The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-03-01

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quantity and quality of its truth, and
sinks according to the quality and guam
tity Of its falsehoods, It must also be true
that man, when unable to find the abso.
lutte truth, must attach himself to the
nearest possible approach to verify. If
to know the whole truth were perfect
bliss, then to know in part and see in
part were q second condition of happi.
ness. And this is the best rational de.
Tense of him who espouses The tenets Of
religion. Unable to learn the absolute
facts from either the priest at the altar
or from the atheist with his denial, man
is justified, indeed made rational and
happy, by asking the generations to tell
him how near they came to finding the
presence of God and the confines Of q
life. In this comparison of ideas atheism
falls below ito counter-thought and COM
petitive companion, for If Nature, not to
say God, loves and blesses truth, and
opposes falsehood, then it would aeem
that religion, as held by man, must come
very near being verify, for Nature has
blessed 1t In all the long history of man.
II Il not alleged that the highest doctrines
OF natural religion took any part in the
overthrow OF Babylon, or Athens, or
Palmyra 1t il not avowed by any that
Gear and Pompey were ruined by their
faith In God and BY their conformity o
life TO such an ideal; 1t will not be
affirmed that o studious following of
Christ has ever brought sorrow to Ma
tion or to an age; and hence we feel
justified in sfirming that, ii error be
destructive, then religion has not, in the
long experience of man, brought sorrow
enough to secure for it q place among
falseboods, but on the opposite 1t has 10
blessed man that 1t we'll merits the dia.
dem Of a truth. When Nations have
expressed false principle 10 politics the
error has hastened to reveal itself In
one or two generations the false idea has
been found by the havoc 1t has wrought.
The leaf has turned yellow to disclose
the worm at its root; but over religion,
over Christianity, century after century
has passed, and all Nations will declare
that the more they held Of its principles
the happier they were, and that upon its
branches no yellow leaf has appeared. If
false ideas bring injury, it would seem
that Christianity must be true.
There are some words whose sweetness
or bitterness we can learn only in the
experience Of mankind. If you ask me
whether twice two make four, / shall
answer you without consulting the hu-
man race, but If you ask me the worth
of liberty" or Education, /" or Emusic"
or "home," then you must permit me to
20 outside Of intuition and summon Wit
nesses. 1t will be necessary for me to
wander about for few thousands of
years, and in many lands. ] must call
upon Kings and patriots, and peasants,
and slaves. / must Viz down amid the
thinkers and bear them the home-circle
and see their life; and ~ last I shall re-
turn to you and declare liberty. and edu
cation, and art, and home 70 be sublime
suns In the outspreAd Heaven Of man.
Having seen these ideas, IdecIare them
10 bare none Of the qualities of q false
hood, 40 with the word Christianity.
II Ecannot be weighed In the positive
scales. One cannot say over 1t twice two
are four, and apply that dsmonstrative
OF intuitive method, but we can 30 out
In the wide world and examine 1t in &C !
ton, and 20 doing We can return confess
sing that religion acts very much as
though 1t were one Of the holy principles
of Nature--a law of man and God. Ii
contains the features of that kind OF
truth which sets men free and makes
them free. indeed The deeds Of lie
are utterly absent from its history.
You who are gropiug along In this
world in greet religious perplexity, won
deripg what is true and what is false,
remember this, that all moral Ideas are
asily yelled in doubt. A few years ago
Henry d. Thoresu and Mr.. Alcott and q