The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-25
VOICE OF THE CHURCH PRESS.
Things Which Christian People Should
Look at Closely and Dispassionately.
Cleyelands Record in Private life Should
Prevent His Being Placed at the Head
Of the Affairs Of Great Nation.
Haunted BY a Terrible Fear.

Now York Evangelist.
Putting these FIVE reports together, and ex-
Guiding all charges of continued immortality as
improved; combining ourselves 20 the one sou.
itarv fact which not even the Governors nearest
and dearest friend presumes to deny-what thenY
TO repeat the question asked by the Evening
Post at the head of long and labored article IN
his defense what do we think of it now2p
We answer that we think it is very bad bust
ness. In saying this, we do not judge it by the
highest moral standards, but by the standards OF
feomnen decency and common humanity; OF tnat
respect which manhood owes to womanhood;
which strength owes to weakness--to be its pro-
sctof ard not its destroyer Disguise it as you
III gloss it over or call it by other names, it Is
sickening story, which we cannot read with
put feeling of horror and disgust. 1t has
WROUGHT womans ruin. Whether it was wrought
BY one alone or by many matters not; the crime
IS done, and its bitter fruits remain.
Knowing what we do in regard to Governor
Cleveland's past life, we must reason upon prob
abilities. There is nothing in vice to reform
itself He who has not left his vicious courses
behind him at thirty five can hardly be expected
to leave them behind at forty or forty fve; at
least so long as he has no true domestic hfe-no
home no fireside-but lives the live OF man
about town, in hotels and clubs and saloons. Our
observation Of men has led to this general con-
clusion that he who has lied dissolute life in
his early manhood is very likely to continue in
it unless arrested by one OF two powerful IN
huences: either the grace of God convicting him
of sin, and working moral revolution, making
him "a new man in Christ Jesus" or a pure al
lection springing up in his heart, and lifting
him out of the slime of his past life into a true,
noble manhood. That either of these influences
has yet come into Governor Cleveland's life we
have not been informed
The absence of any domestic life is certainly a
public misfortune in the case of one who stands
In relations to whole people. He who has
wife and children" says Lord Bacon, has given
hostage to fortune Yes, and hostage to char
acter. The atmosphere Of home is the best true
guardian of public and private virtue. The
tGovelnor seems to have felt this when he was
entering upon his present duties. There is
something very touching in his letter to his
brotlhr, in which he says, do you know that if
mother were alive should feel so much safer2
have always thought that her prayers had
much to do with my success Well may he
have felt the loss of that guardian angel In
scenes SO new and trying And if he should en-
I ter the White House, we should feel that he was
safer and that we were safer, if he had that
sainted mother to preside over his household
And now what does all this prove9 That Gov
ernor Cleveland is a man Of immoral life9 By
no means; it proves nothing; but it creates a
suspicion of many things which we would rather
not have to think about. We do not wish to ac-
cuse any man wrongfuly, or even to suspect
him wrongfully and yet we are haunted by a
terrible fear. We are left in a state of uncer-
tainty, in which the heart sinks with nameless
dread. It is for the Christian people of this
country to alook at these things without passion
and violence but with open eyes; and, without
being swayed by party feeling but acting
';soberly, discreetiy, and in the fear of God" to
say whether man of whom they have such
fears and forebodings is the sort of man whom
they wish to see elected President of the United
States.