The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-06-06

lightenment Of the Nineteenth Cen
fury so far from teaching freedom of
opinion has, and is fostering spirit
of bitter, unrelenting hatred and op-
position between all men holding diff
ferent opinions on almost any sub
iect. This radicalism is not confined
to any one country, nor does it stop
with the questions of religion and
politics, the two subjects most likely
to excite the passions of men and
energetic chickering's, animositIes and
heart burnings, but it peryades and
perme Gates the realms Of Science, Art,
and Literature. In every branch of
thought, in every department of re-
search, difference of opinion is
treated as a crime, and any expires.
sion of the ideas of one man, or any
denial Of the correctness of the opln-
ions of another is sure to end in con-
troversy, i'll will and acrimony, and
anything like liberalism is unknown.
Men of science no longer weigh the
facts going to prove or disprove any
particular theory, but they take one
side or the other, fight it out to the
bitter end on that side, and utterly
ignore all arguments that would 60
to show any merit or truth on the
other side. The same may be said
of Artists of every trade and profess
sion, and Literature is no longer the
instrument and means Of an enIight
ened investigation, but is used to
give wide spread expression to this
Iilliberalism and intolerance so con-
spicuous everywhere else.
Men seem to have lost sight Of the
ldcG JuaI one ulau HAS % u!uNu CIV
to his opinion, and TO express that
opinion freely as another, and each
would force the other to give up his
opinion, and subscribe to that of the
other. This disposition is intensi
fed whenever the difference of opin-
ion happens to be about religion
and politics, and unless there is call
ed halt in the onward march Of this
intolerance, the last quarter Of the
18th, will behold the world engaged
in persecution for opinions sake,
that would have disgraced the 9th
Century. We are in this respect re-
trograding, and the scenes and incl
dents of the dark ages may yet find
a practical illustration in this era of
called enlightenment. The Pro-
testant world is in arms against Ca
tholicism, and has so far achieved
such victories as overthrow of Cath
Jolic France by Protestant Germany;
the imprisonment of the Pope and
the stripping from him of what little
temporal power the storms and blasts
of other centuries had left him, and
the war is still being carried on by
the expulsion of the Catholic relig.
ious orders from Germany.
| Russia, under the pretext of pro-
tecting Christians in Turkey, is wa
ging now war against the NOLAN
medan religion, and to-day the Cross
and the Crescent are engaged in a
deadly conflict, which if it does not
end in attempt at determination, at
least as to the boundaries of Europe,
will not be because the desire is
wanting on the part of Russia, and
her hackers of the Protestant and
Greek Churches in Europe.
The United States has so far es.
capped the contagion of religious IA
naticism, but it has seen, and indeed
is now seeing, the worst features oil
fanaticlsm in politics. The wal
against slavery is now happily ended
but no SOONER is it buried out Of
sight than we are threatened with s
revival of the now-Knothing party
the most intolerant and fanatic of par
ty organizations we have had in Anne
RIGA. How far successful the effort
may prove the future only can tell
The attempt, the inclination to re
vive the issues of religion and ma
tionality in our politics, is sufficient
to illustrate the intolerance and rad
icalism of which we are complaining
We have watched the gathering
storm in Europe with no little inter
est, and had hoped that the two thou
sand miles of the broad Atlantic
would prevent it from reaching US
1t may be that the clouds we see are
but the edge, the fringe, so to speak
of the storm and we hope that it il
indeed go. We shall see.
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THE Yicksburg and Bends trade
which has always had the fnest
steamers afoat, seems at last to bt
| J.,