The Russellville Democrat., 1878-03-07
OUR SENTIMENTS.

The press of the country and some of our most brilliant lecturers and ministers have lately had good deal to say upon the subjec, of the future state oc man, and especially upon the question of future rewards or punishments which may await him after he shall have shufiied off this mortal coil and entered upon vast eternity. The right of free speech and freedom of the press is great thing, but it has never been exercised yet upon subject so vital to mankind as this, for this, indeed, IS one of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. The shape which the discussion of the subject has assumed is fraught with danger of making free speech and the free dom of the press a demoralizer of public sentiment and public morals; and thls is emphatlcally subyerting the uses of these cherished privi- lcges.
 We append an article from the Washington Post which covers our views upon this subject exactly. So like certain pious individual, who, to save the time and trouble of meek ly kneeling and repeating his pray CTS, was in the habit of simply clap ping his hand upon the bible and exclaiming "Them's my sentiments" we cut our own remarks short and append the Post article:
 While we do not feel called upon to quarrel with the personal gospel proclaimed by Colonel Ingersoll, nor to deny him the privilege of free speech upon that or any other sub iect, still, as conservators of the pub lie good, we do protest that he has no moral right to attempt to unsettle the convictions of the world and to move the restraints universal consent has placed upon the propensities of the wicked, for no other reason than that his own private opinion is against the soundness of the popular view. If he has doubts, other men have as well, and yet they have the good taste to defer to pubic senti- ment and leave the truth to follow the slow development of years, as It assuredly will, in good time Tn the Creators own way, enlighten the hearts and understanding of the whole family of man. One has no right to mar what all have built up, nor has any man license to destroy what he cannot replace in the econ omy of society. Who that does not believe that the Bible and the Church are the pioneers and pillars of modern civilization? Who that does not believe that the mothers prayer, the Sabbath School, and the various forms of church worship are the surest protectors of chlldhood's s innocence and the virtue of youth? And who does not feel that the se- curity of life, liberty and property throughout the world largely rests upon some form of religion, embrac ing belief in the doctrine of future rewards and punishments? And if it be true that these are the convictions of society at large, it is not clear that no one has a right to teach doctrines and advocate princi- pies wholly at variance with them, and tending to shake and destroy them? We hold it to be a maxim in morals, that the combined ihtelli- gence of society is the best judge of theories appertaining to the tempo ral and spiritual welfare ef man; and the rightful arhiter of the question of what shall be regarded as proba- ble and proper in public teachings. It was for this that society was or | ganized, and if the right does not l inhere, then society itself is without authority and its regulations are utilities.
 But there is the less justification for the course of Colonel lngersoll because it is unnecessary, assuming that there is present need of reior- nation in respect of matters of re- ligion, as he declares. The old creeds and supcrstitions are fast giving way before the advance of reason and research within the churches, without the aid of violence from the external assault. And so it is, Chat on every hand we hear the glad tidlngs of liberal tendencies and enlarged views, showing that the natural process of human develop ment is destined to go on until, by the extension of thought and the expansion of ideas, error is nprCoted and expelled and the truth ascer- tained and accepted. Why, then, should any one, however gifted, haz- ard the chances of checking the spirit of inquiry in it's proper chan nel-within the churches-by de nouncing as manifest ev-n much of the cherished belief of Christians;
 In our opinion it is wickedness to do so, and that it leads to still greater