The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-02

name of "Ike Carlton, the tender
hearted. CongregdtionaHst.
Gentlemen Of The Secular Press. on
which Side
IF the secular press were charged
with being unfriendly to the cause OF
morals. there would be from all but
anarchist journals an indignant denl'
al. Indeed many of the secular pa
nprs claim to be aids to the Church in
futhering the gospel and morals:
And vet a secular daily paper Of great
influence i'm the South, OF fine eiltOrl-
al ability, within a weeks time mas
given something after this kind: A
man goes deranged in distant State.
The condition of his health, the state
of his business. the possibility OF FAM
ily distress, and thousand other
causes of mental trouble are ignored,
aud with the fact that he had joined
the Church few months before lnsla-
uously connected with the statement
of his mental trouble, the telegram Is
headed "To Much Religion"
The paper that headlines Il TACT oi
mental derangement in that manner,
cannot be uniformly friendly to relIg
lion. IF it takes much religion 10
make men insane, the sanity of the
paraeraphing editor is assured, unless
: yery great and marvellous change
shall come him. Religion Is the cause
of no unsoundness of mind. 1t Is the
.1Lu1nu Cho1In of the intellect.
rhe statistics of insanity attribute
hundreds of cases to other causes 10
sin in some of its forms-for each case
that is due religion. o
Again the secular paper ABOVE
mentioned tells its readers OF a crank
meaning, of course, q halt-eraZyS
fellow. The mark of his crankiness
was this: Having defrauded the Gov
ernment of it's dues, and having come
TO repentance, he sent large sum 10
the hconscience fund.- at Washington,
as his first inslalment of the restltu-
tion lie intended to make. This mag
nificent spectacle of the majesty OF
conscience in man, and of man trl,
umphing over his previous sin ana
coyetousness, is, according to the edit
or, the exhibition of cranklness. IL
is an unusual exhibition l suppose all
an exhibition some people are lncapa-
BILE of understanding but II TINS IS
crankiness, what is wisdom? IL must
be wisdom in the mind of the editor,
unless he was improperly joking with
serious things, to hold what man has,
no matter how he has gotten it, or to
whom it really belongs, is his own
merely because he holds it. Is he a
disciple of Iago? The sentiment that
makes honorable restitution for wrong
a mark of folly may be found in keep
ing with ability to run newspaper
but the paper TO that extent is not run
in the interests of decency or civillza-
tiOn.
Furthermore: an earnest editorial,
manly and outspoken, touching the
attempt of the Louisiana State Lot
terry to indirectly bribe the Legisla-
ture by the offer of S100,0 for levee
purposes, attended with a standing adj
vertisement of the corrupt and cor
rupting concern. The editorial is
commendable. The advertisement Of
the thing it condemns is disgraceful.
Twelve minus twelve leaves nothing.
Just that represents the value OF a
secular paper to the cause OF morals
when it advertises a thing it editorial
ly condemns.
Now these singular facts concern
ing an exchange have fallen under the
writer's eye within very short space
of time. In one paper. it is true; but
that paper is in general a fair specl-
men Of others. Gentlemen of the sec
ular press, what are you going to 40
about these matters ? If the Louis
iaila State Lottery merits reprobation,
why do you give your columns to ad-
vertising it? If the restitution Of
stolen gain is duty, why call a man
"crank" who gives up the stealage OF
the past? If religion is worthy OF
having, why give it currency as an
overthrower of the mind?
On which side? The religious and
the decent people of this country are
getting fatigued with this straddling
business, whereby one leg kicks for
the devil and the other for the Lord.
Calling religion the nursery of insanl-
ty, and otherwise feebly commencing
it; marking a disgorging preverter of
trusts funds as "crankt" for giving
up what is another's, and yet advo-
eating honesty denouncing lotteries
by editorial and aiding them by ad-
vertisement is very unique strad-
ding. You don't ride well. Dis
mount, and kick all your kicking on
one side.
L. n: in .NasArille Christian da-