The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-06-14

fastened there, and the lifting power be
Withdrawn, how long before that object
will fall down to the point from which it
started? 1t will fall down, and it will go
still farther than the point from which it
started. Christianity has lifted woman
up from the very depths of degradation
almost to the skies. If that lifting power
be withdrawn, she falls clear back to the
depth from which she was resurrected,
not going any lower because there is no
lower depth. And yet, Notwithstanding
the fact that the only salvation of woman
from degradation and woe is the Christian
religion, and the only influence that has
ever lifted her in the social scale is Chris
tianity-I have read that there are women
who reject Christianity. l make no re-
mark in regard to those persons. / make
no remark in regard to them. In the
silence of your own soul make your OBJ
servations.
If infidelity triumph and Christianity be
overthrown, it means the decentralization
of society. The one idea in the Bible that
atheists and lnfdels most hate, is the idea
of retribution. Take away the idea
of retribution and punishment from
society, and it will begin very soon
to dislntegrate; and take away from the
minds of men the fear of hell, and there
are great many of them who would very
soon turn this world into hell. The ma
jority of those who are indignant against
the Bible because of the idea of punish
ment are men whose lives are bad or whose
hearts are impure, and who hate the Bible
because of the idea of future punishment
for the same reason that criminals hate
tho Nh HOY
brave talk about people fearing nothing
of the consequences of sin in the next
world, and have made up my mind it is
merely a towards whistling to keep his
courage up. l have seen men flaunt their
immoralities in the face of the commune
ty, and have heard them defy the judg-
ment day and scoff at the idea of any fut-
ure consequence of their sin; but when
they came to die they shrieked until you
could hear them for nearly two blocks,
and in the summer night the neighbors
got up to put the windows down because
they could not endure the horror.
l would not want to see rail train with
five hundred Christian people on board go
down through draw bridge into watery
grave. would not want to see five hun
dred Christian people go into such disas-
ter, but l tell you plainly that l could
more easily see that than 1 could for any
protracted time stand and see an infdel
die, though his pillow were of elder down
and under canopy of vermilion. / have
never been able to brace up my nerves for
such spectacle. There is something at
such time so indescribable in the coun-
tenance. l just looked in upon it for
minute or two, but the clutch of his fist
was so diabolic, and the strength of voice
was so unnatural I could not endure it.
''There is no hell, there is no hell, there
is no help the man had said for sixty
years; but that night, when l looked in
the dying room of my infidel neighbor,
there was something on his countenance
which seemed to say: ''There is, there is,
there is, there is!'
The nigh test restraints day against
theft, immortality, against libertinism,
against crimes of all sorts-the mightiest
restraints are the retributions of eternity.
Men know that they can escape the law,
but down in the offenders soul there is
the realization of the fact that they can
not escape God. He stands at the end of
the road of profigacy, aud He will not
clear the guilty. Take all idea of retribu-
ton and punishment out of the hearts and
minds of men, and it would not be long
before Brooklyn, and New York, and
Boston, and Charleston, and Chicago be-
came Sodoms. The only restraints against
the evil passions of the world to-day are
Bible restraints.
Suppose now these generals of atheism
and infidelity got the victory, and suppose
they marshaled great army made up of
the majority of the world. They are in
companies, in regiments, in brigades-the
whole army. Forward, march we hosts of
intidels and atheists, banners flying be-
fore, banners flying behind, banners in
scribed with the words: mo God! No
Christ! No punishment! No restraints!
Down with the Bible! Do as you please !"
The sun turned into darkness.
Forward, march! we great army of inf
dels and atheists. And first of all YOU will
attack the churches. Away with those
houses of worship! They have been
standing there so long deluding the people
with consolation in their bereavements
and sorrows. All those churches ought to
be extirpated; they have done so much
to relieve the lost and bring home the
wandering, and they have so long held
up the ideas of eternal rest after the par
oxysm of this life is over. Turn the st.
Peters and st. Pauls and the temples and
tabernacles into club houses. Away with
those churches.
Forward, march! We great army of in
fidels and atheists, and next of all they
scatter the Sabbath Scholastic Sabbath
schools filled with bright-eyed, bright
checked little ones, who are singing songs
on Sunday afternoon, and getting instruc-
ton when they ought to be on street corn
ers playing marbles, Or swearing on the
commons. Away with them! Forward,
march! ye great army of infidels and
atheists, and next of all they will attack
Christian asylums-the institutions of
mercy supported by Christian philan-
thropies. Never mind the blind eyes and
the deaf ears and the crippled limbs and
the weakened intellects. Let paralyzed
old age pick up its own food, and orphans
fight their own way, and the half reformed
go back to their evil habits. Forward.
march! We great army of infidels and
atheists, and with your battle axes hew
down the cross and split up the manager
of Bethlehem.
On, We great army OF infidels and athe-
lists, and now they come to the grayeyards
and the cemeteries of the earth. Pull down
the sculpture above Greenwood's gate, for
1t means the resurrection Tear auaxy OF