The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-03-19


zlori6ed statue. Now. then. this fel- |
low in the dug-out had a religion.
That fellow was orthodox. He had
no doubt he was settled in his mind.
Laughter He die not wish to be
insulted. Laughter He wanted
the bark Of his soul to lie at the wharf
Of orthodox and rot in the SUI. He
wanted to hear the sails Of old opin-
ions flap against the mast Of old
creeds. He wanted to see the joints
in the sides open and gap. As though
thirsty for water, and he said: ''NOw
don't disturb my opinions. You'll
get my mind unsettled have got it
all made up, and ! don't want to hear
any in6delity, either" AS far as ]
am concerned. ] want to be out on
the high sea; l want To take my
chance with wind and wave anil star;
and ! had rather 60 down in the glory
and grandeur Of the storm than to rot
at any orthodox wharf. Applause.
Of course / mean by orthodoxy all
that don't agree with my doxy. do
you understand. Now this man had
a religion. That fellow believed in
hell. Yes, sir, and he thought he
would be happier in heaven if he
could just lean over and see certain
people whom he disliked broiled.
Laughter. That fellow has had q
great many intellectual descendants.
[ Applause. II is an unhappy fact
in nature that the ignorant multiply
much faster than the intellectual.
Laughter. This fellow believed in
the devil. and his devil had cloven
hoof. Many people think have
the same kind Of a footing. Laugh
teri He had a long tail, armed with
fiery dart. and he breathed brim-
stone. And do you know there has
not been a patentable improvement
made ON the devil for 1000 years
Laughter and applause. That fel'
low believed that GOd was tyrant.
That fellow believed that the earth
was fiat. That fellow believed rs
told you, in a literal burning, seeth
ing lake Of fire and birthstone. Thai
| is what he believed in. That fellow
too, had his idea of politics. and hi:
idea was Might makes right" And
| it will take thousands Of years before
the world will believingly say. ''Righ
makes might" Now all ask is thu
same privilege Of improving on tina
gentleman's theology as upon his mu
steal instrument ; the same right t
improve on his politics as upon hi
dug-out. That Is all. / ask for tn
human soul the same liberty IN ever!
direction. And that is all. This j
the only crime ! have committed
That is all. / say. Let Us have
chance. Let Us think and let eacl
one express his thoughts. Let Us be
come investigators. not followers; II
crinsers and crawlers. Ifthere is ii
heaven an infinite being. he neve
will be satisfied with the worship o
towards and hypocrites. Applause.
Honest unbelief will be . perfume I
heaven when hypocrisy, no matte
however religious it may be outward
ly, will be a stencil. This is my dOe
trine. That is all there is to it /; CIV
every other human being all tn
chance you claim for yourself; t
keep your mind open to the voices q
nature, to new ideas, to new thought;
and to improve upon your dOctrin
whenever you can. That is my dot
trine.
Do you know we are improving a
the time? Do you know that th
most orthodox people in this town t
day, three hundred years ago woul
have been burned for heresy? d
you know some ministers who d.
nounce me would have been in th
inquisition themselves 200 years ago
Do YOU know where once blazed th
bivouac fires Of the army Of progress
the affairs of the church glow to day
Do you know that the church to-da
occupies about the same ground tbs
unbelievers did one hundred veal
agof Do you know that while the
have followed this army Of progress
protesting and denouncing. they hav
had to keep within protesting and d
uouncing distance, but they have 70
lowed it? They have been the mel
let me saw, in the valley, the men
} swamps shouting to and cursing ID
pioneers on the hills; the men upo
whose forehead was the light Of tn
coming dawn, the coming day-bu
they have advanced. In spite {
themselves they have advanced.
J. they had not I would not speak her
tonight. If they had not. not q so
itary one of you could have expresse
his real and honest thought. But Y
are advancing, and We are beginnin
to hold all kinds Of slavery in ute
contempt. do you know that? An
} we are beginning to question wealt
and power We are questioning q
creejs and all dogmas; and We Al
not bowling down, ~ We use to, to
man simply because he is in the roh
of q clergyman, and We are not bow
ing down to q man simply because b
is . king. No! We are not bowiD
down simply because be Is rich. w
used to worship the golden calve'
but We do not now. The worst ths
you can say Of an American is that b
worships the gold Of the calf, not th
calf laughter and aPplause]. IN
even the calves arc beginning to Sc
this distinction. It does no longe
gil the ambition Of a man to be en-
peror or king. The last NapoleO
was not satisfied with being Empero
Of the French; he was not satisfie
with having . circlet of gold abou
his head !; he wanted some evidenc
, - L. LII >~~>&ksu~ wsthsu h