The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-16
OUR CONTRIBUTORS.
sOUL.TRAFFIO.
BY S. H. McCoLLEsTER, D. d.

"Good society" has a strange fas-
cination, its quality depending upon
its location. At times it is in the ef-
fulgence of the mountain top, and
again it is in the depths of the dark
est abyss. 1t may SAVIOR of heaven or
of Tartarus. Men are bound to en-
joy it, because it is popular; SO they
will sell their own souls to make the
purchase; or any way to accomplish
it, from going to church to playing a
fiddle for the Satanic Majesty to
dance. Any course and every course
is adopted to gain this end.
It is believed, at least by some, that
we all originally came from the
woods, and so find it hard to rid our
selves of fondness for tattooing and
dis6guring the flesh; and so, as soon
as money can be obtained by keeping
a groggery, running brewery, palm
ing off counterfeits, making generous
presents on mortgaged stock, borrow
ing capital on the pretence that father
has "struck ile," or from honest or
dishonest means has acquired show
ing of wealth, there is a certainty of
breaking out in ornaments on the
person. Loud bracelets, prodigious
rings, and huge watch chains are
faunted before the public gaze, which
in civilization are no more becoming
than the monstrous brass rings in the
noses, and bangles about the ankles
of Indian coolies. What tremendous
aching there is to show off and be
seen! From this fact, how many go
to church, not to hear and ponder, but
to attract attention and be admired
all on account of silk dress, or a
dandy coat. Such push the thought
far off, if it comes to them at all that
God sees them just as they are. They
are actuated rather bv the maxim,
Every one for himself, and Satan
take the hindermost. They are GER
tain to have wide gulf between their
moral opinions and their moral prin-
ciples.
Oftentimes those who have sold
their own souls for show, or for the
sake of selfish qualification, get the
upper hand in church, or social
order. Whenever this happens the
exchangers drive Christ out of the
temple, and Cupid and Pluto are the
gods entertained. The preachers
whom they like are those who preach
neither religion nor politics. Their
sewing circles are regular shops for
manufacturing gossip and scandal.
Drought never stops their ma
chinery. Envy and spite are as
sweet morsels to them. Every new
conner into town they early discuss,
and catch at every straw indicating
him to be of their cloth, coaxing him
as adroitly as the spider did the fly
into their parlor They declare the M
selves the most moral beings on earth
and yet with the solemn strut of a
Spanish brigand, they proceed to
business.
This selling of souls is largely car
ried on without any fixed prices. Mrs.
Grundy and Miss Flippant delightin
such an order of affairs. They are
bound to look through stained glass,
so as to see others not superior to
themselves. Their tongues run like
the waterwheel whose gate has given
out. Their trade is to criticise the
faults of others, and if they cannot
find enough, they know just how to
manufacture the desired articles.
They give it to the school teachers
right and left, especially if they keep
order and teach sound morals. Their
church, if they have any, is the
church, and all other religions are
Gentiles and humbugs, and they are
certain to misrepresent them as did
Gail Hamilton not long since in pa
per published in the Boston Journal.
Their moral perpendicular has fallen
down and they are throwing dirt.
perhaps hoping thereby to find it.
Probably there is more soul-auc-
tioneering and selling out in the po-
litical field than elsewhere, and many
start in with no more capital than the
man who was going West to open a
jewellers shop, his entire stock con-
sisting of crowbar. Many of them
are masterlY wise in their own estima-
tion and dare to say to Shakespeare,
Macaulay, Bancroft and Lowell,
Hands off, gentlemen Yet they are
no better equipped than was the
boastful musician who said he knew
two tunes, zone was Old Hundred,
and the other wasn't" Itwould seem,
sometimes, in Congress, that the soul
Iaes man was ihe one tn hear off the