Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-01-13


when speak thus | could roam over a
very wide territory IL | would. for you
have Ito more right 10 judge Il man OF
the Fifteenth or sixteenth century by
the moral standards Of the twentieth
century than YOU have "a right to con-
demn the Puritans because they exiled
Roger Williams from Massachusetts In
| 1885 or because. under the leadership
Of Cotton Mather. they burned the sup
posed witches Of Salem In 1851.
The Abolished Code of Honor.
II was only few years ago that
mans mora. code OF honor compelled
man To hight uIan in the duello. One Of
thr bravcst acts OF that brave man.
George u Prentice, was exhibited not
IN his willingness to fight a duel. but
In his being willing TO defy public opin
on and refuse 10 fight one When one
OF the subscribers OF his paper dIal-
| engcd him. as Aaron Burr challenged
/ Alexander Hamilton. he wrote a letter
which ended thus 1T takes only one
fool 10 send challenge. but two fools
| 10 fight am not one OF them" And
again TO show TO what q low state the
mind OF man was IN reference 10 the
savage customs OF duelling during the
last generation. NJ de Girardin. the "a.
thcr OF the present French statesman
and author OF that name. was one day
with Il party of gentlemen admiring the
| precision with which a friend was
shooting nj Il target Yes" said NJ. de
| Girardin. he shoots very well, but IL Is
quite Il different thing to hit a man In
a duel from hitting u bit OF pasteboard.
The most skillfu marksman. who could
hit coin az twenty-five PAGES might
easily miss man ut the same dis
lance" AZ once this gentleman chal.
legged VI de Grardin to duel claim.
ing that he had called him n coward.
The two men faced each other ut TWEEN
ty-flvc PAGES. The pistols were raised.
The gentleman shot at De GlrardIn and
missed. NJ de Girardin refused to fire.
why do You not shoot:" called his
seconds. For what should | shoot?
| have no bitterness against my friend.
wanted TO prove to him that u good
markSman might miss his man ut
twenty-five paccs. and he has done so.
| am satisfied II my friend is" Yet
such was the foolish demands OF the
ducllo that many noble man had to
usclessly lay down his life on account
OF such trivial remarks as VI. de Girar-
din made
What was true of the duello was also
true of the gaming table and the drink
ing cup AMI the lascivious habits of the
past generations. In olden times al
most all gentlemen We're supposed TO
gamble AMI get drunk and be licentious
IL they so willcd. The words of Paul,
III meat make thy brother TO offend
will eat no meat while the world stand
eth, lest ! make my brother TO Offend"
have far different Interpretation now
from that of IA few years ago. No
one would dream of erecting college
building now by II lottery. as one OF the
first buildings was erected upon the
Princeton campus No one would
dream Of a party of ministers adjourn
Ing from prcslytery and then sitting
down 10 dinner. each with Il glass of
liquor fianking his plate. us the minis.
tiers used To do. No one would dream
OF our present president of the United
States playing game of cards with
his minister. as George Washington
was accustomed TO do with his Episco-
palian rector. These men of the past
generations should not he Judged by
our moral standards. Every year the
moral critcrions of the human race are
lifted higher and higher. But. my
friends. we know to day what we
ought 10 do IN Il moral sense. We
know whether dancing ana drinking
and going 10 vile shows and having
lewd conversations and playing games
OF chance are depicting to our spiritual
| life. Ii Is no excuse for us TO say we
are excused from condemnation be-
cause we live on the fashionable boule-
wards Where could he found more
beautiful palaces and temples than in
old Athenst And where was the NOR
al tone of Il people lower than thereI
Paul is speaking 10 us the same as he
spoke 10 the Athenians Of old: Re
pcnt, Repent. Except We repent of
your moral sins yc shall all likewise
perish"
Our Brothers. Keepers.
But | find God bearing with the so
clal sins Of our fathers. as well as their
theological and moral faults. l find
that he comes To us. as he did to Cain
Of old, and says. Thou art thy broth
er's keeper" And when God speaks
thus he means even more than when
Christ spake the parable OF the good
Samaritan To- the jews as well as to
the Greeks. You cannot judge the
Greeks who assembled about Mars
hill TO listen 10 the eloquent words OF
Paul by our social laws any more
than you can judge them by our theo-
logical or moral critcrions.
In the first place, YOU must remem-
Der that the Greeks for generations
had been slaveholding people. You
remember how that matchless orator
Of Massachusetts. Wendell Phillips.
tried to make the Haitian martyr.
Toussalnt rouverture, the acme OF all