The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-09-18

= Seei.-~1
proclamation, even by implication, y
attributes the scourgc to the hand OF
God. The existence of the pestilence
is merely stated and recommends
ton made that we pray God for its
abatement.
But even If il were, the argument
over the matter at this time would
be in shocking taste. The editor Of
the Statesman may not believe in
prayer at all, but suppose he were at
a dying bed among sobbing relatives
and weeping friends and the minister
were to PROPOSE prayer, would he be
willing to outrage the solenmity Of
the death chamber by stopping the
minister TO argue with him that the
prayer could not do a particle of good,
and would not such course repel
every one? Nearly in the same con-
dition is the present question. With
the deadly fever blighting our sister
States, with death stalking through
many cities, amid mothers weeping
over dying children, and children
sobbing over dying parents, with
thousands of poor creatures hurried
TO untimely graves, is il not more
than equal to a family dying bed, for
are we not all brothers and sisters in
calamity? Under these pitiabie cir
cumstances the Governor of great
State calls upon people to pray for
the poor victims, and the Statesman
seeks to interrupt that very proper
action by sncering at the Governor
and ridiculing further on the whole
idea of prayer doing any good. What
the editor of the Statesman would
not do In family the Statesman
should not do in State, for either is
/, ill-timed and shocking.
The Statesman goes on inthis wise
to show that The scourge is not of
, God, but from the violation of nat
ural laws: Tays ~
They come upon US in accordance
with natures DEGREES, but are not
sent as miraculous curse. Gods
laws violated, ayenge themselves.
Undrained Bayou Guyoso, the bayou
of death, has been a pest house,
breeding poison for the winds that
sweep over every village IN its VI
cinity. Wretched, ignorant, corrupt
and incapable rulers of villages,
towns and cities nave wrought all
this sorrow and death and poverty
and widespread ruin. a wise Prov
idence had no more to do with IL
than make simple, fixed, immutable
laws of, Health, which stupid local
governments per,istcntly violated.
Filth, pollution and a hot sun, and
not the Creator, whom we love
and do not fear or hate, is wholly
innocent of these deeds done by igno-
rance and vice thrust into municipal
ballot boxes. If Governor Hubbard
had told the people 10 pray for re-
form ia the Rutabaga constitution,
which turns over the mastery Of
towns of Texas TO the stupidity and
Ignorance of Texas we could have a
higher appreciation of his proclama-
ton. With all due reverence for
holy things, be il said that II is not
prayers that are wanted.
Admitting that restilcnce is the
result of violation of law, why is not
tho argument carried out TO its nat
ural sequences.
IL IL is on, account OF violations of
natural law, IL must be sent for one
of two purposes, either us punish
mcnt simply, or as punishment for
for the purpose of teaching people
better. If ii be for punishment sim
| ply it is right. All good men should
be glad that wrong lias been punish
cd, and therefore the States
man should rejoice over the
scourge as vindicdtfOn o.
Ian. But win the Statesman please
Tell us.why little children are strick
en- with death. They had nothing Il
do with the filthy streets, and YET
they are punished as much as anyone
Suppose the scourge is a punishment
, for violated law with the purpose o
reforming the people. How will i
reform the dead ones and lead then