Year: 1874

ernment of the United States is founded


upon the principles of the Christian re


lglon. The State has not adopted any


particular form of religion; any conn &C.


ton direct or indirect of Church and


state has been avoided, but this does not
conflict with the proposition that the


state rests upon the broad principles OF


the Christian religion. Against this idea


a vigorous opposition has been organized
| and by means of the balance of power


which this party hold or claim to hold
| the bible has been excluded from the
| public schools in many places; notably,


in large cities, and this is being followed
| by. efforts which are already in part sue


cessful to transfer the schools wholly to
| the management of infdels. The bible


was excluded from the schools not be-
| cause it was Objectionable in itself, for


no system of education can be complete


that does not include knowledge of the


bible but because it is representative
| of the Christian religion. While the
Government, as l have said, was founded
on the principles of the Christian re-
ligion, care was taken that there should


to worship God. according to the dictates


of his own conscience. Thus religious
liberty was established At the same


time religion and morality was recogniz-


ed as essential to good government


When we examine the pages of history
and discover that civilization and free
dom owe everything to Christianity and
nothing to infidelity, it becomes US to
maintain the American idea in all its in
tegrity. Benjamin Franklin was not
believer, but he warned the public not to
oppose Christianity "If the world is
wicked in spite of religion, what would
it be without religion, was his answer to
an infdel argument. 1t is fact that
Christianity is calculated to make men
better; and it is fact that all our be-
nevolent institutions are traceable to
Christian influence While Christianity
has done much infidelity has done moth
ing in this direction. Infdelity has no
claim whatever to place among Ameri-
can ideas, and it is the duty of the press
even if for no higher reason than that
assigned by Franklin, to oppose it and
to see that the American idea is main
tanned


CONCLUSION.


l hope, my friends, in what have said,
have not trodden on forbidden ground |
l have not spoken l assure you, from a
partisan or sectarian point. | am inter-
ested in these things of which l have
spoken, only as citizen and member |
of society. If the principles l have pre-
sented meet your approval, well; if not,
it is your privilege to dispute and reject |
them. Much of what [ have said will, l t
know, be criticised, but the speaker, and |
not the audience, is responsible. Your
committee kindly gave me the privilege |
of choosing my own subject and hand
ling it in my own way. The weather be-
ing hot and the labor of preparing an
address severe, l thought it best not to
spend my strength in bombarding antiq-
uity. / am an American all over. This
is my adopted country. To it l am in
debted for all that possess and all that
l am. l believe our system of govern
ment is the best on the face of the earth.
This l believe to be due to the principles
upon which it was founded. l am there
fore jealous of all encroachments upon
American ideas. would oppose all this
by Americanizing every person who lands
upon our shores, and rejecting all foreign
ideas which conflict with those great
American ideas which have been fully
tested and so successfully proven by the
experience of nearly one hundred years.


To you, gentlemen of the country
press, we must look largely for the main
tenance of those ideas The Satanic
Press" so called is not to be found in the
rural districts 1t thrives only
where vice abounds, and as the peo
pie of large cities look to the country for
protection against vice through legisla-
tion, so they must look largely to you
and your Immediate readers for the up
holding of morality and religion"
which by the highest authority are de-
olared essential to good government.