Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-01
4 dsssructioa
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tered the political arena for the prisss il
offers They played for high stakes, but In q
losing game; tor however much the deeds OF
proscriptonists III times OF unusual excite
ment may argue to the contrary, politics are
not tho religion of the American people, nor
will they make rcligiou, under Whatever
name protessed, subscrvient 10 politics A
desperate effort WAS put forth To revive the
Native American party under another name
out ~ was at once recognized as an old foe
particularly OF the Irish Catholic, with new
lace IL was natural that extraordinary
means should ho taken for the propagation
OF Its principles In Pennsylvania, whose
metropolitan city eleven years before had
been The scene ot violence In political war.
iare against Catholics. The inscription,
/" The Lord Seeth," which was visible on the
hlsckened walls oi ST Augustine churcht
when the mad work of the mob was com.
plete, ought to have been salutary lesson
Tor the future but the blindness of hate
could not read the writing, and the blindness
M seiiseeking would not need Its warning.
Ia lsaS the Rev q. H. Tiffany, a professor la
Dickinson college, ut Carlisle delivered A
lecture on the Cultivation OF the Christian
Elements OF Repuhlicauism." The fact
WAS noteworthy, rs IL was currently be.
lieved that he aspired TO seat In
the United States Senate from Penn.
sylvania, aud that he represented the
pros 'riptive principles of the new party seek.
ing power IN tho state In this Lecture he
INDUCED Ia the usual commonplaces of Pro.
an American party to meet the subtleties
OF Jesuitism and the insdious policy of Tor
eign despotism ~ Judge Black feit that
when the schools OF learning seemed smitten
with the Niruleuce of the new politics the
time had come to utter protests, and, il pos
slole, 10 recall academic thought toa higher
plane OF Chtisttsn ethics Having been iu-
yited, year later, to address the Phenakos
mian society OF Pennsylvania college at the
annual commencement he chose for his
theme Religious Liberty" and gave one
OF the clearest and grandest interpretations
OF the spirit OF the constitution upon this
question thHt ever Iell from human lips. II
IN regard tO point or two of history we do
not commit ourselves unreserv edly To the
views OF judge Black, yet as n whole his ex-
position appears To us unsurpassed in Pro.
testant literature
The three herads of freedom of conscience
among the earliest settlers of America,
whose portraits he draws with matchless
skill, are Ceciltus Calvert, William Penn,
and Roger Williams To the first he pays
the following tribute
Lord Baltimore was, in some respects,
mostforiunate man. He was especially happy
in having father To lay out his great work,
and sou of rare ability To carry II on. To
have been the author ot the lest statute that
ever was passed TO secure entire freedom OF
conscience gives hin the most enViahle place
in the worlds history. HIS high qualities
o! mind and neart made him worthy of that
pre,eminent distinction as a single incident
Will show. y successful rebellion, organized
oy those whom he had sheltered IRON the
persecution of one another, deprived him for
utne ut his power, and the first thing they
did was to prosecute the church to which he
himself belonged. When he recovered his
authority he must have been tempted to
retaliate. But with greatness of mind
which never deserted him, and with a
fidelity to his own convictions which moth
ing could shake, he reorganiEed his govern
ment upon Its former basis OF equal proteC-
ton to ALT
The position and the duties of this country
as regards the subject of Judge Blacks dis
course are defined with power and elo-
quence to which single quotations would be
wholly inadequate but as an appeal TO the
| educated intellect of the nation the closing
words are too striking to be omitted
"That America should now give up
| the proud position she occupies in
| the front OF the worlds great march,
| and skulk back like recreant int
| the rear, Is a thought which cannot enter an
| American mind without causing blush of
| insupportable shame. She stands pledged
| 10 this principle in the face of the world ;
| she has solemnly devoted herself to its
| cham pionship she has deliberately prom
sed 1t, not only TO her own people, but to all
others Who should tly to her Tor protection
and If she breaks her faitb,it will be such per
| fdy as never blackened the brow OF any na-
| ton before. To avert a calamity so grievous
| and TO prevent disgrace 50 indelible, the
| country looks TO her educated men. The un.
| broken and uncorruptcd heart of the people
| Will be always with you on the right side
| but you are the body guard of freedom, an "a
l IL Is your special duty to carry her orifiamme
in the van OF every battle. Perhaps no dau-
| gerous service Will be needed soon. You
i may safely sit still while your enemies mere
| ly talk against the equal rights of all people.
But II at any time hereafter, during the long
| lives which hope you will all enjoy, some
| great combination should arise to stir up the
| bitter waters OF sectarian strife, and 10 mar
l shal ignorance, prejudice aud selfishness
| INTO body compact enough to endanger the
l bulwarks OF the constitution, then let your
flag stream outupon the wind pc
| Among other benefits which the country
derived from Judge Black, in restralnin <
| me extraVagant utterances of the pul pit In
| times when the bad passions OF men needed
| pacific rather than an aggressive teaching,
Is the scathinS answer to the Rev. DIR. Alfred
Nevin entitled Political Preaching" II
| was called forth by a letter OF that divine In
the year 1861 addressed to Judge Black
| through the columns of the Philadelpbis
EUentRg Bulletin. Every paragraph OF the
| reply bristles with epigrammatic force and
pungency of satire, aud from the annals oi
history, American and European, he sum
mons illustrations to add pertinency to bis
| argument
"Can you think" says he, "that the
Irish were invaded, and conquered, and op-
pressed, and murdered, and robbed for cen.
| believed In the Protestant religion2 l SUP.
| pose you know that those brutal atrocities
| were carried on for the purpose of giving &c
political preachers in England possession Of
the churches, cathedrsls, glebe-lands, and
| tithes wich belonged to the Irish Catholics
| The soldier was also rewarded by contjsca
| tons and plunder The church and the
state hunted in couples and Ireland wa,
the prey which they ran down together."f
| Fain would We linger over the splendid
L In
| Speeches OF this remarkable man. so mag
unanimous In thought and SO loyai to con
science In all that he did and In all that h,
said but the extract Just quoted recall the
last time we saw him in life anc
heard his thrilling plea for tina
land which the present secretar,
OF state, Mr.. Thomas f. Bayard,
htly calls the "Island OF Sorrowsu In tn,
spring OF 1882 Judge Black visited the fedora
capital, and never had we found him NOR,
interesting His mind was full of the them,
| OF Ireland, her sufforings and her wrongs
her false friends aud her implacable foes; ant
| as he pictured the greatness OF her children
under adverse fortune or exposed the hos
Liiity OF English literary politicians Xix,
Froude and Goodwin Smith, the warmth Of
| Burke and the sarcasm OF a Junius com
bined to animate the flow of conversation
which We have never heard equalled. Tn
| Irish National Land League of Marylant
had arranged to celebrate in Baltimore tn
centenary OF Grattan's declaration of lrisi
Independence, and Judge Black kindly In
| vited us to accompany him thither, II 4
| were appropriate we would gladly recall
| some OF the memories OF the trim made "a M