The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1885-08-19
Truth VS.. Error.


Truth, crushed to the earth, shall rise again
The eternal years of God are hers;
But error, wounded, writheS In pain,
And dies amid her worshipcrs."
Orators, statesmen, philosophers,
philanthropists, have "wounded" error,
and still the damned old jade lives.
The noblest minds, imbued with the
loftiest ideas, have been divinely in
spired to light the world with the most
glorious scintillatiOns of truth, but alas
and alas, error, though wounded, has
grown more vigorous, devilish and
rampant. While truth, poor old soul,
il "crushed to the earth" to "rise again"
only when time shall have been shot
from the columbiad of eternity. Then,
as "the eternal years of God" roll by,
reverberating with "the crack of doom"
truth shall be indicated and glorified
in the awful majesty and terrible pres
enee of Jehovah's own personality
Truth and reason, by sincere mind,
untainted by error, unblinded by
prejudice, in truth, faithful, have often
wounded error. And if earth ever be-
comes a terrestrial paradise, it will be
made 80 by the few whose nobility Of
soul shall awaken their minds to
grandeur of thought which thought,
taking truthful form, shall blaze forth
and light the world with truth.
1t has been said, Whatever is, is
copied. But. when refuted by truth
and changed by revolution. it becomes
error, is false, devilish and accursed !;
because the sdcreCiness it had by belief,
acceptance and existence has departed
forever. Many scientific theories of
the past, that were true, because be-
lieved, accepted and existent for the
time being, are now errors, false the
ories-untruth. The hsman mind is
progressive, because it is reasoning,
both inductively and deductively !;
hence, what is truth to-day is error to-
morrow. Then comes the query,
"What is truth What is error ?"
Again the question, "Have We now
the truth or, have We only that
which is correct and metaphysically
right at this age?' II a preceding
theory were right-if il were truth,
because believed and accepted in time
preceding, how shall we know this
theory, or doctrine, or principle To be
true or correct? IL what has been
precedent is now false, why not this ?
Change and progression are the
natural, inherent qualities of mind and
thought, and We know not whether we
ever have had the "whOle truth, and
nothing but the truth" Then, if we
know not whether we yet have the
truth, or what is error, what is the dis
tinction and the difference between the
wise man and the fool? May not the
| fool be the wise man and the wise man
the fool Who knows? 1t il an his.
tOric fact, who We're once adjudged
fools, or else visionary persons, have
now become wise men, or men whose
thought was incomprehensible then
whose mental vision reached afar into
the future, and beyond the then exis-
tent age and thought. "The fright
divine" of kings-oft the Lords annoint-
eds an exploded idea or theory.
What was once sacred is not now.
Error can be made, by plausibility,
false reasoning and cunning sophism,
to bear on his dark, devious crest an
appearance OF truth. But, although
you may make a theory on anything, If
you only give it misleading language,
plausibility of reasoning and sophis
teal appearance, whenever the light of
eternal truth and the redeeming power
of sacred justice are marshaled against
a false theory and pitted against ac-
cursed error, they fall only for awhile,
it seems, and until more opportune
time for them. This accounts for the
resurrection, by the Republican party,
of all the essential doctrines of the Fed
eralists--slIch as Federal Courts, Internal
Revenue, National Banks, National m
provements, paternal government, cen.
tralization. 1t further accounts for
Prohibition, a resuscitatiou of Puritan
ism. which had its laws on kissing, laws
against Quakers and tobacco, and its
Salem Witchcraft. But of Prohibition
more anon.
Sin brought death into the world, and
with death came disease; therefore,
sin is disease and disease is sin. There
is no death without disease either NOR
ally, physically or spiritually, no sin
without disease, no disease without sin
or transgression; hence, it follows, there
is wrong, because of disobedience of the
truth in God and nature, error, because
truth is denied, tyranny, because
natural right is violated.
Are sumptuary laws, or prohibltory
enactments, right, in the face OF
ilSnt btiOlt liNtb
Am i not free, moral agent with
right and wrong. good and evil, truth
and error set freely before me, TO par
take of the one or the other of my own
free will ? And if embrace error, COM
NIT sin and bring disease and death
moral or physical, upon myself, to
whom am l responsible, God or man
IL am fool enough to damn my mon
tai, moral and physical well-being,
shall man, therefore, sit in judgment,
pass sentence and inflict punishment
on me? j am sure no good Democrat
will. unless l do criminal act, Other
than this, against the peace and law OF
the Commonwealth.
Then, il follows shall any man, leg