New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-23
.,..,,s, Correspondence Of the Republican,
NORTHERN POLITICS.


4 - NORTHERN POLITICS.
Word which Will Not Return Unto
T' Him Who Sent 1t Void.
q Boston, June Is, 1876
portical faith and religious faith are with
-. New Englander interchangeable prin-
:.,ss. or, more correctly speaking. they
one and the same thing. The New
land man carries his politics into his
,'.;on and his religion into his politics
=. III haiieyes that the divinest thing on earth
.'humanity itself, and that nothing which
..,cerus humanity can be Indifferent to
c.d Looking at tue influences most po-
..,t,I in the formation of character, he
Z. '.,,cnzes as foremost education and the
.olitical institutions of free government,
rhera civic liberty and the diffusion of gen.
,-,l intelligence combine to promote the
,;cbest and best form Of social culture and
.,v;lizs.ion On these principles the fore
t.tbers Of New England founded the won
4 a.rsu civilization which has been devel-
. ,oad in these barren Eastern States of the
& american Union, civilizatio the ''bottom
z ambition of which, to use the phrase of q
3 Nav England man, ''is far above the top
most condition of the slave South"
Aside from any disposition to enter upon
religious controversy or infiics sermon on
S ,o1r rss ier., it seems to me proper time
sc- recurring to the animating force pri1ci-
o,s which has made New England what she
n. That force-principle is simple faith in
& God and fai th in man, without regard to
4 .xternals either in worship or society.
4 Whatever of Divine guidance and Divine
8 approval there is on earth, above and upon
.ny hum an institution, must be the result
af faith in Divine government and belief in
!. Divine things. know that this statement
will be at once accepted as . simple true
4 i,m even by men who do not profess to
4 live in God or for God land yet . great
many Of these ''non-professing" men are
the grandest workers for God the world
hss ever seem. 1t is not faith as illus
trsted in the monastery. the convent or the
church priesthood of which I speak. Nor
7 ia it the faith of the recluee, the monk or
the devotee. The faith of which speak
rolls up it's sleeves, epits on its hands, cuts
its cord of wood day, drives in the COWS,
T fstches the water for the ''old woman" and
{ lies down to rest at night, after hard days
5 work. with prayer as earnest and sincere
A. ever ascended from the music-echoing
and incsnss-flled cathedral of an ornate
eynbolcal worship of God. I shall never
I forget the first time l ever attended q
..prayer meeting" lit was here in Massachu-
settsl, and heard one of these ''plain
peopls," as Mr.. Lincoln called them, talk,
as it were, to God, face to face, as ''friend
talketh to friend" The man just asked for
what he wanted. He asked in particu.
larity. he named the very things he
wanted. Among the things asked for was
. blessing on the head of the stranger in
our midst" that he might find the way of
life, be useful in his day and generation
honor God, serve his fellow men, and live fol
the things which perish not with the using
The stranger in that case was your cores
poudert, and l have never forgotten the
PRAYER or the man who offered it, although
much cathedral worship survives in th'
memory of my senses as does great dea
of opera music. Another illustration o
this type of man was Lewis Tappsn, tht
famous abolitionist of Brooklyn. l knew
Mr.. Tappan well, and a nobler, pure
hearted man never lived. He has lon:
since gone to his rest, and to his reward also
Hs and Calhoun understand each othe
better now than they did when on earth
He was also man of faith, and
prayer. l have stamped in my memory
one short prayer of Mr.. Tappan's whicl
shows the kind of character OF which W
are speaking. was on visit to him
his guest and arrived at his residence Jus
before dinner. When We took our seat q
the table he sat up az straight as If he was
sbou. to entertain the family with MI
brilliant conversation. Placing one arm
over the back of his chair, he said q grac
as if talking to . personal friend. Ill
verv language, as we'll as can remember
was about this: 1--WE thank Thee. Oh! God
that Thou has permitted Us to meet ono
more in the land OF the living. around thl
family board. Keep US and bless us.
That was all 1t was "welcome 10 Tn
stranger within thy gates" IN the form
PRAYER to the Common Father OF Az.
Now. a civilization founded IN sucn
sense of personal union with GOD become
a tremendous force because OF this 1ait
relation to Divine power. 1t involves Una
subtle principle in nature when Is . Il
Eg;on in itself, and upon which 90 mucn
oriental mysticism is based, that 49, tn'
mans will power makes him Whatever
thinks ne is. and subdues all nature 70 q
will. Bs the creed of the New Englan
Evangelical church, therefore, what 1t ma.
the church itself rests in God. 1t Is
church of God. It is church also OF d
manity. 1t is composed OF men ana ~one
who work as we'll as pray. 1t believes
schools. 1t believes in temperance. ~ .
ueyes in ;ndu srry. 1t believes in "savine
Its leaders pray, among other 'grsces'
be bestowed upon "fclks," that these san
"folksr be free-handed, watchfui ana feA0
for the hour of duty, come when tne no'
NAV and cost what it may. There is u
mendous amount of downright matter-o
fsctism in this faith and the religion Dol
of il. admit. But this very matter-oi'1sc
ism. with all it's tendency to irrevefano'
gives the New England church pecull'
mower for the work laid upon it to be dol
-, r. 10 in brief the rig