The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-09-02
REhSBURG'S LECTURE.
He Explains The Aims and Oh
jects OF Secularism.

r. NJ. Rems hurg, who was widely
adver ised as he peer of tie elO
quent Ingersol, delivered a lecture
at Smiths hall last night to fair
audience. his subject being Secular.
ism, its aims and objects"
If the audience expected to hear 9
polished address. an argument bristl-
ing with elOquence and wit,
they must have been sorely disap-
pointed, for Mr.. Remsburg' 3
effort wss a plain, unvarnished tale,
explaining what secuIarism is, and
its aims. The speaker talked in "a
conversational tone, bare of infection
and barren of gesture. The points he
tried to make in his argument, bore
The ear marks of IngersOl, a revamp
FOi the celebrated inidel's me aphors
with cut an attempt to hide the plag-
arism.
In his introduction Mr.. Remsburg
said he WAS aware that
there was much opposition to liberal,
or free thought views but he intended
to present them as freely as if they
were popular. One of the objects of
secu,arism, he said, was to keep the
church and state separated. The
secular unions were generally unbe-
levers is christianity, yet they held
the same views as some of the nOblest
and most intelligent men in the coun-
try-such men as Washington, JEFF
ferson Lincoln and other eminent
free-thinkers, and they stood shoulder
to shoulder in intellect and morals
with the most distinguished men in
this country.
The government, said the speaker,
was formed as a secular organization,
and it was the purpose of our fore
fathers, many of whom were free
thinkers, infidels if you please, TO call
them, that there should be separa-
ton of church and state. Secu arlsm,
Mr.. Remsburg defined, was opposed
to the non-tsxation of church property,
to The Sunday laws, to the use of the
bible IN the public schools and to
christian prize: tcraft.
In speaking of the Christian
church he said the chu-ch has
flied the earth with vice
and crime; the doctrine of total
derravitv was an infamous idea; the
doc trine of forgiveness for sin a IL
cense to commit crime. According
to the Christian bib,e, heaven is re-
ward not ior good conduct but for
believing in a creed hell not a pun
ishment for vice and crime but for
lot believing in the degrading dog
mas of the church, of christianity.
The speaker then quoted Paul and
Luther to prove that, according to
tn, Sc teachers, belief and faith, alone,
would save. Luther, he said, made
the assertion that if man believed in
Christ he could commit murder a
thousand times day and not place
his = lvation in peril.
Mr.. Remsburg proclaimed that the
public schools were doing more for
morally than all the churches; that
the school teachers of the land were
doing more for morality than all the
priests and clergymen in christendom.
For that reason he bible should not
be used in the schools, as it was an
Immoral teacher. The bible is, be
said, only the literature of people
who lived 1000 years ago, it contain
ed many gems of truth, but it also
contained much that is immoral and
communicating.
The Speaker said secularism was
opposed to religious proclamations,
such as Thanksgiving and fast edicts,
| and that they should not be allowed.
He said the country needed more
men like Jefferson and Governor
Roberts of Texas who refused to issue
religious proclamatinns.
According to secularism the judicial
oath should be abolished because from
its stand point it has done more to
make liars and teach falsehOod than
anything else in the world. In place
thereof their should be a simple at.
firmation to tell the truth, with the
pains and penalties ct perjury.
In conclusion he delivered tame
TRADE in opposition to Sunday laws.
He wanted every one to go-as-you-
please. The Jew to have a day OF
worship, if he wanted one, and when
he wanted it; the free thinker
mis- day of rest or for
study, and the christian
to estab ish his day of worship on any
day of the week he might select.
Without peroration tie address was
concluded and, after the announce
ment was made that Mr.. Remsburg