Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-07-15

she shows q degenerate church, which,
of all degrneracie., Il the most disaster.
ou. aud fsr-fcachlng Ia tb. welfare ~
the world. The degrneracy of the church
of Rome ushsr-i In the advent of Roman
Catholicism, which en,eloped the follow
Ing ten c.nturie- In thick darkness and
delayed th.m With the blood of millions
of Christians.
The degeasracy ~ the Christian church
In France Ia the eighteenth century and
the consequent Increase ~ lnhdsllty, pre-
pslrri the exact condition which made
Il possible for the reign of Terror la l'oj,
which drew gr-it rel lines 81 blood ani
black lines of crime over the pages of
French history al that period.
| cannot better illustrate the condition
to which thl. nation IL appoximating
than to refer Ia the German Nation, In
which q German writer .ald, Germany
IL rraplng 4 harvest of advanced thought
or .keptIri.m, crime has Increased from
~ io yDO per cent, In six year., from
IssJ "a 10" ''ihe prisons are full aud
patriotic men are urging the formation
i 81 a penal colony" \ few month. ago
the Chaplain of the Imperial family, Mr.
Iauer In q sermon sald, affection, faith,
aud obe,lienc- to the wori ~ Tod are
unknown Ia this country, la TIL. our
| great German fatherlaDd, which vas
Que. Justly called th. home of faith.
shat vas formerly considered gcnerou.
and noble {. nov looked upon With con-
tempt. aud theft aEd .uindllng are
| called blythe rmponic names of "busl-
ness" Marriage. are contracted With
out the blessing ~ the church, Ia be
broken " not found to answer. The
word ~ God !. ridiculci by the pre-.
aud the servant. 20 Cod ar, in.ultri
| daily" while thl. state ~ moral. exist.
la Gcrminv .hc I. rapidly going forward
| Ia intellectual aud e.tbetic cultarr. ltis
easily demonstrated thlt our nation has
| commenced Ca follow on the same line.
that Germany hs. so FAR advanced
/ upon. N l. true that the euginery Tor
/ good was never so potent, efficient and
Intelligent a. to-day. II u also true
that In our history the enginery for evil
| Nas never so enormously muliipli"'i, .o
intelligrnily sud ciectually welded, so
| munlnrenily side,l with money and VI
agent. .o succ-.sfully, deliberate and Dc
tsrmined, az to-day. The mlle.ionss
Which measure social progress III ".
highest. noblc.t, aud grande.t highi. 40.
marked bychurchr., preachers, aud mem
icrs.
The milestone. which mark moral. Ia
| their downward course to drunkne.s,
crime aud di.rup,lon, are the saloon
iail, msd-housc aud galloNs. ! have
shown In former article that, Ia the
unitr,l state. thcse latter mllestones have
i,ceu for many year. increasingly la en-
| cr.s Of the former ones.
MANY seem to think the education oi
| ia. Intellect I. all that l. necessary Ia
| in,ugurate the Millennium. Prr.ideni
II.k n. Adams think. othsrNiss; d. aid
| In vi. article IN the f,b. Forum: "Ihs
.'intsllectual life" may b. influenced bi
two ,liIinci ani perhip. even contrtdlc-
rry forvs., Il has to bs admitted, th"rr-
fore, that In an Intellectual education
| pure ani simple. there u very liiil'
| moral poNsT. Hut u must not bc for
| gotten that moral impul.es arr Ia ne
.ens. q proiuct ~ pure Intelligence.
