The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-05-10
POLITICS IN HEAVEN.

POLITICS IN HEAVEN.
VERY WELL SATISFIED TO DWELL HERE
AFTER IN A REALM RULED BY MON
ARCH AND A HIERARCHY OF ANGELS
READY FOR A CHANGE AT DEATH-No
MORE POLITICS AND PARTY NEWSPAPERS
WANTED.
The World thus morsljzss: Othello
Hamlet Smith says that in the consulship
of Plancus, when he was younger man
and more enthusiastic Republican than
he is now, he could not accspt with any
favor the common idea of heaven as an alb
solute monarchy, supported by heredi-
tary sristocrscy of angels, and having only
few unimportant court places open to
distinguished merit. He was willing to
acknowledge the supremacy OF the Deity,
relina uishing with a sigh all thoughts of
aspiring in a future life to the celestial
White House; but he could not, as an
ardent American, contemplate with any
satisfaction the prospect of dying and be-
ing placed under the control of several
different orders OF angelical hierarchy,
with no limit to bis servitude and no posi-
biilty of lettering his condition. He
found little comfort in looking forward to
be honor of carrying st. Michael's shield,
or holding st. Peters keys, or polishing
Gabriel's trumpet, or taking his place in
some heavenly choir to sing anthems under
st. Cecilia's leadership. He thought the
palms, the harps, the white robes and the
golden ornaments Of the New Jerusalem
would bs poor recOmpeEse for the NULL
ficstlon of the first clause of the declsra-
ton OF independence, and he used TO dream
of a system OF heavenly economy in which
all ranks, orders, principalities and powers
Afx-sI oh lNeaa hrNN-
ished and one denizen OF the Holy City be
as good as another, and all eligible TO the
highest offices. Smith confessCs that ne
doesn't care so much about this matter
now as he did formerly, and that he will
be perfectly contented TO take heaven as
be finds il. There is something, after all,
he argues, in the assertion of the great
philosOpbic statesman, that IL is with gov
eminent as with building. More depends
upon the soundness OF the material than
upon the style of architecture; and If the
timbers are rotten and the stone scales
away in tho wind and rain, and the whole
structure topples upon your head.
1T MAKES LITTLE DIFFERENCE
whether you are crushed by Corinthian
or a Doric ruin. A democracy is the best
form of government for this world; but
after knocking about in one for mans
allotted space, experiencing all sorts of
party strifes and vicissitudes, one signs for
a change at the threshold of a new exist
ence and looks to an absolute monarchy
as a relief. Nothing else" remarked
Smith, dogmstically, in a conversation on
the subject, "can give the idea of reet in
separable from our conceptions of heaven.
You merely attend IN such a state OF
things to your own private business and
ding public cares and responsibilities to
the winds You are confident that all
will go well, and know that nobody will
blame you il it DOESN'T; and you never
dream of asking whether the celestial
treasurer has honestly accounted for all
tho crown jewels or whether the door
keeper OF the council chamber shed his
ichor in Lucifer's rebellion. / venture to
say" he added, "thst even Thurlow
Weed, to whom political intrigue has been
as the breath of his nostril, would look to
death with an additional shudder i he
supposed that it was the prelude TO al
unending series of party struggles for the
administration of affairs in the New Jeru-
salem. Think of caucus to choose dele
gates to an angelic convention and the
contest between a couple of srchangels as
rival candidates! What q fiuttering of
pinions and cleaning of golden crowns
there would be at a mass-p eeIing in
some evergreen grove or perennial
meadow of the Milky Way! Why" con-
tinued Smith, warming with the consid~
Grafton of the theme, "they would have
to start party newspapers in heaven to
make the canvasses lively, and then there
would be such recrimination and over
hauling of records that nobody would
De much of an angel after a campaign or
two. How one editor would let into
Abraham for lying about Sarah and turn
ing Hagar into the Wilderness; and how
rival journalist would pour hot shot
into Paul for his expedition to Damascus,
or ridicule David for
HIS AFFAIR WITH URIAH's WIFE
and his emotional poetry, or expose the
inconsistencies of Solomon in parallel col
umns. Poor Peter couldn't stay chief
door keeper very long in the face of that
ugly story about his lying to the maid SER
want; and Gibbon would be quoted to
snow that some aspiring Christian IN artyr,
up for the suffrages OF his peers, had run
headlong into danger and got himseli
burned to death when there was rot the
ightest need of sucl sacrifice. Al d
rinslly, when one party triumphed there
|, would come the division OF the spoils
among the victors, the maintenance of the
administration by levies upon the office
holders, and the plumber and misman age
ment to make up for the expenses OF q