The morning times., 1897-01-18
THE PEOPLES COLUMN
on SUPERSTITION
A Paraphrase of Certain Recent Ut
teranc, Of DIR. Talmage.
Washington, Jan. Is.

Washington, Jan. 10
Editor Times: Your comment-short, but
eweet-on the extract from Rev T. De-
Witt Talmage's recent sermon, as pub
lished in Yesterdays issue Of The Times,
was super excellent. However, L desire
slightly TO paraphrase the reverend gen.
tleman's rhetorical flight. VIII you per-
nit me the space?
Young men of Washington, young men of
America, and OF the world, come out OF the
Stygian darkness of ignorance, out of the
ranks offanaticS and ghost mongers, mostly
made up of fools. knayes and few good
men in very bad company. come out into
the bright light Of logic, and turn your
backs upon fidelity to superstition, Which
forbids reason-which stultifies and de-
stroys the powers OF body, mind and soul
for good
All fanaticism, superstition, in whatever
guise, under whatever rname-standup,t thou
wolf in sleeps clothing and hear the voice
of the twentieth century-the voice OF en-
lightenment- In the presence Of reason,
science, good men, pure women and ma
ture's God, stand up, thou buzzard-draw-
ing thy susteI.ance from the decay Of rea-
son, fattening on the fear, feeding on the
ignorance, dipping thy scarlet beak in the
fostering sores which thy life work consists
ncovering-notcuring- stand up, and mark
how plain a tale shall put thee down.
Thy lip yet heavy with the glib lie which
scarce hath left thy vibrant tongue, thy
breath still foul with false scandal, and
thy cheek doubly SCARED with the unclean-
ness which thou breedest in thyself and
4 n ton.
Satyr, father OF lies, breeder of tyranny,
friend of the rack and champion of the
Inquisition! stand up, thou thing without
feature, form, mind or soul! Arise, thou
brazen monster, hoary with the snow which
centuries OF ignorance and vice hath laid
upon thy locks, Stand up, thou desecrater
OF homes. Arise from thy lecherous couch,
thou fiend of adultery and ignorance,
stretch forth thy hands, red with the blood
of martyred millions-red with the blood
of the Inquisition! But no, the human form
divine, erect in feariessness, is not the
pose for thee, thou misbegotten child Of
crouching, groyeling fear.
Down, down, thou craven worml Down
upon thy face in the dust crimsoned with
human gore, shed in the name of religion
and waded through in the name of Him
whose inspired prophet you profess to be-!
Down thou relic Of the dark ages, Down,
thou would-be Crusader Down and beg
for mercy and receiye-Justice
Down with the 10 the pit of remorse.
Hark, Do the echoes not bear to thy re-
pentant ear the melancholy dirge of sobs,
groans and shrieks of agony of those tor
tured in some OF thy names? Does not the
wierd, ghastly music OF the wailing Of
those who perIShed in flame and on the
cross at thy behest, martyrs TO reason, in-
telIigence and principle blanch thy brazeR
cheek? Down, down, and plead for mercy!
Then rise and cast thy eyes upward where
blazes the eternal sun OF reason. intelli-
gence, science, which lights the way TO
purity, goodness, utility, loftiness of pur-
pose-the only true immortality. Shake
off the fetters OF superstition, and know
that the deepest pit is that ofignorance.
E. p. b.