Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-03-29
11RERrN IN RELIGION.

wish TO advocate the very largest
liberty i'm matters OF religious belief and
discussion. In all questions OF art, and
social life. and politics, and religion, let
there be no intolerance, no moving oil
the previous question, no gag law, no
persecution. You know that the air
and the sea keep pure by constant cir
culatiOn, and there Is a tendency IN re-
liyiouS discussion towards publication
and moral health. Between the fourth
and sixteenth centuries the church oil
Gud proposed To keep down all error by
prohibiting free discussion, AMI by the
strict censorship of the press, ami by
rack and gibbet, and pouring hot lead
down mems threats, to keep them or
thodoN; but the world has found out
that YOU cannot change mans beliefs
hy twisting otFtheir heads, or make them
see things differently by putting an awl
through their eyes. There Is within
everS man a conscience which VIII up
hcavc the mountain with which you try
10 crush it, and, unsinged by the ire, II
will make red wings out OF the flame on
which the martyr mounted 10 glory.
We must let men have differences Oi
theological belief In those very times
that | speak of, between the fourth and
sixteenth centuries, when all religious
discussion was prohibited, members
of the church went publicly from the
housr of God To the brOthel, AMI along
hv conSecratcl affairs there flowed a tide
al drunkenness, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and
abnmination, and the very sewers OF
p,rlitiun broke loose, deluglng the
church with their filth and ruttcnncSS.
Then thc printing press came AMI II
broke these sha,klvS, but II has also
poured upon the earth Il great many
bad books. After this, and right on the
heels of these Toes IT Christianity, there
came "A hralthiul literature such ~ the
world had never seen; and where there
was one man tn malign the Christian ~
li,,inn. there came ~ tO dctCud q; ami
i'm reply 10 the assaults upon Christian
ifv Their. were written, "Butlrr'S ANAL
o',y." and Newton on the PrDphcSics,
ami Laws Theory Oi Religion, AMI
the "Brilgcwat'r Treats s and scores
al other profound, brilliant and immor-
tai works. which never would have been
written hut for the assaults OF Intldclty
| ann not afraid that IN this contest be-
tween truth and error, truth viii bc
wur~tCd.
ann not afraid oi error ii we plLc,
close beside il the truth. Let error run
mr. -,,d ON by Skeptic shout and trans
crulcntlliSt spur; let il run, Coils
ANGELS oi wrath are in hot pursuit, and
.lui,ker than eagles beak clutches out
a hawks heart, Gods vengeance vii
tear IL % pieces. Let II run, II you only
let the truth run along with Il. In thi'
great fight between right AMI wrong
! the right will conquer a. surely as thai
God i stronger than the devil. Tue
church has never lost anything 10y gen
eroSity on this subject, AMI We canno'
have our own rights Of religious belle
respected unless we respect the rights %
those who differ nom Us.
I thank God that men do not all thInE
alike on religious subjects. You can
not see through my eyes. cannot
| hear through YOU ears. No man shat
/ lord il over our cOnsCiences. You may
/ have heard Of a king who had goo1
| deal oi trouble with his subjects. IL,
Mas aftcrwart imprisoned, AMI To- Will,
away the time he made watches and
clocks. and after he made them he trie,
IN make the watches tick alike and al
/ the clocks strike alike. OF course h'
/ failed. Then he said to himself, Nv he
a very foolish king was, How cou!,
/ expect 10 make all these wStche'
tick alike and make allmy subjects thln'
/ alike
/ l propose to speak Of sectarianlSm-
its causes, its evils and its cure. Mci
/ have tried To make Us believe that TINS
monster with horns and hOois Is religion
I We shall try to hunt il down and dra.
I i, ont of the caverns OF darkness and I'll
OF its hide.