The daily gazette., 1878-11-19

cOEmOM Ny nhSmOR necAef.
As the trial of the persons supposed to
De connected with the murder of Patrick
Collins in August last, Is about to come
of at New Castle, the folio wing sermon,
preached by Bishop Becker at the funer-
al or Collins has been handed to the GA
zBrTE for publication
"a murder of the most terrible sort
has been committed in our usually quiet
community of Wilmington, Del. And it
is not only murder of the body, but the
soul of the victim has hardly escaped
that fearful sentence pronounced by AL
mighty God upon the dfunkard. Cor.
vi 10, "Nor shall drunkards inherit the
kingdom of God"
This special murder has, however,
brought in its train overwhelming evil
dence of the foulest perjury, lies innu-
merable, and crimes revolving to the
heart of any who have yet spark of de-
cency in their frame, and at the sight of
such crimes christianity is, indeed, ap-
palled. Should not then the origin and
source of all these evils be sought out,
and stamped with the mark of fnfamy,
and those who are directly guilty be
brought to condign justice? Aud ought
not those who are indirectly guilty, by
aiding or abetting the natural cause of
such fearful injury to society, be pointed
at by the finger OF scorn; whilst Religion
Is proved to be in no manner the accom-
plIce of those who under her garb, or in
her livery, are the most active tools of
the Devil?
If we look around us, it will not be diff
| ficult to trace home the cause of such
widespread misery. Were we to visit
our prisons, our hospitals and. almhouses;
were to examine our places OF correction
under what name soever they come
from police stations to the homes for ine-
briates; from the asylums for orphans,
through the sad history of tramps, liars,
thieves, suicides and murderers, 1t would
be no exaggeration to state that nine-
tenths of them all may be directly traced
to drink. ~ '1A
We, the sober portion of the commu-
nifty, are taxed heavily, nay, fearfully
burdened to support them. We are
bounded down or upbraidsd as enthusiasts
when we dare speak out but a tithe OF
what we and all know to be the truGh;
nay, many say that the church has no
right to condemn what Is lin itself not
necessarily wrong-the use of wine and
lspirituous liquors-and they take refuge,
as it were, under the shadow of religion,
by saying the church buries the drunkard
with even the appearance of honors, ,and
that she does not excommunicate the
living sot of either sex with the mark
of murder ON his, or her head
Now, it is our duty to say that If the
State would but second the demands of
religion, nor wink at the transgressions
of the law known TO her public men, ana
especially to her magistrates and police Ot.
GERS to erist If citizens would give in
formation, as they should, when houses
of infamy and dens of drunkenness are
known to be kept by men and women
these latter would fullsoon be brought to
merited punishment, and innumerable
crimes would be thus hindered.
| g a ltrkn a. u
of the Church, teaching clearly and au
thoritatively by the command of her Di
vine Founder, that "drunkards canno
possess the Kingdom of God" the mis-
cradle crimes degrading our common hu
manity, and of which we have sac
specimen before us to-day, could not lonf
continue In our midst, nor would the
murderer of soul and body long go un
whipt of justice.
Drunkenness is crime. 1t is one o.
the most revolving forms of vice. Yet il
Is exceedingly common among people
who would consider themselves insulted
, were the name OF title of "Christian" re
fused them. This crime has produced
more misery in itself and in its conse
quences than any other vice, and truly
it leads to every other sin. Yet people
treat it mildly as though it did not I'll
our penitentiaries, prisons, hospitals anC
asylums as though it did not produce
more lawsuits, perjuries, adulteries, mur
ders, suicides and divorces than any ont
of the other crimes specifically condemn
ed in the Decalogue!
Here is the body of man. Where /.
J the murdered soul? Where is the hanC
that struck him down to die withou
t benefit of clergy and with all his sins OF
his wretched soul Probably the hant
which did the deed is before me Those
who sell drink in low tipping houses
where vile men and low females congre
gate those who mingle and participate
in their orgies are murderers already a
their hearts We know from repor
what style of language is In use among
such people, even in the public streets
We know who they are that made nigh
hideous by their shameless speeches anC
wicked oaths; and we are not unaware o.
the fear that police are always convent
emily for themselves, absent, whilst poll
. ticians and magistrates equally wink a
!. the plain transgression of the law.
, The murderer will be found by the
voice of conscience at last May thu
, hand that dealt the blow never prosper
, NAV those who aided and abetted the
,, fearful ,loathsome murder have their 1ighi
l lust as summarily extinguishedi Yet, No
t Rather may they aid the ends Of justice
and be converted made sober and live
This would be greater wonder thar
their utter deSGructl0n. we pray ghe AL
Merciful Father through Jesus Christ
| His Son, for the poor fool who lay wal
. lowing in his blood on that Sunday morn
ing when he should have been at churcf
: commencing the sanctification of tha
day by his prayers. Verify the only
epitaph we can put upon him is: "He
| died as the fool dieth." But the perjureC
1 pack of red-handed and foul-mouthe6
, christian (God save the mark y men ant
! women, who aid and abet such murder
or shield the murder, must meet Sin
avenging God.
Take the body away, and bury it