Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-03-07
The Sale OF InduIgenceS.

keeping thought away from thel
doors, and quieting conscience b,
the example of other peoples hab
its. lie has large army so drilled
that what they most detest in pas
age they cultivate as luxury il
their own age, and grow painful.
surprised that any should detest tn,
old with them, yet decline to cult
vate the new
Probably the census taker woulC
have a difficult task to find the maj
or woman who has not learned o
TetzeI and Of Luther, and who il
learning of them has not also learn
ed to hate the one and love the 9th
er. The very first time the young
child chances upon the story of the
two, as they rise against the morn
ing Of the Reformation, he inhales
genuine Indignation for the man
who went about with his iron chest
in the name of the church, peddling
indulgences, granting permission to
commit crime or other SIN fora GER
tain time after the coins of the pur-
chasers had clinked in his strong
box. The reading child as spontan-
eously swells with love and admira-
tioa of the stalwart man of conscience
and courage who stood forth in the
strength and beauty of prayerful
conviction, though very feeble mi
nority in numbers, to save the peo-
pie from the fraud that was making
iniquity rich out of their ignorant
bellef that what the 'pOwers that
be, told them was virtue, could not
be shame and cheat, Not sophistry,
nor love of the old party, nor the
tingle of the party whip about his
legs can make that uhtempered
young reader sympathize with the
old vender of a permit to steal,
swear, drink, gamble. debauch, and
slay his fellows; the unseduced and
unhablted child-mind and heart
know that money is no compensa-
ton for liberty to do wrong, and for
protection after the offense. That
pure child longs to see Tetzel come
to grief.
So, too, no method Of attack, that
leaves the youth freehOlder Of all
the facts in the birth, struggle,
9rowrn1and firAtl rriumah of tA0 lit
tle and other party, can blot MS at
fectionate hero-worship touching
the bold author of the new platform
published by mailing to the public
door-post. Young Goodheart, to
this day, tosses up his cap in enthu-
siastic glee, as juvenile history re-
leases that righteous reformer out OF
the Diet of Worms, into liberty.
Yes, we all, at each new reading
of those old times, renew our gratl-
tude that the man and the party
who. nearly four hundred years
ago. set out to raise an internal rev.
enue BY the sale of license to break
the ten commandments, did not win
complete and perpetual victory, but
met the happy disaster of a growing
handful Of souls who were robust in
true faith and pure principle. But
can any teacher of the mathematics
of mind solve why our present con
demnation Of the license of all sorts
Of infamy in that age should, plus
the lapse of time, become warm ap-
proval of the license of all sorts of
infamy in this age? The sale of
license to transfer liquor from the
rim and center OF cask, to the rim
and center ofa man, surely is the
sale Of an indulgence to commit
more trespasses against decency,
honesty and soul-safety than Tetzel
had dreams Of. And it can hardly
be fair excuse for the sale of indul-
gences now, that the purchaser has
to pay several masters of sin, and
several times what was the market
price four hundred years ago.
Tetzel. the original, and "Uncle
Samuel Tetzel are bits of the same
policy, though ''U. S. has degener-
ated somewhat from the honesty in
in evil wherewith the original license
dealer explicitly said in his permit
that the bearer was licensed to COM
nit the list of sins with freedom
from punishment. There is a refine
ment now in the role of indulgences
that tie patentee of the old system
| did rot enjoy: civilization will tell.
Now it is, MIR. Saloon keeper, you
pay me-yOur Uncle Samuel-s25,
or pay me-your city council-S500,
and | will give you M permit-my
lndulgence-to set in motion a group
of the worst tempers and the wicked
est desires in fifty or hundred hui
man hearts, which you and | know
lead some or all of them to devote
their soul, time and money to iniqui-
ty, offending continually against
| their Maker, their friends and their
opportunity for good. This, you
see, my fellow worker in vice, is
much neater to write it out IN black
ink that you have my powerful per-
init to murder John Doe. or starve
your children"
Equally, too, with each new read
ING Of those old times, we renew our
gratitude that Martin Luther was
enabled of grace and innate manhood
TO build up a stout company Of oppo-
nents to the license system in his
day, and ultimately to stop state
traffic in the weaknesses and wick
edness of the people of the state, OF
power they paid allegiance to. Tet,