Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-05-29
THE WAY OF THE WORLD.

In some respects American civil
ization is far below that of the most
barbarous tribes of heather coun
tries. The Americans have driven
the Indians to the end of extermin
alton; corrupt agents have robbed
them to the very door of starvation
forcing them in their last extremity
to take up arms in self defence
and now an american general offers
$50 reward for every Indian head
brought into camp. Such warfare
is murder outright. Christianity
turns white at the anarchist riots
but its government encourages muir
der of the deepest dye against poor
deluded, helpless, outraged Indians.
Shame
The Chaplain of Congress who
prayed the Almighty to avenge the
injustice of men was a sincere
christian in comparison with the
mockery that is daily ascending to
Heaven from hypocrites, thieves,
perjurers and murderers. Wealth
taat POUNDS churches and colleges
and seeks glory in the eyes of the
world, leaves thousands of souls
crushed in its wake. Statesmen
with great pretentions to honesty
and morality make their millions by
fraud and hide their crimes behind
their ill gotten gain. On the plea
OF party, christian morality elects
men to make and carry out the laws
who are the blacklist violators them
selves, enforcing the laws against a
few poor scapegoats that they may
carry on their iniquity undisturbed.
Success is the religion OF the world
that covers more sins than all the
prayers, and worship, and good
deeds, of saint or sinner, who trus-
ted for reward not given by the
world, because of his failure. Many
churches, many ministers, many
christians, share the same senti-
ments, unconsciously ARE govern.
ed by the same motives, impercept-
IDLY. The few who have the cour-
age to stand up for true christian
conviction, fail before the bar Of
public opinion and are hushed by
the courts of worldly justice. Many
sermons are preached, exhortations
made, professions heralded from the
housetops of the great, all to serve
purpose for which such things are
stock in trade. After that the ell
envy is met halt way in the dark.
Practice, consistency and con.
science itself are portable virtues,
convenient to have around the
house. Then men mourn over the
heather, shake their heads at inf
deity, and cry down with revolu-
tionists, when they play all these
little games at home. There is no
reason why nine-tenths of the peo-
pie should not be infidels and revo.
lutionists from sheer force of example.
Moral slavery is the only other al
tentative. Hire yourself to whistle
and dance at your masters COM
mand, and he'll throw you a bone
like a dog; that bone has kept life
in millions of bodies out of which it
knocked as many millions of souls.
When Sam. Small and Sam. Jones
get behind the scenes, the curtain
Of christianity goes up. History ex-
poses the same scenes. From time
immemorial vice in high places was
virtue personiied, and the power of
wealth and the Scheming of ambi-
tious rulers of church and state
scattered life's shores with the liv-
ing corpses of the dead. The sword,
the gallows, the prison, Punishment,
life trade, bondage, have made paths
of death and slavery from the far
thest bounds of time to the utmost
limits of the world following the
warriors chariot, the conqueror's
march,-the galleys of the west, the
arena of the east, the mines of the
north, the plains of the south hu-
man sacrifices, tortures, sufferlngs,
separations, injustices, line the way /;
of every tribe and nation, of every
age and sex, was this tribute of
blood levied to keep up class of
social and political tyrants, all of
whom worshipped pagan or chris
tian gods, and all this sacrifice was
made, and sanctioned, and kept up
in the name of religion. Ancient
slavery was of the body, modern is
of the mind; Wealth was always
king and still occupies the throne !;
Fashion is queen, and worldly pow
err is the executioner. 1t is true that
many good men have lived and
fought against these tyrants, and
endless battles have been waged,
but the evil outlives every opposi-
ton that it cannot crush or subdue.
History, by pandering to popular
taste, has tried to excuse and cover