The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-03-20

the boards of trade in Minneapolis and
St. Paul, with reference to the trade |
and commerce OF the Southwest por-
tion of the State. The convention ad- t
jOurned to meet again in two weeks.
For the ADVANCED
MY BELIEF.
No. I. -.-... /
So persistent has been the teaching
for centuries to control the mind, that
the average man is content to follow
the crowd in current opinion, the mere
acknowledgement of which is pass.
port to good society and a reward of
merit for soundness. lie has only to
exclaim ''that is my belief'' to COM
mand silence. and behind such Logic lie
flatters himself there is none quite 80
sound as his own little narrow belief,
which lie wears with his. overcoat,
seeming to bs unconcious that this be-
lief is the result of education and local
circumstances of his. daily life. I have
often seen 4 large part of a religious
newspaper occupied with declarations
and resolutions to hold on to the faith,
us though not to think beyond their
first view, was credit. Generally, the
more ignorant the person the more te-
nacious his belief. They know it all,
and therefore no need of further inqui.
ry. Passive acceptance Of the hicker.
ing light of their fathers is enough for
them. Men who are perfectly con-
vinced Of the accuracy of: their opin-
ions, vii! never take the pains of exam.
lining the basis on which they are
built ."--3uckle
"lIeEce, our religion should not be
acquired 10y the teachings OF others, but
should be worked out by ourselves; it is
| not to De borrowed from antiquity, but
it is to be discovered by each mans
mind. 1t is not traditional but per.
sonal. .''-Euckls.
Spain is Il fine example Of the evil Of
fixed belief, where civil any ecclesiasti
Cal law were in unison and worked to-
gether till all freedom Of thought was
driven from her intellect. and stagna-
tion and death was the result. She
sunk from il first to a third rate power,
all the elements Of civilization became
paralyzeG, her cities depopu!ated, her
culture degraded to monastic asceti-
cism and uogmatic infallibility. Her
great men did not dare to to think OF
worldly matters. Everything was
subn:dinattd to pricstly authority, and
!. fixed dead line OF belief. THAT once
rich and prosperous country WAS COW
cred With Il rabble Of monks and clergy
whose insatlatt ran0city absorbed the
little wealth yet to be found. They
seized the beds and all the furniture,
they unrooftd houses and sold the MI
terials, the inhabitants fled, fields were
left uncultivattd, Nlu!tituucs died Of
exposure, cities and villages were de-
serted, and in many towns upwards ef
two-tllir,!S Of the houses were destroy
ell by the end of tile seventeenth centu-
ry ''-Duckle.
This Was the age Of the InQuisition,
when torture and hanishment were tt t
arguments Of the catholic clergy, and
If there ever was y time ,Wh II the deyil
reignrd on ear: II, it was done through
these men in the sixteenth and seven.
treuth centuries, and this is HE pom.
!
In 1863 it WAS announced to the king
that the expulsion vt the unhv'ievtrs
was necessary. and Philip replied, II,
is great resolution. let it he eXtcut-
ed" aid exructed it was "About one
million Of TIE most Industrious ill,ah-
itan:s of Spain were hunted out like
wild beasts. because tile sincerity o.
their religions opinions We're doubt
full. ''-Buckie, Geldrs, Davilla.
The priest taught the believer that it
was right to murder the hereto. In
fact, many of the clergy advocated
that all should be slain and not barisl.
Ell, saying this vouls! strike terror into
; lie hearts Of all nations Of hereticS.-
Geddes.
Now for the first time the church
was triumphant. For the first time
: there was not II hereto to be seen be-
tween the Pyrenees and the Straits oi
! Gibralter. All were orthodox and III
were loyal, and from this happy combi
nation prosperity and grandeur would
follow. The faithful and their families
were under the immediate protection
l of heaven, the earth should bear more
+ fruit. and the trees should clap theil
hands. Instead Of the thorn should
come up the iir-tree, and instead Of tht
brier the myrtle. Spain was purged ol
heresy, she was now all peace and pros
perlty, one solid mass Of pure Chris
tian5, her public men singing praise:
amidst the devout exultations of the
whole kingdom. Such is tile fatal
= blindness Of dogmatic fixed belief, that
there is no extreme that the devoted
F will not resort to. to maintain his doc
trinal position. All the graces Of hut
manity are comparatively as nothing.
, Francis I. said that if his right han(
: were a hereto he would cut it off
uenry the II. ordered the judges tx
proceed against the Protestants, ant
publicly declared lie would make tht
eXtirpation of heretics lis principa
business. Charles TX, promised to op-
; lose heresy at the risk Of his own life
saying he could find no prouder gray,
than amidst the ruins Of heresy.-
, Buckle and many others.
This was the spirit of the entire peo
pie. No duty in life so great and Sc
:, comforting as hunting for disbslie
vers or men who asked for reason ant
demanded evidence. But this menta
blindness shut out all progress; book:
we're not published us there was non'
} to read; the arts, manufacture, com
: merce and agriculture were neglected
: the brain of the country could not ge
: down to the actual plain of life. Thel
men, in the language of our present le
) vivalist, were ''wo1king for God, y but
!, the facts were they were working for thu
& devil, under the cover Of protection tt
e mankind.
3 This was Catholic Spain in the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries
: where Church and State told mel
I what fo believe, and this was all tha
3 was necessary to purge the world OF
s evil and build Il heaven on earth. Blu
!; the facts are, civilization does not pro
, gress through fixed lines of belief, ant