St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-05

England's apparent good will towards her.
She would use the same means she has used
towards Ireland if she only dared. Let US
not be deceived by these men who have been
interviewed, because they do not voice the
sentiments of the people.
JAS DILLON.
Compulsory Attendance on College Prayers"
Again.
To the Editor of the Globe:
Your correspondent, H. P. Smyth, in this
mornings GLOBE very skilfully avoids the
subject, and mistakes my position. He en-
deavors to make it appear that the writer of
the letter in the GLoBR of January 80, to
which he replies, is opposed to religion, and
| had, in that article, denounced prayer in
general. Nothing could be more unjust.
And in self defense the undersigned must
say that he is not an atheist or irreligious
person, as might be inferred from Friend
| Smyth's article, but a member in full stand
| ing of an orthodox church in St. Paul. pro-
| fesses the religion OF Christ, and believes in
1t, and in prayer also, and practice the latter,
| regularly and faithfully. He believes in
prayers III colleges, too, and hopes that every
| student will attend them regularly and join
in the prayers sincerely. But he does not
believe in compelling them or anybody else
| to join in, or pref, nd to join IN, any devo-
| tional exercises which are repugnant to their
hearts and feelings, regarding such coercion
as an outrage on their consciences and rights,
and calculated to injure the cause of Christ,
and bring it into contempt rather than aid it.
| Friend Smyth cannot find word In my
communication OF January 80 which can be
twisted and construed to mean any thin g
against religion and its practice, or against
| prayer to God, voluntary and heart felt prayer
that is), but every word of it Is designed as
|. protest against the wrongs inflicted on the
| rights and consciences of any one by those
! having them in power, in cUercing them to
take part against their will in any religious
exercises. Many things seem trivial and of
no moment until one's own OK is gored. Let
me ask friend Smyth how he would like to be
compelled, by force, threats, brow beating or
compulsion of any kind on the part of some
| one having power over him, to attend any
religious exercises in which he did not be-
lieve, an which was repugnant to his feel
ingsl He would, think, soon perceive that
| every human being has sacred rights of con-
! science that no Que, under the color Of ire
ligion," can deprive him of or interfere
! with.
He asserts that the right to force another
| person in the matter Of religion comes from
! Godl What blasphemy. AS though ouI
sacred book could counsel such wrong.
| The whole scriptures is against him. Every
line of the gospel of Christ is in favor of the
! liberty of conscience and federation and
| SOul frepdOm and iupulcates kindness au1
love as means of winning souls to Him,
not force. Had anyone proposed such Il
means in the presence of our Savior, we can
imagine how he would have forbidden and
rebuked it. Ever regarding little children,
whom almost every one thinks they have the
| right 10 override in such matters, he said
"Sutfcr them to come to me-" He did moi
say, "thou shall mpel them, drive them,
| force them" 1t was to be left to their own
| free will to come il they wished.
God Is pleased with voluntary and heart
/ felt worship. 1t is an incense that He loves,
and it is duty to render it TO Him. But
what mockery must be the perfunctory
worship of congregation of persons who
are going through tue form, not in heartfelt
sincerity, but to comply with arbitrary rules,
! while their hearts are far off, and perhaps
hating the very things they are compelled,
for fear, to pretend to revere. God is not
mocked." lie will punish for this mockery,
not the victims OF the compulsion, but it's
designers.
l. Friend Smyth must be one Of those who
| have not yet outgrown the medieval ideas
that might makes right, and who fails to see
that the era when force and oppression, and
/ the overriding of human rights, and sitting
the liberty aud freedom Of conscience Of
! others, which once had full sway, unchal-
/ leuged, has passed away, and that purer
and better day has dawned, when men do
not submit without protest to the abrOgatiOn
of their cherished rights and sacred liberties
| Of conscience. And one Of the evidences Of
| this growth towards full soul freedom and the
| perfect practice of the golden rule is that
compulsory attendance at college prayers,
/ which for generations was considered a mat
ter Of right aud course, aud was never ques-
| toned, is now being widely opposed, as con-
| trary to the tolerant spirit of the religion of
| the present day, and must soon fall.
| st. Paul. Feb. 3, 1885. TOLERATION.