The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-04-04

Mary Clemmer in letter to the New York
Independent of March 9Th, speaking OF Wash
ington society, says that "good women pray
and live lives OF absolute sweetness and purity;
good men wrestls with the world, tho flesh and
the devil-fght their foes within, their foes
without, and come of conquerers. Oh such
men, OF such women, Washington has its full
share. It's churches overflow. Its Sabbath
schools are teeming realms OF lovely childhood
Yet Robert Ingersoll laughed Mt Moses last
Sunday in the theatre to sixteen hundred
people,
Good people are shocked; but anv remon-
STRANGE would be met by tho information that
in this boosted land of liberty, this land OF free
speech and free press, he has the right to
adopt and ipeulcate any principle, religious or
political, that he prefers, without beng liable
10 be assailed through the public journals. He
is wiling to allow others the same rights and
privileges ne claims for himself. When, how
ever, . man sets himself up as a political
| figure head, proclaiming to his fellow citizens
paw
and power il they will but give him their yotes,
Let me ask if those fellow citizens have no
right to animadvert on his principles snd p,ac-
tcss As man and citizen? And who is the
greater sinner, the man who leads society astray
while holding aloft the Bible and proclaiming
that in following where he leads you are fol-
lowing It's precepts, or, the man who plants no
masked batteries although he may be moral
cancer in the community? II we follow HIM,
We alone ara responsible. But ID no one re-
sponsible for Robert Ingersoll and others OF
his ilk? Our countryi is fast filing up with
men and women who not only make fun OF
closes, but 3eIide the Saviour himself. And
who is responsible for this state OF things?-
The teachers of youth in our colleges and
schools are, as "a class, believers IN the Bible.
Our textbooks are orthodox as well as our
teachers. Then why this growing skepicisn?
L. human nature retrograding? Or, in sad
ness aud sorrow, we are forced to ask II we
shall look where We ought never to see false
coors flying and listen where we ought never
TO hear an uncertain sound?
Cur boys and girls listen to those who pro-
fess to believe and teach the revealed will OF
God as given Us in the Scriptures, bat who so
often set up their own notions as the first ar
ticles IN their creeds, and then twist aud turn
the scriptures until they are made to mean any
thing or nothing, to suit the notions Of the in
diudual. IL the total abstinence pledge is q
little too stringent for his habits he will try to
twist Paul's advice to Timothy around, so as to
make Timothy stand for all the world. II no
wants to hold slaves, ne will read what Paul
advised servants to do, ald then wrest these
servants from the care OF the Apostle and bind
not only these. but all servants soul and body,
TO tie men who claim their services, bat for
gets TO read in our hearing that +" The workman
is worthy OF his hire If he is AFRAID that the
women OF MS congregation will "get cut Of
their sphere ne quotes PANTS advice 10 TIE
babbling. goaziping. heathen women, WHO had
all their lives been in ignorance of the first
principles Of christian purity. aud insults The
mother who bore him by applying all such ad
wee to her and all other intelligent women
thus. infarentially placing them on = level with
those whom Paul would Lave raised up 70 stand
with the woman who was the Grst to preach
risen Saviour Or, he will read TO bus congre-
cation the story Of Esther, which Biblical crit /
les tell US they regard az genuine history but
the record OF most remarkable deliverance
FOR Israel by God, which was the only reason
tor admitting it into the cannon. Yet with this
story for foundation for few remarks" he
turns from the consideration OF Gods good |
ness TO his chosen people, to hold up to a
christian audience in the nineteenth century,
as sn example Of modesty-the heathen queen
yashti. The story hints at 40 reason for her
disobediense but her own sweet will yet we
are gravsly informed. that ia those days every
modest woman wore thick veil when she was
In danger Of being looked at by men outside OF
her own family, and because Vashti was or
dered to appear unveiled, she refused to do as
the King commanded. This story does not
warrant bis supposition, much less the appli-
cation which follows. 1t was that these wells
were type OF modesty; that every woman
who kept within her proper sphere, hguratvely
wore veil, but women who wanted to vote and
who aspirsd TO be lawyers, and doctors. had
fguratively lost their veila; and then 80. tell
is not in Gath" they will meekly bow their
heads and ask Gods blessing on the words
they have spoken.
II our boys and girls follow in the wake of
Robert Ingersoll, 10 he responsible in whole or
only in part? The Bible says Tho way OF
holiness is SO plain, that wayfaring man tho
4 fool need not err therein" But Its expound-
era use il as we all use the twenty-six letters
OF the alphabet, We pick out character here
and there, arrange them ourselves, and make
them convey any meaning We choose. Aud 80
long az our rel yIous teachers use the Scrip
lures as = string Of apothegms, out OF which
they are at liberty to rear any sort of Office
their prejudces or bigotry may prompt, il |
will remain an open question, whether the