St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-23
The ITALIAN HANGING
Is Regarded by Rev. Vail as
Showing Mans Sense Of
Justice.
Lynch Law Is Cyclonic and
Without Character, But
1t Goes.
Mans Courage Not Proof
Against a Danger That Is
Invisible.
The Preacher Paints the
Scene Then, Points to the
Remedy.

The lyDching of the Italians in New
Orleans was the subject of Rev. Wallis
sermon at the Grand opera house yes
terday morning. He took for his text:
-, For the thing was done suddenly''-I1
Chron., xxx, Sc.
More surprise and CONSERVATION were
manifested last week when the tele-
graph spread the news of the lynching
III New Orleans than we have seen pro-
duced by any event that has happened
SO far away for long time. Men con-
denim 1t; yet tiieie seems to be an I'M
dertone i'll all their conversation that
indicates an unsettled condition of be-
lief about it. TO the politician it is
lesson worthy of attention. To the
student of social questions it is of much
value. To the preacher it is a matter
that is not to be passed over lightly.
But In order to judge of the matter YOU
must know that in this year of grace
we nave In an American city condi-
ton that belongs to period twenty-five
centuries dead. The preacher here
gave an account of the organization of
Dandltti, touching the story of the eel
ebrated Fra Diavolo and others. He
gave an account of the
Theory OF the Ayenger
and the organization of secret orders for
the purpose of vengeance. He showed
that these ideas and organizations still
flourish i'll the mountains of Italy, Sicily
and Corsica. This life was transpIaDted
TO our soil. 1t became 4 menace to the
Sa1ety OF any who incurred its enmity
it hid IN dark corners and struck deadly
blows with the bright stiletto. 1t lurked
III dark places and lived on the blood of
It's victims. 1t refused improvement.
Perhaps the nature of the lands which
1t had ever lived W asagainst ait. One
OF our ablest orators had said that if
fifty of the thriftiest New England
families should be transplanted to
CUBA they would lose energy within a
year. while the boys of the next gen.
Grafton would ride into town. bare
footed. on the back of mule, with
game-cock under each arm, to enjoy
Sunday i'll exciting recreation. Then,
too. we must remember that this Malta
was silent, potent power for evil, 1t
put us mark on mamie disappeared.
1t seemed to rise like a grim specter
from the ground-it struck men and
vanished. Nothing can inspire terror
as an Invisible enemy. You may be
brave when you can see and know your
foe-Who can be brave before invisible
power?
Is it wonder that these local eondi-
tons filled the people with consterna-
ton when they found that Justice had
inIscarrled; or that they felt like man
caught III the quickSands, sinking deep
CT with each effort for relief-like
man attacked by the octopus, a tentacle
fastening each moment, but none re-
moved, and with each moment the con-
seriousness of hopeless battle.
Justice Has Mfscarried.
The Invisible octopus had gained
stronger hold. Terror filled the hearts
of the people; and then, as by sudden
impulse, they struck the blow. 1t is
not for me to decide whether they had
eXtenuatlng circumstances Or not. At
any rate, the medicine is extremely
dangerous. Bnt the subject which we,
as students of life. are interested in is
this: What is below this and similar
movements" What Is it that makes
careless men all at once cry for justice?
What gives men this tendency to revolt
against injustice and cruelty? My as
sumption is that in man. by endowment
OF God, there is sense of justice-that
this sense of justice will take form de-
termined by the age in which the man
hyeS-that it represents Gods way of
working out the problems of life
through the agency of man-an agency
often imperfect.
we see mans sense of justice Illus
trated in the movements of history, and
Ill every stage of the worlds develop
ment. Behind every action is cause.
Inc moving caravan that is crossing the
wild prairie has heard the story of gold
at Pixies peak. The tabled Argonauts,
OF whom we road when we were boys,
who went sailing away in the midst of
dangers. had heard OF the golden
fleece. Behind the moving army is the
bn
camp, and leading them on. In these
uprisings OF the people we have sense
OF justice, and a determination to ad-
minister the same. In the earliest ages
il takes the form of the Hebrew law of
Goel. A blow is struck. The flying
fugitive knows that as soon as the kins-
man OF the injured person shall return
to the camp, he will be pursued with
out rest. and killed at sight. The
mob IS established Oh the same princi-
pie. 1t means that wrong shall be
righted, and where 10 other means are
are to be trusted the friend is expected
to undertake the commission. 1t IS all
wrong where better means are at hand
but it is the attempt of men to embody
their sense of justice. The lynch law
comes under the same category. tits
a Dangerous Experiment.
1t is cyclonic in its nature. 1t is
spaSm OF virtue, without sober charac-
ter to sustain it afterwards. But it
shows that man has within him the I'M
dying tendency to seek justice, and has
in it the promise of better things to
come.
Again. in the action and reaction of
sentiment we see an illustration of
mans sense of justice. 1t was this that
gave the impression to the world that in
the crucifiXiOn of iChrist a wrong had
been committed. and made both dis
cIples in secret aud open defenders.
When the martyr was thrown to the
lion, and was sustained by the con-
seriousness OF God in his cause, multi
tude saw it, and while they applauded
the act, his courage renamed in their
minds, and the blood of the martyr be-
came the seed of the church, The
Covenanters were fastened to stakes on
the sand at low tide-men heard their
songs. their prayers, and saw their cour-
age-it was then that sense of Justice,
making the tiniest root in their hearts,
gave the cause q new growth. The
sense Of justice awakened when CARR
son was dragged through the streets with
a rope round his neck, did more for
his cause than any number of pamphlets
written in his behalf would have done.
And this power in man high and low,
rtgtneiaJe ana unfegoneTate, 10 revolt
in his feelings against injustice, is the
leaven that will save the world. In
California traveller recently found in
the mountains valley where the bold
face of the hills was covered with the
records of a people long gone. There
they lived, and there they persisted; but
they left behind them engraved in curl
Gus character their thoughts, hopes and
aspirations. So the ages have left to US
in written laws their
Sense of Justice.
There they have recorded the fact
that, no matter how loWly or how saw
age. they still had some sense of what
man owed TO the eternal laws of truth.
Every law is an attempt to embody the
ideal. Sad failures are marked all
along, but the impulse never dies and
never can die. What does it all mean?
That God is in the world working
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