The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-26
Methodism In Politics.

| Iumlnarlee, q certain blsnOp daVon, WI
has been of late preaching in Mr.. Newman
church at Washington. He is terribl
fellow, this Haven, In the way Of blood ant
thunder. We have never read his biOgra
ply and cannot, therefore, say exactly hoV
many hApless Confederates fell beneath
did not actually kill them with the sword
1t was because he found fire. arms more Ell
cacious, and If he did not actually hit any
body in particular, we are sure 1t was only
because he was little too far off. Still II
is quite evident from one Of the sanity
Bishop's recent sermons, as we hnd it re
ported in the N. Y. Wsrld, that the dear,
good man regrets now that he didn't march
right up close and kill all the Confederstes
every one of them.
The Bishops sermon was on the subject
of the Chisholm killing which took place
in Mississippi about year ago, and, after
giving what is called "graphic descrip-
tion" of the event, he takes the following
bold flight of fancy:
The angel Of death, not God but devil
driven, hovers over much of our land, smitin &
with blood strokes the victims Of his oruel
wrath.
That is to say, about every day or so the
said angel kills off another Chisholm family.
AS this assertion can have no possible re-
ference to the South, one would suppose
that the orator was giving his Northern
hearers what the profane call "fts." But
not 80, for he Immediately adds with melo-
dramatic majesty:
ha. lafs
season.
This is altogether question of statistcs.
We haven't them at hand, but our impress
sion is that the killing angel gets in more
of his work North than South in proportion
to the population.
After amplifying his assumption in va
rious ways, all conveying the same impress
son-that murder is rampant in the South
ern States-the holy preacher of the
Gospel comes to his application of the
facts. This country is, he says, under
governed )" the national government must
step in and regulate the internal affairs o
the States. Hear the reverend politician
The theory that State governments have
such absolute control Of life and death within
their territories that the nation cannot GROSS
their boundaries to protect it's citizens and
punish their murderers has brou ght us to this
weak and miserable pass. We are affrighted at
the shadow gloweripg at our own hearth. stones
Unless stronger government arises
we shall dissolve and disappear as q nation.
We sigh for the verifcation of the seal of Mas
ssehusstts, AN uplifted arm holding sword.
All this is stuff. 1t is cowardly, bypo-
critical sta., because this same Bishop
Haven, of the Methodist Church North, is
stationed at Atlanta, Georgia. He is actu-
ally living among the very people whom
he SO bitterly bellies. His malignant ha-
tired breathes itself forth every Sunday
under the protection of the society which
with the people whom he calls murderers,
is as secure from the very suspicion of
peril as though he lived in Boston.
We should not dream of noticing the
rascal, were it not for his COM
pany and his occasion. The time was Sun
day, and the occasion was sermon preach
ed for the purpose of expounding the gos-
pei of peace and charity; the audience
such parties as Blaine, Chan Ter,
and Senators Rollins and Window. Other
very leading lights in the Republican fami
~ were present, and, notwithstanding the
ostensibly sacred character Of the place
aud the occasion, applause was frequent,
and sometimes prolonged. The Methodist
sermon was Republican stump speech
q stump speech of the lowest, most viru
lent bloody shirt type.
We don't complain, however. Religion
is poor political ally in this country.
Like fsh out of wntet it rapidly falls
into state of decay and gets to be in bad
odor. American voters don't feel like
being dictated to by any body, particularly
by men who in doing SO degrade their high
calling and defile their spiritual hands
with the mud of earthly affairs.
The only harm will probably be done to
Methodism itself. A religion which sinks
itself into an ardent, Jealous party tool,
must soon loee the respect of all sincere