The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-26
Advice to the Political Parsons.

| In the course OF q political sermon last
Sunday. the Rev. DR.. RYLANCB OF St
Marks Church preached thus:
Many Of our clergy went heartily ana hopefully q
little while ago, with many good people into move
men for the reform OF city politics. It seemed 10
have Rood promise OF success for time but the In
trsnohed iniquitiss In the community too much
for thsm and again despair took the place Of hope In
the hearts Of the men who had toilsd for other results
To look back twenty thirty years OF such
efforts and to count the falurea 10 discouraging TO
the most sanEu,us temperament"
The preacher referred. OF course. to the
dismal failure OF the clerical annex to the
defunct Municipal League. organized to re-
sist the will OF the Democracy Of New York.
Since that event the strength OF the Democ-
racy has increased steadily and greatly in
this town. Moreover, the party is now
united and consolidated. Then 1t was
divided; but even then. factious OPP
position within It's own ranks was not
able to overcome 1t by corrupt ali-
ance with Republicans. Mugwumps. and
political parsons. The Democratic party
knocked out the whole combination
with ease. and since then it has pro-
ceeded from victory to victory until now it
Is dominant in the city. the State,
and the Union. New York was Demo-
cratic town before but in few OF its dis
tricts the political opposition was strong
enough to make successful resistance to
the general Democratic current. Now. that
opposition is powerless everywhere. In
every district the Democrats are in control.
Then. there were traces OF Mugwumpery in
the municipal Government. Now. not a
trace OF 1t Is to be found.
1t Is no wonder that the political pars ons
and the Mugwumps are discouraged. The
harder they have worked. the less they have
The more anxious they are
to rule. the more determined are the people
that they shall not rule. The more they
show themselves. the greater is the popular
antipathy to them. The more they assail
Tammany Hall. the secursr it Is In It's hold
on the confidence OF the community. The
more they vllify Democracy. tho more
It ilourishes. The more they try to help
itepublicanism. the more hopeless becomes
It's minority in this town.
The reason OF this Is that the sort of
government these clerical Mug
wumps wants exactly the government the |
vast majority Of the people do not want |
and will not have; and as the majority have
the say in this town. they are not obliged to
take what they do not want. The munic- |
pal Government as 1t Is. suits them, and |
The longer their experience OF it, the better |
IRE they satisfied with it.
The political parsons, therefore, will be |
wiser and their efforts may be more sue
,essful II they go back to their business Of
preaching religion. and let politics alone.
Perhaps then they can change the hearts
II the people. SO that they will want diff
erent sort OF government. The better the
people are. the better their government
will be; and hence, simply by intoxicating
ound religious principle the preachers will
70 rendering political service that will be
10Th valuable to the public and consistent
With the teaching Of the Church. that the
ingdom OF GOD is in the heart Of each
nan. and that all earthly power and rule are
rue and good only so far as that heavenly
overeignty is established in the breasts OF
he rulers.