The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-10
FEDERATION.

1t is pleasant though somewhat de-
lusive fancy to imagine that the age IN
which we live is essentially tolerant and
broad-minded 1t is true that men are no
longer tried and convicted like BuNYAN
was, of the crime of having "devilishly
aud perniciously abstained from coming to
church;n but there is spirit of intoler-
ance that still affiicts the majority Of man
kind in civilized states with keen desire
&c iniure any one that says or does any
thing new in religion or politics, and even
III other affairs.
There IS a sort of persecution that does
not necessarily manifest itself in legal
pains and penalties, and the persecution of
opinion, suspicion, condemnation and os
tracism is in our day scarcely less power
full than IL was centuries ago. Bigotry is a
ruling principle with the ordinary individ-
ual The pain of anew idea is extremely
disagreeable to those whose favorite no.
tons seem to be impaired by it, for it may
demonstrate that their most fervent be
Iefs are in some way mingled with error.
II is thus quite natural that people are dis
posed to i'll treat the man who is first to
introduce the painful new Idea.
A man may be guilty OF grave indiscre-
tons or even crimes. and yet if they are not
unusual and surrounding society is more or
less addicted to them, they will call forth
only passing comment; but let some one
introduce an innovation into the method of
religious worship build his house in an
odd but convenient form, wear his hair
or cut his clothing in an unusual style, pro
claim discovery in science or new prin
ciple in social concerns, and he is almost
certain to meet the scorn of the vast multi
tude, whose only method of judging seems
to be to approve what is usual and com
monplace and to disapprove whatis original
and unexpected.
Yet men of genius have usually been
eccentrics. Most of them today are called
''cranks.n not that every man called ;
crank is a genius, but that many geniu;
has been called crank though it i:
frequently seen that this particular
''crank'' turns the wheels of progress. In
deed, it is the rule that men of single
idea are the men that accomplish the mos
for the advancement of the race and the
betterment of the conditions of mankind
1t is true that the times commemorateG
by the monument near London bridge, ar,
nearly gone. This monument marks tn,
spot where the great fire of 1865 broke out
and for many years bore an inscription af
firmlng that the Catholics had kindled the
fire in order to be revenged on their perse
cutors. That they did so was implicitly be
lieved until later period, when PORE ridi
culed the intolerant falsehood in the lines
Where London's column pointing toward tn
skies,
Like tall bully lifts its head and lies.
And we can well believe that the actua
legal persecution of the Catholics, great a
it was at that time, was the smaller part o
the persecution to which they were actual
subjected.
Hitherto, the chief safety OF maukin
against actual persecution has consisted il
the division that existed among the domi
nant parties, sects, or societies; for nearl,
every human organization has become ty
rannical as soon as it has become dominant
And it is only those whose egotism pre-
vents them from taking broad view, tina
can assert that the present is differen
from the past in any particular except i
degree or intensity, in the matter of pers,
cution or want of liberation.