The herald., 1895-12-02
Church of the New Era

At the Church OF the New Era yester-
day Professor Bowman took for his topic
Some New Era Thoughts on Thanksgiv-
ing. He said that, since passing from
the old to the new way Of thinking, he
had often questioned whether liberal
organizations like the Church of the New
Era should take any formal notice OF
many of our holiday customs, which have
connected with them so much error and
superstition. But believing the true way
OF reform is not by destroying and aban-
doning the old. but by eliminating its
errors and putting truth in their stead.
He thought the proper thing was to uti-
lie all ths old customs as OCCASIONS for
educating the people out of errors into
truth.
"Our Thanksgiving custom" said the
speaker, ''is based on the common as
sumption of theology that all events,
great and small are in some way to be at
tributed to the personal agency of per-
sonal God, a-.d to be interpreter and
treated as divine providence. If this
divine providence brings good fortune
we are to render praise and Thanksgiving.
IT it brings bad fortune we must APP
proach its author with fasting and prayer.
So the worlds calendar is full of theolo.
glca feast days and fast days.
while we cannot say that these pious
customs have not serve,' a good purpose
under the past regime of error and SUPER
stition, and while we have no word OF
condemnation for tho kindly deeds OF
Thanksgi wing day done in the false nam g
of charity to the numerous 'paupers'
with which our false millionaire and
pauper system has filled the world, We
do protest against this business of bragg.
n {, pd and His 4nQpiol pt n
the domain of politics and mixing them
up with the deviltries OF the political
schemers and shylocks who are Yobbing
and plundering the world. For this rea-
son am frank to say that l regard Mr..
Cleyeland's Thanksgiving proclamatio
ana all others like it not only as q super
stition belonging to the dark ages, but as
downright political hypocrisy and a
solemn mockery OF the miseres OF the
millions of men, women and children
who have been beggared and despoiled by
the plutocratIc despotism for which Mr..
Cleveland stands.
1.-THE supreme ruler of the universe GOV
ems the world by general laws, and not
by specific interferences. In the affairs OF
men Things go well or i'll, not by any
special providence OF God, but according
to the right or wrong use of the free
moral agency of man, which is one of
the general laws of God. The Supreme
being mas ITO III ore To no personally WIJD
Grover Cleveland's subserviency to the
money power than with bis fishing tackle
at BuzAard's bay. 1t is we'll to revere in
God the nature which expresses itself in
the Use and benevolent system Of gen.
eral laws manifest in all nature, but let
us not dishonor God by a spurious piety
which whiningly submits 10 the wrongs
of men under the idea that they came bv
the ''permissive providence of God. J"
God permits wrong in no sense, any more
than the trainers of our constitution have
permitted its purposes TO he ignored by
the goldworshl pers OF today who are
trampnng it under foot.
The spirit OF this Thanksgiving bnei-
ness is also utterly unworthy of the pres
emf age. 1t is morrow. selfish, clannlsh.
based on comparison of ourselves with
others. We thank God because we are
not quite as bad off AS others. | am
anna .ed 20 read stuff like this in the very
editorials of our city dailies. 1t is but
natural to feel glad when the shadows OF
sorrow and misery are not upon us or our
neighbors. But for God sake let US not
dishonor ii nj and snow ourselves bar
baIians by attributing the differences be-
tween ourselves and others to the divine
provid ence OF Him who is mo respector
VI persons This kind of Thanksgiving
would do for the times when God was
only the god OF a clan and heaven q place
to drink beer from the skulls Of our enc
mics. But it will not do Tor New Era
than living