The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-12
Tho Clorgy and the Campaign.


The churches of New York represent in
their membership and their congregations
the law-abiding, conservative, and orderly
sentiment of the community. Even an in
fidel will agree to that proposition, how-
over much he may dissent from the reli.
gious faith and spirit of religious devotion
to which they appeal.
The churches, therefore, simply as social
agencies, are first among the enlightening
and civilizing forces of the community.
The clergy, accordingly, are under a grave
responsibility to the community for the
manner in which they use their very great
social influence. 1t is heavy at all times,
but at this particular time more especially
1t should rest on their consciences with q
heavier burden than ever, restraining them
from all i%mprudence of word, and inducing
in them calmness and temperatures of
Judgment. 1t is a time when a clergyman
should think with the GOODNESS of his head
and be careful that his reason should not
be unbalanced by his emotions.
Clergymen are citizens, and being citizens
1t is their bounden duty to be interested in
politics. Naturally, they are partisans, for
otherwise they would not be clergymen.
They declare their partisanship in their or.
dination vows. They are all connected
with organizations, of which primarily and
necessarily they are partisans. The differ
ent churches in this republic nave no con-
nection with the State, and their organi-
zation in their various divisions is purely
voluntary, but 1t is none the less an organ
lied force. Without such organization
they would fall to pieces and their value to
society would be gone.
Political organization Is equally neces-
sary to prevent political anarchy, with
the consequence of social anarchy. The
great strength OF society and government
In England has come from it's most admira-
BILE organization of political parties. For
hundreds Of years the people nave been
consolidated into two great parties, each
bound together by a few common and
simple principles. This has tended
to produce the political conservatism
which is Enthusiastically English, and
has made possible reasonable and or
derby representative government, individ-
ual extravaganza and eccentricity yield
ing to agreement on the few principles
common to all. On the Continent Of Europe
we have seen the serious obstacles to the
progress of representative government
raised by a diversity of parties, due to their
refusal to subordinate minor differences in
order to reach the agreement which alone
can assure orderly and successful govern
ment by n capitalization of broad princi.
pies into two great parties, the party in
power and party of the opposition.
In this republic, fortunately for it's ex-
istence and it's prosperity, there has been
such a disqualification for one hundred years.
1t has tended directly to the social order
and conservatism 80 essential to the
churches. Organization of itself conduces
to conservatism. Great organized bodies
move slowly and are not easily swayed by
every wind of doctrine. The Church, there
fore, does i'll to itself and to society II in
any way it lends assistance to the breaking
up OF political organizations. 1t fights
against its best friend and opens itself to
bitter assault on the very grounds on which
1t makes it's own assault.
In this campaign in the Greater New
York two great social and political forces,
which probably will be arrayed against
each other in his city and this republic for
a long time to come. are now fiercely con-
tending for the supremacy. On the one
siue IL tue iOTce WHICH expresses pOpu-
lar discontent with the present social aud po-
litical system, and on the other is the force
for the defence of that system against its
violent attack. Every citizen. every clergy
man, must be on the one side or the other
of that conflict. II he is not fighting with
the organized defenders of society he is
fighting against them, however much he
may try to evade the necessity by under
taking to train with an independent politi-
cal army for there is nc such army. BY
its very act of splitting off from the defend
ers OF society it makes itself the ally of the
enemy. If it is not for MS, it is against IFS.
In this campaign the opposing forces are
the body behind HENRY GEORGE and Judge
VAN WICK, as the representatives of
social theories involving substantial social
revolution, and the body behind Gen.
TRACY, representing the views of the