Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1910-05-12

guarantee OF local self-goyernment,
Every reader OF history knows Of the
salutary effect upon the happiness of
the. people In the colonies Of these two
men as compared torthoso who we're in
habitants OF some of the New England
colonies, where the blue laws" sought
to regulate and control the conduct of
the individual beyond a reasonable de-
gree. Penn. an Engllshman, and VIII
liams. a Welshman, had been driven
to this country and to the endurance
Of great hardships, on account of the
political and religious intolerance and
the paternallstic laws of their native
land. The dangers and hardships of a
new country, surrounded by savages,
were preferable to the old with Its
laws restricting liberty OF person and
of conscience.
For the same reasons the Wesleys
come to America--went to Georgia to
preach to the Indians. In this colony
importation of rum was prohibited and
SO was negro slavery. But history tells
us that the prohibition of rum was not
enforced except at the Salzberger col
ony of Bbenezer, who needed not the
stimulus of ardent spirits" nor of the
prohibition against 1t, because In the
sweetness of their own temper and self
control of their appetites they needed
not the assistance of prohibitory laws.
Even this early in America 1t was
illustrated that where the gentleness of
the religious spirit and the persuasion
of preaching and teaching fail the
forcible application of law will not
succeed. 1t was with these Salzber-
gers that Wesley, founder of Method
ism, first associated and preached In
Georgia. This great preacher taught
selfrestraint and temperance, but he
abhorred force and despotism, for he
had suffered persecution for liberty
and conscience sake" himself
read once, many years ago, how
Wesley came to write one of the
worlds greatest religious hymns. One
day he was sitting by an open window.
looking out over the bright and beau
tiful fields. A little bird, fitting about
in the sunshine, attracted his attention
when hawk swept down upon it. The
poor bird, much frightened, was dart
ing here and there trying to find some
place of refuge, in the bright sunny
air, in the leafy trees and in the green
fields was no place to escape from the
fierce craps of the hawk, but seeing an
open window and man sitting by it,
with beating heart and quivering wing,
it found safety in the folds Of Wes-
ley's coat. He sheltered 1t from threat.
ening danger and cruel death. Wes-
ley was at that time suffering from
severe trials and persecution and was
feeling the need of refuge from his
I'M,
little bird that nestled in his bosom; SO
he took up his pen and wrote that
matchless hymn:
Jesus. lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the waves Of trouble roll,
While the tempest still is high q
Real Religion in Tolerance.
There is religion, craftsmanship and
| good government in tolerance. The
world has learned this lesson from
men like Penn, Williams and Wesley
They were teachers and preachers who
led men with the sweetness and char.
| ity of their eligion-restraining them.
selves they did not believe in forcing
or driving others. Their. teachings
were by precept and example-not by
force of statutes or force of arms. Two
of them established constitutions with
the right of local self-government fully
| guaranteed to each community and set
tlement. They all taught the free agen
| cy of man and his personal response
bility. They abhorred strife and bitter
ness and persecution.
"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was
born across the sea,
AS He died to make men holy, let US
die to make men free"
1t was this spirit that actuated these
men; the spirit of love, the spirit OF
sacrifice; the spirit of charity; free
dom of political action; freedom oil
conscience and religious belief, and as
they had felt the oppression resulting
therefrom. they did not believe in g
union of church and state Never but
once, that recall, did Christ use force
although he had infinite power, and
that was when He drove the money
changers from the temple because they
defiled it. have adverted to thes,
great men for the purpose of pointing
to the lesson We learn from their his
tory. Two of them founders of great
churches and all three of them apos
ties of temperance, or individual lib
erty and of local self-government.
If the rules of the church and Its
disciplinary regulations are insufficient
to destroy the taste or the appetite
how can we expect to accomplish more
by statute? And If law is to be ap
pealed to, is 1t not far better to apply
the doctrine of home rule under tn,
statute. With all the authority veste,
| in himse1f under fhe form of Inca
self.government, to invoke a law il
people of his country, and adopt anC
enforce 1t. why should not an advocate
of such law be content to let the
! people of other counties exercise thu
same option in cases where the taste.