Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-24
AN ,NFIpEL COMMUNITY
The Natural and Inevitable Results of
Attempt to Live Wholly without ~,

The Natural and Inevitable Results NJ
Attempt to Live Wholly Without Coz,
Five years ago there was founded IN
Barton County, Mo-, by a party n
atheists, a town called by the nams
Liberal. 1t is said to be the only com.
munity of equal size in the United
States which does not recognize God or
religion. There is not a church within
its limits, nor a minister, MOI a profess.
ing Christian. Christians who coma
into town on business are common}v
surrounded and assailed for their reljci. |
Gus belief in the most abusive manner
The whole atmosphere of the place i
densely atheistic. Ii there could bes
community from which God was utter.
ly shut out, this town of Liberal would
be: such.
The founders gave out distinctly that
the town was established as an exper.
mentor rather, as they looked upon
it, as a demonstration of what man
could do for himself without the So.
called '.superstitions" of religion. Ibev
proposed to show the world that Chris.
tianity was nothing but a fable: that
people could live and prosper without
it; that churches, and ministers, and
Sabbath-days, and religious obsery.
ances of every kind were all a hum.
bug, q kind of fc~tish-worship, that man
ought to free himself from, if he would
attain to his highest earthly welfare
and happiness.
What then, has been the result Of the
venture? Nine-tenths of those now liy. /
ing in the town would leave.it if thew F
could sell their property. There is,net
a store'in the town which carries $40.
600 worth of stock; there is not a fac |
tory or manufacturing establishment Of
any kind in the place, and, worst of all.
there is not even a school-house.. Pub. |
lie schools and intidel meetings haye
been held in rented buildings, EXCEPT |
Mental Liberty Hail." the aiming title |
of a building, says a Correspondents
of the St. Louis Globe Democrat, "abous
the size of a smoke-house; which it
closely resembles" There is not in
the town a building thai could not be
built for So, 600, not half dozen that
cost $4,000, and a great majority q
them cost less than 81, ZOO. The two /
hotels of; the place are spoken of as
''cheap dens of the lowest character
One of them is vacant, and the other is
soon to be. closed.
Nor have the social features of+ttlis
intidel paradise been more gratifying
than it's material features. One of the |
inducements held forth by the founders
was that, with the absence of all relc;
ious sects, both those q~uarrels, which
arise from difference of belief and from
the necessary opposition between Chris
tianity and the world, social harmony
and good feelings would prevail, and
men would live together in peace and
prosperity. But instead of this ideal
harmony the town has known nothing
but quarrels and discussions since the /
day it was founded And rs to the vies. +
neS OF society under the removal Of all
religious restraint, Liberal is, a sad en- |
ample of what unaided human nature is
able to do in em~ancipating itself from |
the dominion of sin. Liquor is sold with
out stint, and drunkenness is a pre-
vailing crime. Swearing is a common
form Of speech. Girls and boys swear
and at home. Fully half the
Wolilcu d1c Salu 10 HdDlIuallY use
profanc language. Lack of reverence
for parents and obedience to them is the
rule: Husbands and wives separate
whenever they choose, and the most
gross forms of social immortality pre-
vail. SANDER and %vituperation are in
everybody's mouths. This, town OF Lib
eral has important material advantages.
1t is situated in the midst of an unusually
fertile country, underlaid with rich de.
posts of coal. A large amount o. capital
was, invested at the start in developing
the resources of the region and provid-
ing facilities for immigration. There is
nothing whatever to account for the ut
ter failure Of the community exeeptth the
atheistic principles upon which it was
founded. The significance of the ex-
pertinent is heightened by the bravado
with which it was announced to the
world. 1t is a lesson which the social
istic, free-thinking Southwest will 90
wellto ponder. Neither towns nor States
can prosper without the restraints OF
religion and the recognition of Divine
Providence, authority and law.-BW-
hngton W. Free Press.