The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-03-25
Communicated
As Non Like At.

The following ESSAY was read hetor
the Lake Charles Literary Society b
one of the members, February 9, 1882
Freedom of conscience underlies thu
very foundation Of the American de
elaration of independence. Our con
stitution, giving the preference to n,
religious creed, does not even mention
the word God Rightly interpreted, j
considers man above all institutions
man and his innate rights above car
dinal aud popes, churches and king
doms. With the exception of few
olergymen and their willing dupes, the
united voice of America is eloquent
in behalf Of the lualienabie rights 0.
man, the right 10 think. 10 hear, t.
believe and to judge ior himself upon
all questions, civil, political and re-
IiglOus. The central
idea, the prime though. Of cultured
Americans is free speech, free press,
and free-religion. The generous hearts
of at least twenty millions trans. Atiau-
tic citizens beat in full sympathy with
the oppressed IsraeI!tes TO-DAY Of
foreign lands. AfHrmatiycly this az
gresslYe body believes in the divine
existence, the intelligent life principle
Of the universe; in the innate moral
worth and progressive tendency Of
humanity, in the certainty Of q com
pensation, ever acting in consonance
with the fixed laws Of nature: in pcli-
teal, social, mental and religious free
dom, in a true life, founded upon the
highest intentions Of the soul and the
moral consciousness Of the race.
We desire to See moro encourage
ment given to our speakers, those Just
coming before the public, and our
friends Of both sexes must be encour-
aged and supported Committees
should sgivo them warm hands, and
cheering words Of hope and confidence.
Among you there should be no envy,
no jealousy, and no rivalries safe only
as to who shall do the most good. We
are all workers upon the temple Of
knowledge. Frescoirg and tinseling
arc less important than LAYING the
foundation stones Each in place, and
all for the general good Thackery,
the humorist, had particular delight
in boys and girls, always wanting to
give them sovereigns to aid them in
their literary course. There are Young
men and women in the range of our
acquaintance gifted, waiting for some
friendly hand to be extended, helping
them to start; helping them to finance,
and the means of culture. Education,
justice, equality are the watchwords of
all advanced thinkers; this should be
not merely the learning of words, but
integral; a cultivation of the intellect,
Of the affections, of the emotions. of
the higher intuitivc powers; all those
qualities should make the good man,
the good woman. The sexes should
be educated together, each assisting in
the mental aud moral development of
the other. Science is sitting theolo-
gies; buried Asiatic cities are being
exumed; Central Africa is being ex-
plored; cables are girding the globe,
and the Rocky Mountains have dwin-
died almost to sand hills, for the laying
of the iron-traiI along which school
boys will soon fly their kites, and over
which graceful summer swallows will
sing their vesper praises. With steam
for breath and lightning for brain, the
wind aud seas conquered, the rock
ribbed mountains at our feet, now who
will give US an air ship, some arial
yeloeipede that, swiftly cutting those
clear atmospheric stratath look down
upon northern ice-belts, shall land ex-
ploIers upon the inner shores that
fringe the Polar seas? Is not the
Columbus born that, leading the way,
will enable US TO clasp the hands of
those inhabitants who, in isolation,
have so long summered and wintered
in the frigid regions of the North
Pole? Every acre explored, the whole
earth is to become tile servant Of man.