The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-04-11
I'ItOGHESE,

lItOGltESs.
EDITOR ADVANCE: Once in Willie
some peculiar phase OF human nature
will peep out from behind the curtain
OF our common stage, and raise COM
motion, not 10y the ncwness of it's fea-
ture, (for we I'LL know it and know that
tits there)' but by the audacity with
Which it leaps over the bars, put up by
tie managers to keep it down. The
particular feature which seems to be
raising the commotion just now, is the
religious New opinions-i<leas il you
will--arc starting out leading the
worlds thought in 4 new and more ill.,
eral direction. In spite Of the solemn
warming" which one of our ''patent
insiIes' gave Il certain sect some time
ago, human nature will seek after
knowledge and truth, and will find it,
is finding 1t every day.
1t is Il we'll known law of nature that
all things must progress. Onward and
upward is the Watchword for all. Man
Is no exception. While some are irving
to progress, and are progressing, others
yet creep along in the old ruts, until
the wheels OF progress come rolling a.
long and-crush them? No! pass .by
! and leave them III the rear with the
shadow deepening over them. The
wheels OF progress run not i'll those old
ruts.
n person may not look to see if the
car be really III advance, but those who
are sunk III the mire will Shake Il warn
ing Gnger. A person may ask for
more light upon this or that subject,
but his voice is almost lost in the din of
blgotIy. Why may one OF call upon
either ''Jove or Lord" as his conscience
may dictate, without his fellows il, ie-
| norance , taking him to task for ii :?
ct we cannot raise our vioca in inuui-
| ry, without being ''s,u!S DOWN. ia the
true old ranting style. 1t mat tc,s not
whether our honest questions arc
browne q III uproaiious rant, or our few
lucid intervals smothercl in the sw;.tn-
i!'gs of ceremony, the sin is the same.
But we 'cilI progress! Age it's true
should be respected iii rrspectahlt),
but can we not improve upon it? Must
we accept the literal sackcloth and ASH
es Of ages past, Or the cree,'; and dog
mas Of ages present? AS Well try to in
fuse into our throhbinE arteries and
flowing veins: the dried up blood Of
Cont'lclus or Of ZoI 0 'ster, as to try to
l:.fusc into .. l'y1y'tSsisc minds the.
! creed Ideas and fantastic ceremonies Of
ter times. We arc not the sa:np.
| The thoughts, the actions that would
do for then will not do for now. Are
we to be chained to the rottirg carcass
Of Il drfunct creed? We sriU progress!
| ,rt, ],, Il Il
| g.esSiYe IDEAS, these ideas like l,anouu's
ghost will not down. Even that most
conservative of al conservatives, the
o,ogy, royrcss IS. For some w Sc pur-
pose Deity formed o!I to prugrt IS.
Swiftly il we will, slowly il we wish,
but progress We ntu*t. Upward and on
ward il; the wore! for all. The theology
OF today is not the theology OF fifty
years ago. The Goa of America is not
tie God of Egypt or Of Israel
1t must hc confessed that the attri-
butcs given Ito y the God-hcad, par
take III great degree Of the us OF
the worshippers. The rcvcngcful God
Of the Jews Of old, of Ca!via of Il lat
er date. is not the God Of love and mcr-
cy which we would wor ship. So it
goes, proGresSingan1 to progress. And
Shall ~" hold back in fear and say go
no flrthcr:' Is there danger Of or
| eclIl"Hlg he @culiean Have We got
! TO the end Of our trtller? Shat we Get
10 the end Of orr Il ther in this life, and
! Jump to Il full conclusion as our breath.
leaves us? How ManifpStIy unjust to
those Of early days, whose rule Worship
! nartonk oi the l,v!gcr civilization OF
thcir time. How .plain|y Inconsistent
with natures whole cod" which says
S'ever onWar,].' Or is the whole hing
to be changed, and what we know. OF
principles here, to be llauyht hereafter?
1t such be the ease how can t lis life lie
II preparation fer the next? In what
sense: can it be probationary? 1t mast
ne! We "iuprnorass-lo:e an hereafter.
The same r,ircil lis W i'll obtain there
rs here; else we are given Our lesson t,
learn, with no Object in view, and our
lesson PROGRESS is stamped upun cy-
cry feature Of everything, animate and
inanimate.
| 1t is by Freedom that we progress.
Then let no one be bound by anot'cr'S
conscience. Each must go forward bv
his own Wo!l1-slowly or swiftly Us lie
will, Dut-.t0r'rorN a.! must 20. -IU
will reach that higher state, but not ut
| the same time, nor by the same road.
| 1N are divine but not il, tie same de-
gree. AN are Natures children, but
all do not obey alike. Ill are under
the same laws, and Ike punishment
will be mctel for like Offtnscs. Like
rewards will be given for like industry.
| This we learn from our ''prolati0no
| here with nature. When a law is bro
| ken punishment will follow-;lnd it is
| not "eternHl' but ceases when the delt
is paid ''to the uttcrnost fartlling;;"
teaching us more forcibly than ser
mons to Ego and sin no more" YER
lily think if We would only cease to
| blindly follow the blind; cease our cant :;
cease our many ceremonies and our dog
matte II am more holy than thou" re-
| ligion, and try to ''lind sermons in
stones, and GOOD III everything" we
| would better Our condition, receive less
punishment and more reward, and pro-
gress more swiftly.
COR1OLO.
! OUR STREET. LAMPS.
Worthington has adopted a plan for
street lamps. \ proprietor Of property
erccts u lamp ut some convenient loc;.-
ton for himself and the public, and the