The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-11-04
FREE OPINION.

This department Of tho ADVANCE Is open toany
one to express his Or her views in appropriate
language upon any subject whatever, whether
religious, philosophic, scientific or political.
The conditions ARE: Brevity, write on one
side OF the paper only, use appropriate language
and avoid personalities. The name Of the writ.
er must accompany communications, not for
publication unless desired. but IS . guarantee
| OF good faith.
WOMAN SUEFRAGN
EDITOR ADVANCE: We notice your
paper is pretty we'll filled with political
news. and u large number of men are ex-
pressing their views and telling what
they know about the Presidential candi-
| dates and different political parties. But
not one woman has dared to say word
for or against either party. Now, as wo-
.nen az we'll as men are endowed with
certain inalienable rights-''life, liberty
and the pursuit Of happiness" and as
happiness depends upon the same con-
ditions for wo men as men, we do not
see why they should not be just AS much
interested in politics as men, and they
would be, too, it they were allowed
their inalienable rights to vote and have
voice in making the laws by which
they are governed. 1t is generally un-
derstood that our government is \ De-
mocracy, or government by the people
But 1t is far from it. Only one half Of
the citizens of these United States are
allowed to have voice in the most i'm.
portant matters concerning our boosted
land Of liberty. With the erlighter-
ment we haye in this age of the world,
we do not believe this nation can long
remain prosperous while women are
kept subordinate to the male power.
Men need the influence of woman in all
departments Of life. She is just as much
needed in our legislative halls to make
those assemblies complete, as she is at
social gathering. Col. Ingersoll, on
the fourth of July, 1876, while speaking
of freeing the negroes, said: II have
had the supreme pleasure of seeing a
man, once slave, sitting in the seat of
his former master in the Congress of
the United States, and when I saw it
my eyes filled with tears. I felt that
We had carried out the Declaration of
Independence"
Col. lngersoll is great orator and
good man, but we beg leave to differ
with him III the sentiment expressed in
the above quotation from his centenni-
al speech. The Declaration of Indepen.
dence has never been carried out meth.
er in letter nor in spirit, and never will
Ike until female citizens as well as male
enjoy the elective franchise.
LURY A. CRAPsEY.
CHURCH PERSECUTION.
EDITOR ADVANCE: Taking into con-
sideration the cases of persecution by
the so.called Christian people IF this
Nineteenth century. reminds me of
their past history, when the church
reigned supreme and the people were at
the mercy Of Infatuated priests. The
Universalist and Unitarian doctrines
were extensively taught until the mid.
die of the SIKH century. They were,
however, condemned by the fifth Gen
| eral Council in A. D. $50, after which
time the church drew the sword and
lighted the faggot and in that manner
they succeeded in propagatine the Trim
itarian system of religion for at least
thousand years which was undoubtedly
the Millennium promised by their Mes
siah. There are but few traces found
of the Unitarian doctrine during the
time of the Dark Ages or the Millen-
mum until after the Reformation.
In A. D. 1916 Unitarian opinions
made considerable movement in Italy
and several persons of learning and EN-.
inence were put to death. In 1853,
Michael Servetus was burned for this at
Geneva. The Elder Socinus made his
escape from this persecution. In En-
gland the number of Uni arians was
considerable as early as 1913 and in 1850
it spread so rapidly that the leading
church men were alarmed and thought
it necessary to suppress it by rigid
measures such as Imprisonment and
burning which were successful for a
time but afterwards the heresy gained
new and able supporters and started a.
new and has been spreading ever
since.
Now why is it that the Church men
at the present day prosecute men Tor
expressing their honest opinions? It is
because they see and know that their
foundation is built upon sand and is
gradually sinking deeper and deeper
every year, or are afraid that the peo-
pie will get their eyes open and adopt
the Religion of Nature and Science and
withdraw their support from the
church?
1t is evidently true that they are be-
coming alarmed about something. If
their doctrines are true, they will bear
investigation, and if not true. to pro-
hibit their investigation is infamous.
Why not appeal to Reason and Facts,
instead Of force and infamous laws?
Aye, there is the point. The moment
the people become aware of the fact,
that moment they begin to see that
their system is only borrowed one Of
which the pagan stories furnish the Or
| iginal, but millions are kept in ign0r-
;nce of this fact and always will be un-
til they become convinced by their own
livestig .tions. J.K.
| BOND1N. Mimi.
John Bright, the eminent English
statesman, recently said:
THE lower classes of England believe
in the taught dogmas of Christianity as
little rs the higher classes practice
| tLo.n ~