New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-03

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the Protestant regards the Church Of Rome as
Antichrist; while all alike unite in de-
nouncng mOrta, sins and bad passions OF old
established reputation, and In upholding the
Saviour for our imitation.
| But to bring these general truths down to
plain fact, are the people who Gil the pews in
much danger of committing any of the great
cardinal sins Decent church going folk In
| this part of the world rs rule have their pas
| sions under pretty fair control, they are not
| likely to steal their neighbOrs' wives or houses
or to murder them. In theory, too, in an intel
lectual, imaginative, far-off way they all pay
homage to the divine character of Jesus, just
as they recognize the Madonna del Sisto as su d
preme among pictures. But TO bring this
nature into actual contact with their own, as
the invisible life of the sun enters into dead
branch and produces green leaves and fruit
that is quite another matter.
The vital debasing influence (or devil, If you
choose to call it that which is at work with most
of the men and women seated in our churches
every Sunday morning is no master passion of
revenge, lust or hatred, but small, pitiablc,
gnawing desire to make fair appearance be-
fore the world. to push themselves and their
children forward in some circle which to
them represents society. No matter what their
rank /; they may long for duchesses or washer
women IS their cOmpaniOns-th the ambition and
the effect are the same. A man with this I'M
easy aim lives not to be honorable, high and
pure in spirit and noble in deed, but to pro-
duce certain impression on his neighbors /; he
learns even 70 estimate himself, not by what he
ha-H 40 INF x tho in bar nv
the house in which he lives, the amount of
money which he owns. The whole structure OF
truth and reality on which life is to be built is
knocked away and series OF paltry Fictitious
values set up instead. Children are brought
up in a false atmosphere; whatever may be
taught them in Sunday school, they learn
through all the rest of the week that the object
of living is not to be high minded, hearty help
ers of other men, and to struggle at any sacri-
flee up nearer to that which is true and manly
and right but to get money, more money IN
order TO buy certain social position and
power. There is the secret OF all the fraud and
the corruption against which religion wars in
our social life. Yet what preacher gives name
to this American Antichrist4 In monarchical
countries, Mann on, as our forefathers called
him, has other bait with which to tempt men.
Rank thrusts mere money down to Il lower
place and gives it perforCe juster value than
it holds with us. But here money and So
called fashion give the only rank possible. Nor
is it only the wealthy leader of society who sets
up this purely American demigod. The Amer
lean who has neither money nor fashion is more
likely than his lucky neighbor to overrate them.
In every rank and grade from the high
est down to the laborers wife who apes the
fine lady in her tawdry gown, there is the
same paltry struggle for show going on,
growing out of the paltriest motives ending in
the meanest trumphs and absorbing the whole
life. Once in every ten years the result COM
mcrcially is great financial crash. With every
day and hour the moral re suit is the wholesale
belittling and tainting of the souls Of men and
women. The pagan of old never w0rshipped
Astarte with more entire devotion of soul and
body, or more fatal consequences, than the mod
ern American worships this real Mrs. Grundy.
What conception can he have Of tie actual
Christ when he is given up to the idolatry of
god whose kingdom lies In stocks, decorated
houses, dress and display Yet how many
clergymen to-day will tear the disguise from
this our pagan god CT name it