Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-09-25
LACK OF RELIGION.
Father Butler Says This is the Cause
of Anarchy.

/
Ellsworth friends aud former pensioners
will be interested in it. He said;
"'Everyone that exalteth himself shall
be hnmb,ed. and he that humb'eth him
self, shall be exaIted'--St. Luke XVIII.
"The foundation principle OF the
Christian life is humility, the spirit of
obedience 10 authority, law, order, and the
root of all sin is pride, an unwillingness
to adapt ones self to the mandates OF
God, rebellion against lawful authority.
"This reflection Is strongly brought
to our minds by the scene that confronts
the nation to-day. The dead body of
our country's chief rests In state at Buff
falo; while his assassin stands behind
prison bars, like a Gagged animal. No one
has been benefited by the wild act OF the
murderer. No reasonable excuse, nay, no
| unreasonable excuse, can be offered to
palliate or explain the crime.
| "And this Is the third time within thir-
| ty-five years that such deeds OF unreason-
ing violence have occurred In our history.
Three Presidents, noble, even among the
best of our land, have fallen victims to
the attack Of assassins. Such a record Is
not found elsewhere in the whole world.
And yet we boast of our freedom. We
are, by excellence, the land of freedom.
A cynic might say: perhaps we are too
Free Be that as 1t may, the fact remains;
our country is wonderfully blessed in
true freedom, In intelligence, and in ma
terisi prosperity.
sand yet evidences of discomfort such
as We look for IN vain elsewhere in the
| same degree, are found I'm the frequency
and unreasouIng character OF these awful
murders Of our chief magistrates. 1t is
| appalling. All that makes US q nation Is
| for the benefit Of the people and IL under
the control OF the people. That lie the
theory, at least, and it is as practically
true, perhaps, as is possible. II then men
are found who are dissatisfied there must
be something behind all this which may
explain.
"If we are to believe the newspapers,
the whole trouble is to be found in our
Introduction Of foreigners and foreign
motives. They and their Ignorance form
hotbeds of treason. But facts do not
sustain this view. AS to ignorance, the
New York Post says:
'of men who were born abroad, but have
| lived In this country the i've years necessary
| FOR naturalization. and have been made voters.
| the number who cannot read nor write was less
| than per cent in either New York or New
Jersey. Even among those aliens who have
| only taken out first papers. which may be done
as soon rs the new conner lands In this country,
| the ilIiterates did NOT much exceed I2 per cent.
In all har min Ttt, IA
with the native whites of North Carolina, a
| state which has almost no foreigners. Nineteen
per cent. of them-pr.cticai, y one in every 1--we
men of voting age ia the old north state'-can.
not read nor write
"Then again, the records show that the
assassins Of Lincoln, Garfield and Nc
Kinley we're all native born Americans.
Much is made Of the strange name of the
last villain, yet 1t is just as American as
that borne by the present distinguished
| occupant OF the Presidents chair. More
than this. Every traitor who has ever
sought to injure our fair land, from
has been native born.
"The cause or causes, then, of the crimi-
nal spirit must be sought right at home
and among ourselves.
1.-THE first cause is lack Of reIig ious train
ing. Our boast Is that we have elimi-
mated religion from our schools. Educa-
tion without God, without religion.
That's the American idea. Well, what's
the result? Way aH tue sconndf els OF the
land are educated, some OF then, highly
educat ed-nut witnoat religion. do not
say that seculir educat ion is bad, nor Is 1t
productive of II tad spirit, but 1 do say
that man without religion Is essentially
selfish. Remove God, and there is No
higher standard than self-interest. What
that may lead 10 depends Oh maD's en-
vironments.
"MaDy are led by newspapers and mag
szine articles that sheer at the religious
life; that boast of our material prosperity
as the supreme good; ana that constantly
point to the lives OF seif-msoe men as
models for the young, nile ignoring, or
CLOSING over, the glaring defects land
sometimes criminal acts) III TINS process
OF 'self-buiidiDg'. Ia word success be-
comes the only object VI those moved en-
tireiy by seif-interest. But success is coy.
no religion, such brooding leads to crime,
of such degree as the case may seem to
demand. With them, and with them
only, the motto is The end juslifiss the
means.
"But when large degree OF success
attends some men yet are they not at all
satisfied. They want the earth and the
fulness thereof, As nation to-day our
material prosperity is magnificent. But
few men want to control all. Hence
the trusts. Immense fortunes flow thus
to the few. But the poor, the masses
remain poor and-the masses. We have
to-day the astonishing sight of a man
grown So rich that he finds it hard to give
away even his income, though his will
ingness TO give Tin a certain direction) Is
marvellous. How much better il his
generosity had met the exigencies OF the
strike few years ago when at the steel