Bv thl. definition anil explanation from
80 high an authority. Ne shall BE- able q"
| ~Nplsin many diiIirult problem. sr"n Ia
tl,s experience. ~ life. By this "" ."e
IA. .lntrllrctuil life" NAV he Influenced
/ IA contradictory fOrrcs." or ln other
| ~orl.. Intellectual ani csthlc culture
miy h. growing forward, while moral
,uiurr my H. grosing backward. lhls
| principle I. capable of further 'nbdl'l-
| .lous a man may D. q thief, amurlerrr'
or rnbher. vet with heart casily touch
| A 10, the want. aud mi.sfie- ~ hls race,
like I.ohert. Earl ~ Huntington Robin
| IIoaI, Who With his band of robbers,
| "a. ths terror ~ the rich aud the Idol
~ the poor.
| Or like a min Ia ouf state prison to-
| iiy, Who stood Ia the fore front ot the
| Intelligent husine.. rank. trusted With
| mlIllou. of money, while there was nos-
| Ing frum one hand a silver stream oi
rhsrlty. the other hand was taking un-
| numbered thOu.and. Of money from
other mems pocket. to supply the
/ .trram.
Hight here. In NV opinion, u the fock
| upon uhlrh n. 4. aud 80 minv other
stumble. They assume tia, intellectual
and c.ihctir progress, especially " sup,
/ pliment-d by charitic. Il evidence oi
| moral progress. They fN th"ir adniif-
ing gt,r upon our gtnt Intellect. a..
| they rice FROM hill to mountain, and
frum prak to peak, la the d"main of art,
.clencr ani literature.
OR a. they 80, the golden strrams of
".ve-t charity" running their fcrtilliing
| currrni. Into the waste placc. 81 our
land. they rice In LOFTY panegyrics W.
pr,I.s of the imagined superiority oi
our generation, Va language Ike that
| With which n. 4. .o eloIuently closed
her article. bat seldom like her rise to
that higher domain ~ prophecy. IN
their upwari gale they overlook thl'
| counter current running backward, thls
/ ever rising and Increasing THE of crime,
Intemperance, I.Omani.rn, anarchy and
| ulek.,Ines.. Ia namelc.s forms, whose
.ngulfing waves have again ani again
| Inundated our fair land. They overlook
| thI. tidal ua,e ~ .keptici.m nov sweep
ing over thl. country, which u fast east
| Inc of,' ,b. hold ~ the anchor ~ Chris
ilan faith, which til. nation once had ln
the Scriptures. They overlook the fac'
hat infidelity l. fast sweeping away th.
landmark. of Christian Observance, and
scattering IL. wreckage all over our
land.
We live In an age aud Land of Intense
| Intellectual a. we'll a. national activities.
| our higher Intellectual life has eNol'ed
| numsfou. theorle. upon numbcrles- sub
/ lets. and Ia no other subject -o many
| .nd conf,Lt ting a. Ia religion. All these
/ ar. uut into the crticiblc of scientific ie.t
| and into thi. .s.thlng, raging tumult
| Of conflicting theories many have thrown
the bible. ann among this bewildering
.Li,I ,b.lr ..iudgmrnt 4. turned back
wari- and they are stumbling at noon
day In the mlsts of modern .kepticism.
They .all aloft In gaudy oolors of glow
Ing rhetoric aud dream of soon coming
perfection, like Edward Bellamy, aud
sleep In happy security a. they dill IN
the tim. of Noah, Jonah, and Lot:
| What Il Ia be the outcome of this Wide
| spread dI.cre,iliing of the Bible, Thought
n,l people are everywhere asking. Ihl'
/. bs.t answered by hook published In
Loniou In ISIS, entitled "Annal. of the
English I,Iblr." Ia Volume :, page 3JO
when speaking of the French Revolution,
,b. author .ay.. "wiih all its horrors,
how ever, IL !was nothing more than The
natural or necc-.sry result "t tho-.
principle. which had been diiiusei
through France for many years and
with a real which has never. In modern
times, been exhibited by the believer. In
christianity. let Il never he forgotten
that, before the Revolution of l''i' the
promoters of inhdelity In France are
stated Ia have raised among themssl'e.
and spent a sum equal Ia nine hundr-d
thousand pounds In one year,-nay,
again and again, In purchasing, prnung'