New-York tribune., 1874-02-21

barrenneS5. Je5huriin DecOWco i"h'-
citrant only whom he waxes rat. After
the labor Of accumulation is accomplished.
there comes time of rest favorable to spirit
ual progress After harvest. the camp meeting
has Its day. But the time most propitious ~
the evangclists is after great financial Crisis
IN one of those periods Of dead stagDati0n which
follows the fear of panic and disaster Ever
condition then favOrs revival work. There ~
only too much leisure. Time IL OF 80 ht1o
value that il il gladly spent for
chance in eternity. In addition TO tDis
enforced idleness. there ~ something IN
misfortune which powerfully draws tbe
heart away from earthly things. and leads
it to attempt to find consolation in converse
with the things of the Spirit. which are not
affected by the state of trade. All the pro
gress of science, all the chickering's OF sect
all the ingenious analyses Of positivism, can
never 80 alter the nature OF man as tO take
from him the source of his truest and
deepest comfort in heavy trouble or loss
the power and the tendency to cast ioose
from every earthly and tangible support. ana
to throw his doubts and his sorrows alto
gether, in surrender which il stronger than
defiance and in blindenss which "a moro
ciairvOyant than sight, at the feet OF an all
powerful and pitiful God
This is the true source OF the great religious
revival the beginnings of which those aceus-
toned to nete the signs of the times SEQ rising
all over the country at this hour. 1t has been
O hard Winter, in spite of its mildness. Tho
little cold weather we have had has been too
much for those who were hungry. We have
seen, in this country where it is usual
to say that no man need ask for
work in vain, thousands Of men compelled
to idleness, some driven TO the streets for
charity, and some starving at home in
wretchedness which could conquer their
lives but not their proud shyness. But besides
those whom hunger has gnawed and whom
the frost has pinched, there is tenfold
greater number whom these hard times
have merely embarrassed and strait
ened and given an opportunity to
think. Among men of the ordinary New
England blood, thinking Is very apt TO take
the direction of religion. The relations OF
man to his Creator have always been sub
ject Of profound and real import to them.
The revival preachers have an easy harvest
among them In times like these.
There is nothing to surprise us in the fact
that simultaneously with this religious awaken
ing though not directly connected with It,
phenomenal revival of tho Temperance move
ment has also declared itself in many parts
of the country. In the rural districts.
the sin which weighs most heavily upon
the life of the family is that Of drinking. Tho
chief end and result of religion in tho minds
of thousands of wives and mothers is to re-
form drunkards. The object of their lifelong
prayers is that the divine grace may be ex-
tended to their husbands and sOns-not so
much to fill their hearts with faith as to
cause them to cease filling their mouths
with whisky. They pray rather to get their
men out of the grOg- shops than into the church.
When q whole community of women becomes
interested and excited upon the subject OF re-
lgion, it is not difficult to see how they may DO
led into a crusade against rum. Everything 10
made easy for them. Those rural Western
communities all respect women-they all re-
spect religion, and they all admit that drunk
enness is vice. A woman. under all clrcum-
stances. is regarded with certain veneration
still more when she is invested with the
sanction of an act of worship, and most OF
all when that act of worship has for its
informing purpose a cause 80 unexception-
able as that Of temperance. For however
opinions may differ in regard to the ad-
visibility of total abstinence no one can
doubt for moment that the rural
dram shop is an unmixed evil. Nobody
defends them except the most degraded
of their victims. Acts OF violence, even
against such nuisances, arc OF course depro-
Gated in Ohio as they would bo in New York;
but no one can seriously object to every legal
effort which may be made to restrain the
pernicious traffic. whether it be made 10 the
name of morality or of religion.
We are not inclined to join with those who
anticipate damage to the cause OF religion
and of morals from these excited and ecoen-
tric manifestations. Their eXtravagances arc
not of nature to do any serious
harm to society. Those who are taking
a leading part in the religious revival are
in the main sensible and dec0rOus people
If they were otherwise their power for harm
is limited. as their power for good is enhanced.
by the character of the communities among
which they are working, and by the circum-
stances to which we have referred. When
the harvest is ripe for the sickle. the charao-
ter of the mowers is not of the greatest
importance. The temperance movement IL
not so entirely unobjectionable in its methods
and not so broad in its purposes. But We
prefer to see in that also the promise OF
substantial good. Many who profess re-
ligion this season will backslide, with
great scandal and injury. Many who
sign the pledge on the sidewalks, and
food the cutters with their unsold gin, will
go back to their miserable trade when this
excitement dies away. But on the other