Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1882-05-25
Taforfin Glarinn'
Chas. E. CasseIl, A. N.
Editor and Publisher.
Thursday, May Is. 1882.
Hhe Tendency, in the Conflict
0f the Are.

of the Age.
TO venture upon the subject of re-
aigious tendencies, not having first de-
eermiued, to see only favoring condi'
tions, or to assert only the most posi-
tive and irrefragible evidences against
such favoring conditions, requires a
degree OF venturesomeness that verges
on temerity.
We recognize this in the circum'
stance of our having all been taught
TO believe from the cradle up that we
live in a christian land, where relig'
ion and religious faith grows health.
~ from rot being state institution,
but partakes of the nature of hardy
plant that grows freely in the open air
and Is not liable to be pithy, hollow
OF rotten at the core, as is the case
with the dollhouse plant that grows
rapidly under the unnatural heat
force OF statute law.
Liberty is magnificent possibility
and freedom of thought and utterance
should make men better, yet we are
far from being numbered with those
who maintain the position, uncondi'
tionally, that advanced, free and lib
eral thought and utterance are the
best possible conditions under which
the true piety Of our Christian relig-
ion may best grow and be strengthen
ed.
Religion is matter Of faith and
faith is unconditional and may not be
arrived at BY syllogisms nor even de-
stroyed thereby, hence doctrinal dis
sertations and disputes, that may be
conducted without thu cavil Of an in
fringement of state church law can
aid not at all, rather is STUN bling
block to the exercise of faith.
We have been led to express the
thought by reading an article in last
weeks Chronicle, to which we readily
agree that the above is not entirely
pertinent, but it induced us to recall
the fact that whenever the question
OF the status of the religion or moral
lty of the present day is treated, it
seems necessary that by generalizlng,
it should be agreed that religion is all
that it can be and that it is safe as it can
be, because 1.-The foundations Of relig-
ious Faith are too deeply grounded
to be reached by the weapons of as
sault brought against them
1t is from the fact alone that 1.-THE
spirit Of the age is on the whole an in
telligent one" and further because
"the worldly spirit pursues the course
OF worldly wisdom and in this respect
is wiser than that which is set over
against it" that we have drawn the
conclusions embodied in the third and
fourth paragraphs of this article rath.
than to accept as an all-sutiiclent rea-
son for the security Of religious belief,
the conclusion embodied in our first
quotation from the Chronicle.
We are too great an sdmlrer OF
Buffers Analogy to insist that there
is nothing logical in religion, or to de-
ny that in any way shoald argument
be used to strengthen Faith, yet we
will be just as careful to state that an
Age of Reason is not what is desired
nor repetition of conditions of thc't
and utterance, in the matter Of license
under the garb of boasted superior
intelligence, In word, the Liber-
ty Tree casts shade, not such as the
Upas, but none the less a shadow; one
of it's shapes is that of unbridled IL
cense to employ and express thought,
that leads to perplexity and doubt;
and much of our boosted enighten.
ment takes upon itself the form of su-
periority over what it pleases to call,
ancient tradition, or foolish supersti-
ton.