Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-06-11

leveling faith Moreover, it asserts the dig
nifty Of man, and entbrones him on rights
come from God and inalienable, and as sacred
as any that can invest kings. What reconstruc-
tions of society towards the ideal right and
just are here-what reforms, what reVoiu-
lions Then it inculcates the law OF love,
and of doing as we would be done by, as
binding on us in all matters too subtle, TOO
humble or too grand TO be reached by other
rules. What benefcence, what sweetness,
what beauty lie in this faith, and come oas
to help society, like fragrance from garden
of flowers It teaches, also, that God may
be known in tie study of His word and works ;
that His thought, wisdom, skill may Re over
taken BY inyestigation-tha is, as the word
means. putting oneself On His tracks and fol-
lowing Him up. What an incentive to edu.
cation, to founding schools, colleges, seminal
ries, to discovery and science! 1t empha.
sizes, too, the worth of Life as the hinge OF
destiny. What seriousness and alertness this
breathes into affairs 1t hinges our civiilza'
ton. compared with the light, frivolous CIV
ilizations of the Old World. upon eternity,
making it tense, earnest, serious, even In its
relaxed moods. Moreover, it holds that NOR
ais ara en- indispensable part of religion-its
human side, and just as Indispensable IN the
service of a holy God as the divine side, or
devotion. Thus religion becomes the most
powerful and widespread source OF the moral
ouickening of our civilization, without which
ssatesmanship, education, capital, labor, art,
science, elegance, refinement, tree lnstltu.
tions, could not maintain it, and would
themselves soon perish What spur
to virtue, private and public what
nm influence to mold character. even
outside of the religious classes. to give
it grain and substance, bone and muscle, make
it strong and trustworthy What a basis for
confidence between man and man, on which
trade, social order and all the JOY and sweet
ness of life rest
Thus the religion of the land has, in its
very genius and essence, silent invisible
forces, which, in connection with other forces
which it either finds and molds and colors
OF creates, underworks and penetrates the
whole civil condition. As an atmosphere it
lies about it; as electricity it penetrates it ;
as gravitation silently swaying the stars and
worlds, it holds it in its orbit.
In the spring.time there are concealed
forces of nature w55r.Ling invisibly in plant,
shrub. tree. the roots of grasses - hnried
seeds, plying their nimble and eeaseless ener-
ges to produce leaves and buds and flowers
and fruit-all the greenness and bloom and
Joy of the vegetable world. In like manner
the concealed forces of religion are, under the
varied forms, parts and energies OF our social
life, working noiselessly, and working tar
and near, to produce the beauty and frag.
rance and ripeness of the social condition.
Moreover, where religion does not succeed
as principle of life in producing beautiful
and fragrant things, it acts as ms medical
111, cicatrizing the wounds ofour civilization,
overcoming the fevers, Juggling at the polsons
and slowly expelling them, uniting the
broken bones, building sanitary walls about
the chronic sores, or giving twinges Of neu-
ralgic smart, to call attention to the lurking
badness The distempers and vices it does not
prevent or arrest, it puts fringe of healthtul
influence about, a barrier of antagonistic life
or fights fire with fire, preventing general
destruction. So the scourges of intemper-
ance, RIGHTEOUSNESS, crime, and other social
distempsrs, and even war-and civil war
are abridged or quarantined, or moliifed and
kept within some bounds.
But, apart from the natural influence oil
the very spirit and genius of Christianity,
leading it to seize and mold and use the eie-
ments and materials of civilization, it has
positive, mighty engines of civil power. out
in the light Of the sun in our land, working
directly upon civilization with noise and
clatter and busy investment of the seats OF
influence and the hidings of social life. These
are its organs and instruments.
According to tables drawn up by Professor
Schaff and published in the Princeton Re-
uieac in September, 1879. there were IN the
United States in 1878, connected with
the different churches in substantial agree
ment in their religious belief and influence,
ASP, S54 members. This does not include
those belonging to such religions, or systems
in the place of religion, as are not In general
sympathy with the prevailing historical reli.
gion ; nor shall l include such in any other
statistics | may give. These nine and halt
million church members-and more now-ii
they should all start from Sacramento in sin
gle file, one after another, four feet apart, for
the East, the procession would cross the
mountains and plains and reach st. Louis
| and New York, and then doubling on its
course, New Orleans and Fort Yuma, and
when the head man should come back 20 Sac
ramento there would be 920, 000-as many as
the population of California-that would moi
| have had an opportunity to fall into line. IL
| 1873 there were also 95, 96l churches or sepa-
rate congregations, and 1892 ministers,
This would allow one church for every SoC
| feet of this grand circuit or every dlstance q
| little less than the length of one block o.
this city; and one minister for every 800 feet
or every distance a fourth greater than 9
block. There were also 70 theological sem
inaries, and upward of leo religious paper;
published weekly. beside large number Of
academies and colleges under the same KIND
of Influences.
Now observe, these nine and a half million
church members are not foreign to our civil
cation, or alien, or antagonistic-not rude q
ignorant people, uninterested in affairs, not a
burden to be borne or assimilated by our civil
system-but its outcome in full sympathy
with il, and devotiug themselves with reli
gious and patriotic fervor to its welfare. Auo
the sc, 900 churches and $4,000 ministers, the
| 70 theological seminaries, 100 papers, anc
| the many academies and colleges, ara moi
parasites on our civilization, sucking its life
| Juices, but its outgrowth and organs-lt:
hands and eyes and brains-workiDg In The
same lire and for the same end, working fol
civil order and enlightenment, the finish and
beauty of society, refinement and thrift, anc
peace and goodwill between man and man
| These statistics ere catalogues and muster
rolls of forces Of civilization.
And think what mighty influence Thu
vast host, crossing and recrossing the CONT
nent marching graudly, and between every
two a Sabbath-school scholar, girdling the IA
| ton with religions power, penetrating its life
molding its thought, inspiring Its action, be
! ginning is work on its subjects with the frs
| pulse of their conscious life IN infancy
and not ending it till their eyes are
closed in death - think what an In
| fiuence this host, with these engines OF power
working in the line of whatsoever has giver
bloom and ripeness and glory to civilization
| in the past, must have. Think what tough
ness, elasticity, fl xibility of moral fiber they
| help to put in social life, making it cohesive
homogeneous aud enduring, with indwellirs
curative, self-healing energy. Such are som'
of the ways in which religion acts to promote
| order, culture and refinement in'civil life. l
acts by its spirit and genius, and by its organ
and instruments. Between the two methods
the effect is widespread and marked. | d.
not care to go round and put the religion
name on every object which shows the effec
of the religious Influence, or call attention t.
everything having the religious tinge. Lift
would be too short for the enumeration
Every department and interest shows it
presence, not by any means as an ail-conquer
ing power, but as q struggling prisciple
working against evil and slowly helping
society up to better things. We see It'll
| this form, in the homes OF the land, the busi
ness, manners, politics, laws, jurisprudence
| letters-making the moral color OF our civil
| ization as different from that OF pagan
country, rs sunlight spread over Landscape
is different from the light of tallow candles.
| / will mention, however, three points IN
! which it comes out visibly and bodily In oul
| civil system: l. The Sabbath. Christianity
has given us our rest day. which is inter
| twined with our civilization, and Is recog
nizsd and provided for in our statutes. 2
| The common law. Christianity, not 10 1T
cere nonials or UNCONVENTIONAL peeuliarities
bu. its general principles. IS a part OF tn