The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-04-10
CHURCHES AND MORALS-
NORTH AND SOUTH.

] OAbSA PuAPlb oAANoi 10 oiO"iy SHCFSA ~
the stage by the weight of years, Tai
mage takes his plaza. He is hardly
Beecher's intellectual equal. The head
and front of Plymouth Church hal
genius enough to accomplish any task
He would have been a statesman die
he not delight in dealing with the
morals and passions of the multitude
Therefore 1t happened, when he hs'
Gdverted to politics, that his impulse!
and passions ran away with his genus,
even, as 1t ID asserted, they have dis
posed of his soul. Talmage, as sen.
sationsl Snowman, is surely BeecheI':
peer, and one or the other. now thai
Barnum is superannusted, should sup.
plant the former LORD of Iranistan and
OF the bearded woman. Talmage, in
his race with Beecher, learning it prob
ably from Beecher, has employed the
lawyers and newspapers and courts tc
advertise him. Piety flaunts no such
flags as these. The Sermon on the
Mount points out no road for Protes.
tsnt to pspal throne in America.
The good book recognizes, in repub-
lie, no temporal head of the church.
But the newspapers do, and the law
yers and courts and newspapers are
now subordinsted to the purpose Of
thrusling Beecher out and crowning
Tslmage. He has himself been charged
with lying, deceit and with conduct
uubecoming gentleman and preacher.
The fsrcical trial progresses with mock
heroic dignity. Jealousy is made to
crop out in the sweet testimony. Tai
mage looks on with dignified self-pos-
session, and the whole country, listen
ing and chsttering and wondering,
lends itself lsnobly to the vain purpose
of the noisy, blatant, sensational
preacher. 1t is none of our special
business. but society would be wiser
and better if it had the good sense not
to amuse itself with the follies and
vices or in giving ro'oriety to such
pious frauds as Beecher and Tslmage.
In lower spheres of intelligence, in
modest country towns, and even ia
States like Texas, eff the great high
way of the worlds progress in modest
vices that corrupt and destroy society,
giving 1t fatal heart disease, there are
now and then preachers like Beecher
and Talmsge. Killing for fancled or
real insults or wrongs and daring as
well as depravity illustrated in stage
coach robberies are grievous evils, but
condoned by just God more readily
than selfish lust, soulless cupidIty and
hidden gilded vices that infect social
systems Of great Eastern cities with
fouleat rottenness. Our vices flash
upon the surface. They are advertised
by the pistols voice and CLEAN of the
knife. They attract the worlds eyes and
ears; but Baecher's and Tslmsge's put
down rotten planks at every step on the
bridge spanning the gulf of deep dam
nation between this world and the
next. Their vices allure and attract
ours repel the multitude. Ours send
the few, theirs the many, adown that
tacile descensum Aoerni of which the
heather poet wrote ana dreamed long
before it was paved with "Christisr
eloouence" by Beechers and Talmages.
Let US adhere TO our simple modes Of
faith and SIMPLE modes OF expouuding
Gods word, and it were wiser and
better for society and mems souls, il
we must endure either, to tolerate the
knife, pistol and whisky shop rather
than adopt the sdulteries and socia
vices and knaveries and thefts, denom'
mated defalcations, and perjuries and
hollow shsms that fill Northern
churches and Northern worm-ea so
ciety. When it is sought, even IL
goely Boston, to identify the mur
dered girl found In trunk at Lynn
and seven hundred women, married
and single, of whum there is no trace
are discovered to be missing from
their homes in Boston; when the Cap
itol at Washington Is absolutely be
sieged by fallen women; when men o
God, as seen daily in the disgusting
course of Tslmage's trial, find onl.
material for Jestlng and senseles
laughter in the dishonesty and lyins
and depravity of one of their number
then Gods banner is trailed in the
dust by those sworn to uphold it anC
their social systems are wholly rottel
and disease more deadly and ruinou
to all that true nobility loves threaten
society and the church with more ter
rible dangers than sickening blood
stains left by sher IFS on city's pave
ments or by the pistol of the Kansa
iayhawker on the bar-room floor a
Marshall.