Huntsville gazette., 1891-03-28

BY H. G. BINFORD JR.. as delivered
before crowded house at Asbury
M. E. church Washington. d G.
Before | enter into any discus
sion Of the subject, permit me, at the
expense Of a few moments of my
time, to define the words religion and
ciyilizing as they will be referred to
hereafter.
By religion we mean any system
of faith and worship; as the religion
of the Turks, of Hindoos, of Chris
tians; true and false religion. Us
ually when we refer to religion we
mean the Christian Religion or the
religion of the followers of Christ.
Webster defines the word civilize
as meaning to reclaim from savage
life and manners, instructed in arts,
learning, and civilize as to manners, to
refine; to cultivate. Hence by civil
ing we mean or understand process
of cultivating, refining educating.
The Christian religion is one of
the greatest factors in the civiliza9
ton Of mankind. Look back many
centuries before the birth of Christ,
and we find the ancient nations part
ly civilized; then as Christianity be-
gan to shed her glorious rays abroad
civilization dawned upon hu-
manity.
Five very distinct senses lift man
far a bove the brute creation and put
him in partial possession of the home
of the saints. Education puts him
above those to whom fortune has
been less favorable, making him
competent to hold the better posi-
tions in life. But tell me does either
of these tend half so conspiciously as
religion toward civilizing the world?
May! for men with all their senses
have committed the most horrible
crimes. The papers are lined with
accounts of the most deliberate rob-
berries, murders, suicides, committed
by educated;men peep into thehaunts
of vice, where every conceivable act
Of immortality is committed. Then
charitably draw the veilover 1T. tor
therein we find men Of prospect and
sons of education, drinking, swear
ing, throwing cards and coins; while
their eyes are bleared from dissipa-
tion in high life. Is not this heath
enism to an alarming extent? Still
we are always plying the heathens
and signing to cross the ocean.
Nothing can change this woeful state
of affairs but the religion of Christ
When man loses his willingness to do
right. and loses his faith in the ever
lasting principles Of truth and duty
he is in an uncivilzed state. But
does not christianity establish these
principles? Then christianity is
civil.zing agent.
Let us now consider or think of a
drunkard. He has very few of the
habits of civilization. He is never
home with family at night at early
hours and of course wants to sleep
late the next morning to regain his
sleep. This prevents his early rising
and makes him agree with the boy,
who when his father told him to rise
early, that the early bird catches the
worm, stated that had the worm not
been up soon, the bird would never
caught him The drunkard has so
few habits Of civilization that we
might say, since he lacks the MAORI
ty Of these habits, he is uncivilized.
BY the hand of providence which
moves in a mysterious way its won-
ders to perform he is taken by a
spirit into the house Of God. He is
not there long before he begins to
think of his home aud his manners Of
living, so he is heard to sayI will live
better. Now he is at home at night
with his family when the proper hour
comes and hence is able to rise the
next morning From one good de-
gree of grace he is lead on unto an
other. What did this? 1t was the
Christian religion.
What may be said of the present,