The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-24
Centennial Thoughts.


II is not pleasant for the social moralist TO
contemplate the Indifference with which
our so-callcd respectable public seems to
regard glaring offences against sound
morals
over in Brooklyn the pastor Of II Chris
tian church Is just now summonng vast
council of ministers aud lavmen to aid him
i'm beating down assaults on his character
TO which he has been unable to offer any
reasonable defence. He asks the assist
auoe of his ministerial brethren in running
away from charges which IA lady without
TeprOach makes against him. and which
he dare not meet. Though hoastng of
himself rs n manly fellow. he publicly
assails this lady rs a pcrjurer, and yet asks
denomnationnl aid IN ms effort TO drop
her from his church without trial. He un-
blushinrly asccnd- the pulpit and breaches
OF honor and manlness, sorrow for sin, re-
pentauce and amendment of life. and yet
he leaves his own character black with
the slime of adultery aud perjury. This ia
not a hopeful manifestation at the begin
ming Of our Centennial year. The social
system that tolcrates Henry WARD BEECH
Err Is not 80 high and perfect that it has
reason t. vaunt itself over those Of older
countries
Here IN New York judge who sits daily
administering the law las driven his vile
TO got a divorce from him for adultery
ostcntatously committed by HIM, then
took to HIM younger woman. with whom
while married he had fallen in love, and
has made her ms wife in England because
III this state the law forbids his SO
doing. Yet this man is prominent In
the church and society, AM sits on the
judicial bench unscathcd. While judge
/ NAN BRCNT remains, without social ostra-
cisn aud legislative punishment a Judge
Of high court of the State those who are
fond OF Boosting of our Christian civilizl-
ton would do we'll to moderate their
panegyrics.
An association was formed not many
years ago with the ostensible purpose OF
clevating the moral aud professional
| standard OF lawyers. II started with
great flourish OF trumpets, ana sangune
people began to think that the day had
come when no such thing as greed or dis
honesty, crltiuess or lack of fidelity,
would be for moment tolerated. among
| y
ed rs its President lawyer who, nj that
very time was probably an embezzler Of
his clients funds. At any rate, he was
soon proved to be that worst of defaulters,
n legal adviser who used the confidence
with which he inspired those whose trusts
he obtained, to steal the money they put in
his hands. Was he turned out of the Bar As
sociatonand driven from the barr Oh, no ;
he resigned from the one which has never
stgmatized his conduct ndhestill practises
the profession which he used to swindlc
his clients. If this had happened in Hong
Kong, Ycdo, or Calcutta, among u heather
community, we should have felt the need
OF at once sending Christian missionaries TO
wretches so benightcd. So long rs Henry
NIcOL continues to practise at the bar, we
advise the eXtollers Of our social purity
and religious order to keep in check the
fcryor of their euloglums.
We had among Us an editor who worked
hard throughout an honorable career to
establish a newspaper which should de-
feud the rights of the people and make
battle against their enemies. So proud
was he Of his success that he asked that
the inscription on his tomb should be,
"Founder OF the Nep iOH, THbWC." He
made his Journal u foremost leader in
social and political reform, and insured
forhimself fame which time viii not wipe
away. lie died, broken and disconsoatc
the victim of political disappointment
and when he was put away IN Greenwood,
the paper which was his prlda was sold 10
the man whom he regarded as the worst
embodiment of corporate rapaoity in the
country. This man set up in his place Il
young tool, who forthwith proceeded tc
put his journal in total opposition % the
principles of its founder, and to make it
the ally of stock gambler. Instead
of sincere opinions and manly cour-
age, 1t began to exhibit duploty, time
serving, toadyism, bargaining, aud COR
ruption. Its pretences Of honor and
] truth, fairness and calmness, were only O