The Morning herald., 1875-12-29
THE HERALD.
WILMINGTON DECEMBER %, 49,
THE NEW CRUSADE.

In the Centennial year Of our existence
as Nation, we are threatened with ma
limant crusade against the rights OF con-
science. We fondly thought that the blood
of Catholic and Protestant which hiied
the same bloody fount upon every hela
from Bull Run to Appomatox, hid be
used to bapti,e anew, the lofty tolerance
which Calvert planted upon the shores Il
St. Mars's bay. 1t would appear we were
mistaken. An ambitious soldier, greedy
Of wealth and power, has blown upon the
.meldering embers of religious fanatlclsm'
and caused them to fame up again. 1t is
a .ad reflection that in our day, men for
.he mere love of Office and advance
ment, would try to give such a
fatal stab to freedom, as is contemplated
by the secret societies, organized to support
candidate, pledged to war upon the re-
ligious rights of 100000 OF American
citizens, It has to be met, and it behooves
us to prepare for the storm. 1t would be
acting like the Ostrich of the Arabian des-
erts, hiding our heads when the danger is
most imminent, to pretend that the Dem
ocratic party, will not be compelled, by
the Imperialist Junta, and its Republican
auxilliaries, to accept the gauge OF battle
thrown into the political arena. How can
it be accepted ? By open and direct avowal
to stand in the future as in the past, by the
constitutional rights Of every American
citizen, irrespective of country or creed,
To the right thinking men, who permit
themselves to be borne along with the cur
rent OF Republican party politics, we must
at once.-The new crusade
is not an outgrowth Of the Protestant
the men who organized il,
ire adveutursrs, and are unknown to
the Christian militia of the Churches, who
are doing their Masters work, according to
their convictions. The pious men Of every |
as rule, are too seriously
tent upon saving their souls, to inaame
the prejudices Of their pecple:-or to unjust
j : persecute. To such, We put the question,
yill it help YOU to salvation, to sustain by
YOUR countenance, party. which upon a
false issue, j. doing its u,mos. to drift rs
into the appalling danger, not Of religi-
Gus, but Of polemical contest Look
around among your neighbors and ac-
Guaintances; do you find that the color Of
religious belief alters mems nature? Is it
Lot preposterous then TO curtail the polit.-
esl rights Of the citizen, ,becarse Of his faith.
Grant, Blaine, Foster, st al. have warned
I he nation, tina. i. Is IN danger su-
perstition, ignorance. and priestcraft, are
eapping at its foundations, and must be
prevented from 50 doing. Let u. talk rea-
Where is poor silly superstition
at work where is it to be found? Tol
onr mind it is the most inocuous element
in our midst, its devotees are mainly silly
girls, who pay their quarters or halves, to
Madame Blanche the great planet reader,
to advise them upon their love affairs, or
1ell them who carried off their beaux
.-or the degraded fetish worshippers Of
the South, or the dreamers Of lucky num-
hers for lottery policies, in the purlieus Of
the Northern cities, The peril from that
source is represented by the cypher O. Ig-
norance is relative term, many an unlet-
tered man is quite as intelligent, and has
as keen an appreciation of his rights and
duties, as they who read and write it is
however very inconsiderable factor, 10 the
sum of our continued national existence.
There are about four thousand priests in
the United States, twenty cases of their
interference in politics, We believe cannot
he given, out Of the entire number, some
are intemperate Of speech, like their
brethren Of other denominations; bnt such
1nen are never honored or regarded, as
attend to their spiritual affairs.
There is a sturdy sense Of consistency,
almost universal among the Catholic laity,
which, compels clergymen even if not SO
to attend sclely to their proper
But the schools are in danger;
how, from what quarter doth the danger
come? Other than sporadic attacks, here
and there, there has been no plotting, nor
action, thought Of against them, people
who SO charge, should have proof. A
curious instance, of how legislation intend
ing to operate upon a c'ass, some.
times affects the proposer-, is now
being witnessed in New Jersey.
The amendment 10 its constitution pro-