The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-07-29
Written for The Prison Mirror.
BE TOLERANT.

De 1OLCESAN4s
There is nothing on the face of the
earth that through all ages has caused
so much evil as intolerance. We find
it much practiced by the so-called chill
dren of Jehovah. We find Moses, COM
manding them deuteronomy, chap. 49,
if they heard any people among their
cities saying 'let us 60 and serve other
gods which ye have not known" they
should smite the inhabitants of that
city with the edge of the sword, de-
stroying it utterly and all that is
therein. It was the custom of the
Jews in war to destroy men, women
and children of their conquered foe by
fire and by sword. five go to the Mo-
hammedans we find in the Goth chap.
ter of the Koran: 80 prophet, attack
the infidel with arms" and in the End
chapter, "And fight for the religion of
God against those who fight against
you, and kill them wherever ye find
them, and turn them out of that
whereof they have disposessed you"
Again in chapter twenty-five it is writ
ten "War is enjoined upon you against
the infdels;" in chapter 4S, "Unto the
Arabs of the desert who are left be-
hind, ye shall be called forth against
a mighty and warlike nation; ye shall
fight against them or they shall profess
Islam.' This intolerance has been
practiced more or less ever since by
the Mohammedans, and it is the main
cause of the butchering of the Arme.
mans, and of the war between Turkey
and Greece today.
The equally fearful and inhuman
practice of religious compulsion and
persecution by fire and sword was first
mildly suggested by Augustine and
then formulated by the master theo-
logians of the middle ages, who deemed
a hereto or, as they would callit, MUIR
derer of the soul, more deserving of
death than murderer of the body.
The delusion of witchcraft which ex-
tended even to the Puritans of New
England has had almost as many vic
Tins as the tribunal of the lnquisition.
In New England, toward the close of
the seventeenth century, witchcraft
frenzy arose to such height that the
execution of witches became a calam-
ity more dreadful than the sword or
pestilence. Not only old women, but
children of ten years were put to death.
Young girls were stripped naked and
examined in the most indecent manner
for marks of witchcraft upon their
bodies. Spots of scurvy which age i'm
presses upon the bodies of old men
were taken as evident signs of Internal
power. Let it be remembered that it
was Christian magistrates and minis
tiers under pretended zeal for the
honor of God, who, they claimed, sane
toned such cruel and unrighteous de-
crees. It was the Puritans, so WELL
known for their piety, who became
the most barbarous and unscrupulous
of men in those days.
While the religious bodies of today
do not take human life for such tri-
fling offenses, yet the same spirit of
intolerance in lesser degree is very
much in evidence. It is no uncom-
mon occurrence to hear of people of
the Adventist faith being arrested and
imprisoned for laboring on Sunday, by
those of other creeds who believe in
keeping Sunday as the Sabbath.
How many an unfortunate man is
today suffering the most horrible ag-
ony in the confines of some prison for
mere childish offense, all on account
of the petulance and intolerance of
judge and jury.
This spirit of intolerance is a relic
of ancient barbarism, and is a charac.
teristic of ignorance, with, perhaps, a
tinge of jealousy. 1t is disgrace to