The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-12-28

church as p'ta. sho bI0oashsd and
crimes committed BY some Of the cata.
Ole rulers a4a populesicns OF lorner
eeniuties MD shal + might rot be
quite 81 hard ~ ps athoiics q las
The d1or p pine OF d enoniitit.
tons as sica III bloody persurltions
against .Paplats and other DI ssesis
tets. for, "a aInies 4 every case. those
sacytio1s vert directed IS govern.
4fents and r1.iefs who claimed to be
Supreme tTeaAs % what they consiiier-
ed the only iel4n OF Carl tiaIIty d ia
tolerated, .
Now. since ~ opponent has ceased
to be eDti-p1y unknown TO me and
.stnsea1 am awafe, BY his articles. that
he is rather partial to tte principles
setup bv VOllair and Payne. anil con-
tinrad by Ingefs5ll and Others, j am
happy to knos. shat in tias the defense
'of my churn there win be no spp.
cial reason t. go over lie unfortunate
bloody d!ssensions. which in former
ages took place betwten Catholics
and Protestants. The standpoint OF
Mr.. Afuserave II the agnostic stand.
point. If in This all mistaken.
wish to be ccrrocted a,~' will make
due apology If my sulposiion Is in
the least offensive
Can an aepos.ic-or I'm lnadel as
We we're wont q say In my younger
ysahord 10 hlame Christians Tor
these to-be-tiep 1ored bloody dssen-
slons of the :ast? Can the pot call
the kettle btsleI? l know that among
agnostics. esfecis!ly o. the present
Gay and in this broad country. there
are MANY tray, the. n,s3ority. viii
admit) who would refrain not only
from blt'odshea, Int fr4,:.. all Violence
to personal liberties wl,icn they claim
for themselves. Bat " ithout falling
back to the bilsty days OF PorphyriO=
and Emperor Julian, I know that Vol
taire and his friends. the Encycloped.
tstes, were followed by Dayton, MaEaat
Rnbespicrre and others All those
protested ag3.cstics whist continually
and po:nnou@ly tpeeae- M liberty, fra
teEpity. the trtan Of humanity to the
Golden Age transtorn1e1l France into
:, ,,to,,,-1,t, I,.,,so nnJ = ,ha..,a1 rIv,a-,
killed as neS y, any one before !hen1
had Killed. raBg, the thousands they
h'rtchared 81 men. Women. young
girls. who bal not r--rhe4l the age OF
puberty. cht4ltFn fifteen, fourteen,
thirteen veaEaso old. 7hsrc were the
massgcres OF Septenstt'r. the drown.
inSs of Mani 5. etc. ETY.. and the peo.
pie had not tle time to catch a breath
between hfrqnTPfs rerlcte with NO
less tenderness than c.oQG,-nce ar :
the drunken Shouts Of The mMrderers
and the agopHing cries of their vic,
tins. Let any one reed Tame "a gen,
tie agnosic, BY tue wal on this aw,
fnl subject Of $llc "Cr:gtns of contcn1,
,poraneHus France" II -lan was ever
a wolf to. nm. il was especially dur,
ing that Ret$n Of 'rerror in France
and the Terrcrists we've all protested
Agnostics.
This happened a little over 100
years ago. Paris was again under the
full control Of Apostles and the Mas,
sacres of the Commune are matters CT
quite recent history. To-day, in the
beginning OF this Twentieth Century
France is once more un,ler the control
Of an agnostic government. The stays,
Of hloodshed has not quite been reach.
ed; but Wholesale conf1acation OF prop.
ert, denial of Justice and OF the most
sacred rights. are the mole OF govern.
ment pursued by agnostic rulers wha
always Inave9 the sacred rame OF lfbcr-
ty on their lips, There. know, as
in the fable OF the Wolf and the Lamb,
it is always ta4S Lambs fault. know
also that aliNthis took place and Is
taking place IN France and these
Frenchmen are such an impMsive
and unreasoMng set. Yes. French
men arc certainly to be blamed, both
the peraecuf5Fs and tile persecuted.
Yet the prosecutors ar.> all professed
agnostics andy American agnosttcs
should be gloS;to ENDORSE voltdlre and
others. lest they might appear to en-
dorse what 4those Frepehnlen call the
logical consequences OF the. principles
asa = = ~ ,s.a . - waaN