The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-05-10
HIRAM.
CoffesD5ndence.

,Sffssbondsnce.
"My thoughts Oh awful subjects roll,
Damnation and the dead;
What horrors seize the guilty soul
Upon a dying bed
How strange it is that circumstances !
trivial or otherwise, bring to mind and |
remembrances long since la
tent and unthought of. A shadow,
cloud, a song of bird, an anecdote, a
perfume. a stencil, a voice, contro-
versy. any little thing, sometimes
brings. unbidden, thoughts and mem
ories of the past long buried and for
gotten-if anything is forgotten-in
the minds store house. The above
most beautiful and soul elevating
starzi was brought to my mind by
reading comments and hearing re
marks regarding the controversy be-
tween Rev. Andrew Wilson and a
trio of very eminent divinss, some
weeks ago, as to the decline of theO-
logical doctrines, &c. Judging from
public opinion, the result of that con-
troversy was very disastrous to the trio,
as much so ss if they had struck a
progressive cyclone. 1 cannot recall
to mind the whole of the beautiful
hymn, of which the above is the first
stanzs, in fact one such stapza Is as
much as any christian mind Qike
mine) ought to hold. So searched
through all the latest editions of
hymnals and sacred songs, and found,
much to my chagrin and modification,
that this. my ideal of what a sacred
song ought to be, had been eliminated
to keep pace with the progress of the
age [ then began a search in the
musty and almost forgotten religious
literature. I found old volumes and
castaway pictures, and became SO ab
sorbed that 1 forgot the sealch for my
favorite hymn. l fouud'a picture in
tending to represent GalileO, on his
return from the religious tribunal,
nounce his theory of the motion ofthe
planets or suffer death, as his theory
conf1icted with the Bible. He re-
nounced his theory to save his life,
But the picture says, "the world does
move" / found representations. ol
men and women being put to death
for heresy, and sound and sacred argu
ments given to justify the executions
I found picture representing learn.
ed judge pronouncing sentence ol
death upon an old woman, for being
witch. found old books and old
newspapers, dingy and yellow with
age, worn and torn read an account
of the arrest, trial and conviction, and
sentence to the stocks, of poor labor
ing man. who was working away from
his home and had been informed Of
the serious sickness of his wife and
child. Being over anxious to reach
home to minister 60 the wants of his
sick and suffering family, he had the
temerity to travel on Sunday, and paiC
the penalty by sitting in the stocks
while his wife and child died. The
Bible was again triumphant and Goo
was vindicated. I found an old ser
mon denouncing and ridiculing geolo
lgy, / found another denouncins
Thomas Paine. 1 found an account o
the arrest, conviction and imprison
ment of Abner Kneeland in Boston
for uttering these blasphemous words
81 don't believe in the God that tn,
Universalists believe in" The cour
held that it was equivalents to saying
that he didn't believe in any God.
found sermon ridiculing the doctrin
of evolution. The speaker held tina
the doctrine was the " blackest kim
of blasphemy," eff true man mus
have sprung from the monkey" AM
that "if the monkey didn't complain
such fool as Darwin ought not to.
The remarks were applauded and th
Genesis account of creation vindicated
I found recent sermons and books
which proved conclusively that Geol
ogy, Astronomy and Evolution agre
with the Bible, and these old patri
archs and saints who lived in God
time, and conversed with him, enteret
) into contracts with Him, with a goo,
and valid consideration, argued will
him and convinced him of his error
and wrestled with him, didn't under
stand the matter. l read an >accoun
of Robert Ingersoll delivering one @
his characteristic lectures to larg
and applauding audience in the cit.
of Boston, where Abner Kneeland wa
imprisoned. read sermon delivered
by the most eminent preacher tn
world has produced, in the near vicin
ity where the poor man wss put in th
stocks, in which he told his hearers t,
make Sunday a holiday. Said he
"take your wives and children on
riding and let them get little of God
air and sunshine on the Sabbath day.
Aud then another sermon in which
the very ideas of Thomas Paine wer
advocated. Do you wonder that & m.
thoughts on awful subjects roll'' whel
recall the awful inroads that hav
been made in our religion.
Roa ing thunders lightnings blazes,
Shout the great Messiahs praises,
especially when he whacks meetin,
house and kills score or more of wor
shippers. But enough of this at present
(In my next 1 will continue to rol
awfully. bowels and all, but change o
subject
The Mantua saloonists wish to know