The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-08
Tar British Parliament met yesterday

AAAH Ashhnh AthhtAlVhb hSt JSssNaS"I
and the Qaeen's speech was read by proxy
The royal lady has well nigh discontinued
the practice Of opening Parliament in per
son. Proxy does Just as well, however,
considering that her address Is prepared
by proxy, and considerins.iurthC that she
really knows nothing about the affairs
which It discusses. Bradlaugh, the atheist,
made another attempt to swear in as a
member, but objection being interpoSed
he was obliged to withdraw. He has had
rough time Of 1t since his election over
two yeas ago, and has been forced to
modify his original position Of independent
recusancy not little. And still, with oil
his willingness to swear on the Bible, he
has not been admitted. This course on
the part Of Parliament is all wrong. How
would it look in the American Congress to
eniorcesuch aprosctiption2 Where would
Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin franklin
have stood under such rule? On the out
side Of public position, most likely. But
the worst feature Of such prescription is
thatit tendstomake men hypocrites. There
are sworn members Of Parliament whose
secret heterodoxy is, perhaps, just as de-
cided as Bradlaugh's, There is no doubt
Of this, Tor there arc over 600 members Of
the House Of Commons, and the honey
combed condition Of English public life
theology Is notorious. The difference be-
tween Bradlaugh and many other members
Of Parliament is simply the difference
between Bob Ingersoll and many
public men in this country, His
views have been proclaimed, while theirs
have not. This is the only difference. And
yet who in this country would think OF ex.
GLIDING Bob Ingersoll from Congress, once
ne was elected to that body. The people
have the right to elect any man, not tainted
with disqualiiying crime, whom they choose,
This Is the theory Of our Government, and
until Bradlaugh's case arose was supposed
TO be the theory Of the English Govern
ment Once the English refused to admit
Catholics and Jews to Parliament, but the
agitation set up by o'Connell, and the
wealth accumulated by Rothschild, broke
neutrality-suspicious. and now Catholics and
Jews are on a par with other people. The
same result will ultimately follow in Brad
laughs case possibly not in his person,
but in the case Of some one else. We
suspect that the secret of the antipathy
to him is his vulgar way Of expressing him
aelfrather than to his private opinions. A
blatant infdel is nearly always u vulgar
sort Of person, and Us such offensive TO
many persons who could not be counted
orthodox. Huxley and Tyndall are not
orthodox, but they treat Of theology in the
spirit and language Of science, and with
that Difference which scientific scholars
treat all speculations which cross their
researches and discussions They are not
iconoclasts per Sc. Their accepted mission
IS not to dogmatize in regard to what they
denominate the "unknowable," but to dis.
cover the secrets Of the physical world, and,
as far as possible, their relations to the
moral and mental side Of man.
kind. This is the difference between
tho Huxle Us and Tyndalls Of learning and
science, and the Bradl aughs Of ignorance,
assumption and presumption. Should
either Huxley or Tyndall be elected to
Parliament the question as to their swear
ing in would never be raised. No we'll
bred man, however, orthodox, would feel
himself vulgarly associated with such men,
He would rather feel honored by their
political companionship. This difference
is, we suspect the secret explanation of
the present opposition to Bradlaugh.