The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-03-01

Wv ~ SaHsAe1oNNAuAnSSS or sources OF real
authority uponi the subject ssAnti I
have, NO doubt, !" said the speaker,
stthat the clergy really believe to-day
that the Instant we ,pssso out or {he at.
mosphere' or old tlatnks iai,tl old doc
tfines; we shall rush stfafght into crime
and sintas to a,carnfval. hut 1iwant
to be told of single instance where q
man who has becoine an in6del or an
atheist has becOhae' any worse man In
his kindly; domestic and human rela-
stonss than he' was befofe. - I don't be-
lteve that any mem has ever been any
sfiS worse for th5n king for himself, IN
stead Of refusing to permit another man
to think for Him. = Ilorl't believe that
anyiinteliigent man has taken to abuse
OF his wdfeaand schildfen by reason Of
having lost faith In Moses. The more
we kuowsAhe more we think for our.
selves,o the better we will become.
Wh0ever does wrong carries d cross :
whoever does right carries CONSCIOUS.
meas ofNjoy that Is his CROWN s's,as ot
y.AI have no quarrel with clergymen,'
ttle Colonel continued I, 'ssIndeed, their
solemnltyg as a general thing, amuses
me. EAanghtsf.l They give us hell
In plenty, theU are usually luxubfious
enough, and sdfl tIIappfness ever dies
they will icheenullyite the pail bearers
at her burial.,ie ELaughteF.1 IN we can
get ialengi i'm this life pleasantly and
make THOSE afountiH us happy, q think
we ARE doing better than fllling the
future with, the tormente Or hell fire.
The intellect of the wofll has been
arrested for iImOre than a. thousand
years by men trying to solve questions
which cannot possibly be- solved. or
which it ie-no'-eafthfy-suse to solve.
What we know is science what we
don't iknow--is. the other thing. ijs,..:i
.ssThree. theories seem to- have,goy-
erned men a2most from the begiDninp:
First, thea the0ry1of. the supernatural
seconds thei theory Of the supernatural
and the natural combined; Is third; ;,the
theory of the natural. The second iof
these lis probably the. most popuIar at
this day. while. the third, Rhicf is
called by some materialism, is that the
universe with a21+embracing, loving
arms, takes every. thing real and hu.
mans all ouri4hopes,i aspirations and
thoughtsimto her mighty bosom. Does
any one seompretlendi what matter is,?
Can we understand how u plant grows
and buds fromla seed any more than
how the thought springs from the
brain, or heihope from the iheartP We
simply know that we are here-that
we live; and anythipe!that. increases
the material enjoyment and hanniness
OF this world is ripht-w,h.t does not.
is wrong. .''tor sf.tat - 4l7 aea ,ani1,5'I
The speaker ,denDminatea. all outs;ae,
Of; nature, or supposed toiexist outsiSlei
of it, as ghosts, and sdwelt on the prafl-
ual growth, of, superstitious ideas ne
by the natural surround.
ings of men, the mountains, the sea.
leart hquakesy diseases, 1,esti.
lences and the like which. were ali at
one, time supposed to be the work of
ghosts and adevils.,t4, Even, now the
Chinese religion is nothing more than
a Precipitation of devils, under the idea
that God is so good as to REQUIRE no
Precipitation whatever; while many of
our own orthodox people have got SO
far advanced as to acknowledge the
foundations of their own
creeds, though at the same time Think
ing them good restraining influences in
the case of his neighbors. 4- !.-ea,F
81 used to- think that men were not
restrained by superstitions," J" said the
speaker, 6 but now I,admit that they
are. No man has ever been nrestrained
from the commission, of u real crime, |