The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-05-09

that represents the vast spot Of corrup-
ton in this fair republic: Never.
Out, damned spot, out p" we say, and
the echoes wave back from the four
corners of the nation.
Suppose Solomon did have his concu-
Dimes, and suppose polygamy can hnd
encouragement In the old testament.
1t does not follow that the enlightened
people OF the nineteenth century are to
go back. II Solomon made an animal
of himself it does not follow that the
men of the present day are not superior
to Solomon. They are as far above Sol
ONION, as Christ is above the people. 1t
is pitiful; 1t is dangerous, that any sect
of rellgionists should take the ancient
history Of the Israelites for divine au-
thority and fly in the face of all that is
good and pure in the world.
We are not of those who believe that
the world is growing more and more
wicked. That sentiment Is treason to
progress and enlightenment. We are
not rs corrupt and superstitious as any
people mentioned in scriptures. We
have vastly improved on-the morals of
the ancients outside of scriptu histo-
ry. We are grown better than the
cruel bigots who blotted the face Of
Europe from the Christian era to the
reformation. We are more merciful
and charitable, and hence more God
like, than the religious zealots on both
sides who wrote the progress of their
religion in letters of blood, and sound
ed p@ans of praise in the walls and
anguish Of their victims. We are more
moral than our ancestors. And our
children's children will far surpass us
in all tile attributes of good. The
world moves; the people progress; nor
ais become more refined. Were it
otherwise, life would bel mockery, and
Gods laws of development would be-
come repealed.
Do we speak Alright? Let us see. We
so far above solomon that were he
in our day he would be a crimi-
nal. What he accounted as duty or
religion, we condemn as crime. In
our day enemies are not massacred by
the city-full or carried off into slavery.
We make slavery criminal. Our morals
are superior to the ancient Egyptians,
Grecians and Romans, as every student
Of history well knows. Men are not
martyred in these days for their reli-
gious opinions. In our day the thous-
ands OF victims Of the inquisition and
the stake would have been allowed full
expression in their beliefs and prac-
tices Of religion. Wyckliffe's
bones would never have been burned
forty years after burial. John Calvin
would ave have cruelty secured and
the burning to death of his
friend Michael Servetus. For doing so
John Calvin would be hanged in our day,
In the light Of the Olive burning in
Nebraska, he would at least have been
imprisoned for life. Thus 1t goes; the
whole history OF progress car be traced
from vulgar superstition to refined rea-
son.
Therefore, the present age objects
most strongly to the Mormons resur-
recting all that was bad in the begin
ming of the world and claiming the
right to practice that evil because 1t is
mentioned and not condemned in the old
testament. The people Of the present
day have rights and authority superior
to the early history Of the world, and
they call loudly on the proper authori-
ties to assert them. Assertsthem now;
lose not a day. But establish immme-
diately the rights of morality and true