New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-11
DIR. NEWTON ON LAWLESSNESS.
POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS DIS
ORDER.


DRAWING LESSONS FROM THE NEw-oRLEANs
LYNoH1Ne, THE STRENGTHENING
PROBLEM AND RECENT THEo-
LOGICAL DISCUSSIONS.
| The Rev. DR.. r. Heber Newton preached yesterday
in All Souls Church on " Lawlessness." He said In
part "The prophets ideal Of the sttc Ia that Its
citizens shall enshrinc law their hearts, and rover
and obey IT cheerfuy, habituaily. We can have
no better ideal Of the State now than that ifs laws
shall be Godgiven, that Is good, wise and just max
ing foc the welfare OF the people physically, mentally
and morally, and that these laws shal be written not
alone In the statute books Of the Nation but IN the
hearts Of The people.
"Ths recent action in Neworeans probably for
maly closes the International incident which has occu
pied so much attention during the last few weeks
Before II passes out OF minds IL may be well for
us to ponder the lessons which 1t has TO teach us as
citizens and patriots and Churchmen This incident Is
a striking reminder TO us in our Wanted nineteenth
century civilization that have not yet escaped from
the era Of the brute In the earliest days Tue
first and only appeal in difference was to the argu-
ments Of brute foce. We arc wont to think that We
have wholly passed out Of the Of the savage Into
the era of the true man; that the age Of muscle has
| Welded to the age Of mind. Alas Tor us when we
cherish such fond illusions The sphinx Is stu the
TYNE of humany-half human half brute. Let US be
ashamed Of our brutality, as we stand In the nght
NJ
nure spirit, and call ourselves CHRISTIAN
men. In state there must always be the
rcht TO redress the wrongs and imperiectons OF the
torms ~ law BY resunng the power OF sovereignty ana
sacrificing II need be- the form Of law to ls substance
When law fails the sovereign people may ana must
resume the aw-making power and when such " eSor'
70 the ultimate sovereignty Of the people is made the
t ~ uob law will be always distinguished from mob
49, ,,self nv a certain dlgnfed sefrestraint and
ordarlv action respectful wherever possible OF the
rights of property and OF person. TINS charactes"o
of true resuning of power by the sovereignty was
notably exhibited in the late action In New-Orea'S
However one may deplore and condemn what was DONE
or. con question that there was universal belei
throughout the city that the forms OF law han ialeo
alt is not well that suspicion should arise anu
spread throughout great city that the loihs Vi Id"
are mockeres that the rulers OF the people are terr
lied by secret clubs and gangs. Let sucf Suspicion
snread Quietly through great city, and then wheh
some creot crime IS wrought or great horror hap
mems there may be quick instructive appeal 10 oie
| ultimate sovereignty of the people again.
"Through this windy spring we have been DrcaIlhe
an atmosphere laden with the germs OF disease rO
Of every kind has been blown in our faces ana niai
nv rs at every breath. During the last week VIC li'o
heard the chief ruler OF our city answer inc clHo'V
appeals of the citizens for better cleaned streets
assuring them that our streets now better ceacu
| ahan Of old better cleaned than those OF any
other city and worthy of comparison WIFI Ie sie'
cities OF Europe. Should pestence chance 10 Vl''' "
and panic ensue these words might DC erlniis
membered in a sudden uprising OF the people u "ie
into their own hands the power which their deputies
cannot Weld. 49, ,,.
"society AT large NAV be warned by this incident
To take an illustration of what mean Here IN TINS
city society has tactly allowed favored naVluuals VIZ
benefit Of the whole Of the unearned lhcrenehO VI
wealth that accumulates by the natural increase Vi
land values in our Cities Let these duciares OF inc
iuefi
fellows I'm the city, provide the means OF educaoh
and Improvement and recreation, to humaihhe tne
life which is being imbruted in our midst ana all VIII
be we'll But let these fduciaTes pervert trust 10
Source of personal profit merely, use for themselves
what is given them by society to use for the people at
large and there may in some time Of great distress
he a quick resort TO the ultimate sovereignty OF the
peop]e by which the whole tenure of land IN our CITY
shall be revolutionized with vast danger TO property
and life itself. $500
ave are, on the whole. singularly law-aolonpe
people. Europe recognizes this fact perhaps, more
clearly than we do ourselves. But are confronen
in the two extremes of society with different forms or
one and the same evl--lawessness. At one extreme
we have massed in great centres hosts OF ignorant
uneducated aliens drawn from the lowest classes III
the old World unframed in the forms OF law, unused
TO the responsibilities of citizenship, unacquaned
with our language, material that might well seem
mpossible OF assimilation by civilization. Here
s the raw material of lawlessness Our labor dls-
putes are frequently attended by outoursts Oh
violence than Of Old which in nearly every instance
can be traced to this alien population In our midst
We have been wantOny reckless In our immigration
laws and are reaping the whrlwind which we have
sown In our unguarled welcome. the nations OF the
Old World have abused hospitality by making our
shores the dumping ground Of their social waste we
have been simply Botany Bay for their criminals
and a vast poorhouse for their paupers.
ait is high time for this free trade in paupers
unatcs and criminals to cease. We want the Drawn
and brain of Europe we want neither It's scum nor
IFS dregs We want honest manhood from every land
with the right Of free entry but we want no lunacs
nor lazars, no thieves thugs. 1t will not have
been In vain II this abominable incident
in NewOrleans shall at last arouse the Nation TO the
danger 1t is in, before 1t is too late to correct H.
"For years throughout great cities the classes OF
cultivation and comparative leisure have increasingly
withdrawn from the duties of citizenship and have al
lowed civic control to fall into the hands OF the Ignorant
and the vicious elements Of the cities. one hundred
Thousand citizens stayed away from the polls at our
last civic eection-a hurniliatng condition OF cultivated
lawlessness before which VIC may well stand aghasL |
Let this spirit OF lawessness spread among our people
at the two extremes of ocety and where is the saliva
ton Of society 20 be foundf , 90. -. l.,
danger t to- be- feared from iawetsness The greatest
danger, however. as 1t seems to me- is from the law
by lawless judgments The glory Of our own GTG
has been It's for aT There 5 0 or6r
which usually avals Of itself to correct disorders
is honestly obeyed. This does not mean
however that all laws literally kept
In an historic church. oath to tinker with leglsla
tIon rbrca or canonical, there must be laws which
are NOT 10 be pressed psissma vcrba,' and which
tend 70 lapse nnoeuous desnetude. SO it Is in
tle state as every knows. In the Church there
are rubrics which are generally recognized no
longer literally binding and canons which are as
generally recognized elastic I'm their Interpretation
he who with an honest mind and revercntial spirit
reads the great creeds In different wey from that
in which they are read by the majority Is not lightly
to he assaed guilty OF lawlessness,
provided that he can claim any reason;
able ground for his Interpretation and can
slow any historic indication Of this Interpretation.
There Is nothing sacred in majority Every truth is
and it is popularity supposed in minority of ono
when II was 'Athanasius against the world
off instead Of using the legal methods provided by
NJ si,Vf arQ