The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-12

influence of refined education on minds
of peculiar structures reason and ex-
perienee both forbade US to expect that
natural morality can be maintained
without religion"
Mr.. Gargan said living as we do un-
der a government where all vote, and
make the laws and as all law is the re-
suit of public opinion we owe duty to
society to SO educate the people that
we may create a proper and enlightened
public opinion. He spoke of the great
changes in our industrial system dur
ing the last rs years, the substitution of
the corporation for the individual en-
ployer, the great duty, therefore, of
men who believe in religion and the
fatherhood of God, in brotherhood to-
ward our fellowman, concluded: IF we
eliminate religion from the republic,
what shall we substitute? We saw an
attempt to found republic on that
theory during the last century in
France, or as some termed It, reason
without religion, with its appalling reign
of terror, during which the basest pas
sions of men so swayed that, accord
ing to Proudhomme, over LOCO, 900 men
and women were sacrificed before the
reign of terror ended 1 think it will be
admitted by thinking men that the i'm
polling and controlling force in our
modern civilization is religion. The wise
statesmen recognize the necessity of re-
ligion for the preservation of the state.
He knows that without religion the in
evitable result must be communism, an
archism, nihilism.
The admirable part of our federal
system and it's very safeguard is our
supreme court, to interpret the laws
and expound the constitution with au-
thoritative voice. Religion then is the
safeguard of the republic, for without
religion we are without God-this great
being ito whom" Newman says,
must be ascribed the rich endowment
of intellect the tradition of genius, the
Imagination of the poets, the sagacity
of the politician, the wisdom, as Soc
rates calls it, which now rears and dec
crates the temple, and now manifests
itself in proverbs and parable.
'All that is good, all that IS true, all
that is beautiful, all that is benefcent
be it great or small, be it perfect or
fragmeEtary, natural as we'll as super
natural, moral as well as material,
comes from him."
We must maintain our religious spir-
it, not forgetting that one of the chief
provisions of our constitution is ab5o-
lutte freedom of religion. Religion and
patriotism go hand in hand. They musG
be part of our daily life; particular
Iy at IfllS SedSOu We OuSul " ACNoli
the wisdom of the fathers:
The truths the fathers taught we
need again.
Depart from this, though we may crowd
our shelves
With codes and precepts for each lapse
and flaw,
And patch our moral leaks with stat
ute law,
We cannot be protected from ourselves!
Still must we keep in every stroke and
vote
The law Of conscience that the Pill
grlms wrote
Our seal their secret liberty can be;
The state is freedom if the town is
free.
At the close of Mr.. Gargan's address, !
which was received with marked APP
prevail by all present, the choir sang
Landing of the Pilgrims" in honor of
Forefathers' day, which the club cele-
brates at this time of the year. The
president announced that, as was the
custom, any one who wished to speak
on the subjetc might have the priv
ilege of the floor. w. T. Forbes was
the first to avail himself of the priv
ilege, and he said in substance:
I am sure / voice the sentiments of
all those present when l say that 1
much appreciated the words of warning
and wisdom heard from the speaker.
1t is an advance when we can meet
here on common grounds and find each |
other working for the same cause by
practically the same methods. How
different is the subject today from what
it was 100 years ago! Then it read, |
1.-The state, the safeguard of the |
church." instead Of religion the safe
guard of the nation, and we see how |
much better the latter is. The statute |
books used to be full of laws relating |
to the church, and today there Is just |
one remnant of them left and that |
reads, that to deny God, his creation, |
his government. his final Judgment; to |
reproach the holy word of God in the |
scriptures or to expose them to ridicule, |
is a crime punishable with two years |
imprisonment in the state penitentiary. |
That is the last Of them left, and it |
ought not to be there, for it is a relic |
of bygone ages, when the state con-
trolled the church, and the people had
not taken religion into their own con-
troll
Rev. DR.. Archibald McCullagh was
called upon by the chairman to say
something along the line Of the sub
iect. and DR. McCullagh said in part: |
Eve are all very gratified to hear /
the venerable and historic church |
represented here tonight with so much |
wisdom / believe with the speaker, |
that the most effective way to break |
down immortality and crime is through |
religion. Religion per Sc will not save |
nation, but Christianity will, as |
Christ taught it. Daniel Webster said |
that there is one clear principle, and |
that lie that Christianity is the law of !