Tennyson's mo1ds ought to
have been true:
Baby fingers, waxen 'touches, Tress me from The
what would the probable consequences
be to young, unframed mind, that
had been taught to consider emotional
religion as the aochor which must
inevitably secure her moral salvation from ship
wreck, no matter how severely assailed By
tempestuous passion OF any kind? Women have
nasurally shrunk from any public comment upon
thcstate OF things Of which the recent scandal
has been the result, because it ia hard to touch
pitch and not be defled; but it may be possible
to put the pitch st one side, and still insist upon
the necessity OF some force strong enough to
counteract the effects Of false teachings and
incorrect reasoning. or, rather,
ExCEED SENTIMENT.
The close connection observable betweau emo
tional relig:on er3 the wide violation Of 1nora
law. spreading through all grades Of society. has
naturally led reasoning people to conclude that
the latter IS the effect Of which the former is the
cause. 1t seems to us that the pseudo-senti-
mentality which finds e1pre ssion in lines Ike
these:
But the SIN forgiven by Christ In Heaven
BY man is cured alwaE,
and in the minimizing applause with which it
is greeted By the multitude, does more to-
ward generating B disregard for SOCIAL
law and the sanctity of monog-
a,nous relations than is at n1ss
perceptible It appeals at once to higher Law
than tie natural ones that govern social equity,
End from the judgment Of man to the seemingly |
more lenient judgment of God. That such sen-
Hn1ent as this ia unwho1esoma that it admits |
OF vide latitude for .self-indulgrnce; that ithas
the same dlsintegratng effect upon the social re-
iations which the appeal from legislative law, to
7o-called higher law has had in evil cases,-ap-
pears 10 me not to admit of the least doubt.
G1.at sentimental religion has much to do with
y !
may be seen ina general depreciation Of purity
Of character throughout the community seems as
apparent Rs any other log1nal sequence Given any
power-let it be called Divine love, OF what you
"ill-that wea kens the rigid Laws Of truth and
Justice as exhibited toward oneself aa we'll as
oue's neighbor, and the legitimate consequence
is gradual
FALLING TO PIECES
OF the whole moral personal status.
Young people, girls particularly, as they pass
from childhood to adolescence AND are intlu-
enced By new phases of feeling which they do
not understand and cannot assimilats, never
proper light, stretch forth, if we may
SO speak, emotional arms to grasp some !
thing that shall -satlsfy this new de-
mand and quiet this half-hystercal excitabillty.
a. this time, when tue entire physical and
mental nature is in its most receptive stage,
susceptible to each subtle influence that may
be brought to bear upon it, when the young
mind begins 10 think, reason, and decide for it.
self, inqui11ug into eternal truths, while it is
also striving for self-comprehension, how are
these st1vings generally met? Are. these new
be.nss, or at least beings in m entirely new |
phase OF existence taught how to defend and
protect themselves, By e1erting. individual self:
natural laws muEt bring mental. moral. social |
and physical deterioration In lieu of thls,
are they not rather weakened. mentally
offer of a Higher Power upon which to lean,
being assured that without 1t all human efforts
are use!ees,.yet frequently Kept quite oblirious
OF the fact that t
GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THENBEEvEs7
Whatever God may be TO the iudi7icuaI, -
whether visible presence; petty deale1-out !
OF small spites, which some sectarians would t
make Him; or . gushing. a!l-forg!vlng being, :
according to others. with decidedly distorted =
moral visions or merely hesymbol Of the natural
motor power Of the universe whether compre- 9
hended or still seiled IN mystery,-it would t
still seem that faith without works was an q
exploded dolmn. and that the individual who 6
should attempt to Save himself by the former, Q
without duly regarding and applying the latter, s
would inevitably find himself hors do combat Q
when the hour OF trial arrived. That this is 9
quite as apgLcabe morally as it,yss materially 8
y hen Cromwell exhorted his soldiers to pray to
tiod and keep their po.ctcr dry. is proven to any
one who Keeps his OF her eyes open. Else. wby Il
do We find so many young people, who have been a
0ronght up by the strictcst OF discplinariane,- .
especially those who hare been under the ir1ti-
once of > .demonatrative, emotional sectarlan- "
srn,-rulning themselves in ths most reckless
{
During the early stages Of ripeoine maturity. i:
through some curioug' urccesa meTa, nhvsicai 0
eeu.aa eoa,,. - ,,..l. ...5.. 80 | Il