The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-02-17
VI tIIt L tII&ttII VI
American Morals.

For the Palladium.
American Morals.
Now of the things which we have
spoken, this is the sum: We have such
high priest. who is set on the right
hand of the throne of the majesty in
the heavens; a minister of the sanctu-
airy which the Lord pitched, not man. :"
(Heb. viii, /.
Doctor Goode has written his third
article on American morals, and his
last. These have been published in
the Telegram, the editor of which
calls the author Zone of the ripest
scholars and ablest writer's in the NJ
E. Church, fact that had hitherto
been unknown, and for which the
world is under everlasting obligations
to the discerning editor. But the
editor was extremely eloquent in his
eulogy, and very kind, for, says he,
they (the articles) were not written
in the hope of reaching down to the
comprehension or with a view to meet
ing the appreciation, of local scrib-
blers whose puny popguns are turned
against every sentiment that comes
from plain above their moral and
intellectual level. Hence the Doctor
has not vouchsafed any replies to their
fatulent discharges.
As we are one of those scribblers
who turned his puny popgun upon the
great, blank cartridge howitzer Of the
Doctors, and happen to be on a plain
lower than him, we must put a cork in
our weapon once more and pop the
great question of American Morals. F."
The very first utterance of the ripe
scholar is an error. 'tAll moral duties
have for their basis pre-existing NOR
al truths, says he. That is, all of our
moral obligations rest on moral truth
previously asserted. What do they
rest on? Moral truth sill further
And that? On moral
truth further back. This is like the
old theory of the foundation of the
world. It was taught that the earth
stood on an elephants back What
did the elephant stand on? On big
stone. What was the big stone on?
On another big stone. What was it
on? Another stone, and so on with
out end or bottom.
But if all moral obligations have
for their basis moral truths before ut
tered, how did Adam know the differ
ence between moral duty and immor-
al actions? If this proposition be
true We have our first man in chaos.
The moral realm was like the heavens
and the earth, without form and
void, if there is any possibility of any
existing thing being void No one
before Adam had uttered any moral
truths. No ripe scholars and able
writer's of the M. E. Church" had
given utterance to grand moral truths
for his guidance. Neither were there
any local scribblers in those days be-
fore there were any days, to shoot off
wicked and puny popguns that would
certainly demoralize the world in its
dawn.
What could Adam do? How could
he love God? How love his wife?
How be kind to animal creation? How
be sober and Industrious? How be
true to himself, which is a moral OBJ
legation? How cultivate and develop
any of his faculties, physical, moral
and intellectual, in the absence of any
re-existipg moral truth? Truly you
now have him in pickle. What are
you going to do with him? He had
no Old Testament no New Tesla
,nent; no revelation handed down to
him from pre- and ever existing truth.
Hobbies taught that all moral duties
had for their basis the laws of magis-
trates; for instance, all our moral OBJ |
legations to-day rest on the injunctions
and laws Of our mayor and city coun-
ell. As there We're no mayors or city
councils before Adam, the moral du-
ties binding on him did not have them
For their basis; and as no moral truth |
could exist or be asserted before it's
principal, man, society, and the world,
all moral duties do not have
or their basis pre-existing moral
truths Morality of man was not I'M
Ill man was made. immortality began
he moment that man abused, or
wrongly used. his God-given powers
md faculties. 1t was Gains moral
obligation as son, a brother and
,qual partner in creations gifts, to
owe Abel, Adam and Eve. This
moral obligation did not have for its
basis any pre-existing moral truth,
put rested on man S constitution and
lis relation to external objects. When
he murdered Abel it was not from an
obligation founded on an
,ther pre-existing immoral deed. but
rom misuse of his self-esteem and
faculties good, and
wisely given him.
American morals do not have for
heir basis pre-existing moral truths,
or the moral frufhs of tho fb;rtoonth