Show jUGgT AKDJaJTy1 toBY ft Ij UH I1Y GASKLL J I t HERALD I FerTaE for light within his own clear that bas 56 thtss breaSt centre and enjoy bright day I tnece Miltons Cbmuat jjjysitl Mlltons comu We all take pleasure in listening to those narratives and recitals ° rr which easing the proximate perfection of in attained by distinguished aracter diTiduals who now are living or in fLspast have lied presented and explained ties past us We feel t atwewould S like to make our own those graces and so much admire in them Individuals virtues j we rnduals such as these when we meet th them tin life we look upon w pleasure and we admire and love with l d venerate them for their goodness and FeW persons seem however to comprehend compre-hend that they can if ever true to the inborn instincts of their better pure nature and continue persevering and earnest in resisting error and evil courageously cour-ageously facing sin and darkness make their own just such virtues But determination de-termination falters such desires die out fruitless rrminings at what is far too Is 1 often in called the injustice of fate There j S human heart so depraved that it does not feel a glow of generous emotion thrill its chords when great and noble examples of heroism and magnanimity are spokenof Let smfH passlCmswept nature be ever so VIle itdoes human not admire the same < < vile qualities in others And though it may decry and of strive to belittle many of the purest and most unselfish acts of others it more to further some selfish end done and to upbuild worldly position than because they are looked upon as wicked and subversive of virtue It is in selfdenial abnegation andS and-S J < government that true heroism and magnanimity exists The noblest characters char-acters traced upon the page of history are those who labored for others rather than for self Persons who felt the spirit of a divine mission working upon thema spirit urging them on so powerfully that worldly position and i fame good report and honor were each and all forgotten in the governing desire de-sire to benefit others Love of country earnest brotherhood with all mankind and seeking their salvation and immortality immor-tality in all ages have spurred men on in the oftentimes thorny paths of duty For these a Curtius could mount his warhorse war-horse and leap into the yawning chasm a Leonidas meet death with cheek un blenched and with his three hundred followers prepare for its inevitable approach ap-proach as for a bridal For these a Luther strong in his humility firm in his confidence in Gods word could stand before the assembled prelates nobles and princes and the august Emperor t Em-peror Charles V t and modestly utter his memorable and never to be forgotten words As my conscience is bound by Gods word Ican not and will not recant re-cant because it is neither safe nor advisable ad-visable to act contrary to conscience Here I stand I cannot do otherwise j God help me Amen In these words simple as they seem to be now he displayed l dis-played a heroism and grandeur never I but once excelled when He who spake I as never man spake died on the Cross i cl Calvary The safe conduct of an J emperor had before been treacherously to falsified which consigned John Huss to a fiery death at the stake and what guarantee had Luther that superstitious zeal would not void his safeconduct and his death in torment followed his bold disawowal of the right of priestly power to dictate tenets of belief and t forms of worship But Charles V was more magnanimous than had been his predecessor and while he wondered at the boldness of the humble monk who braved pontifical and imperial power alike remarked The monk speaks without fear and with great courage and notwithstanding his religious bias the emporer looked upon the question at issue from a political standpoint and therein consisted the Reformers safety No other word in our language is more expressive than that of duty It is the humble toilers watchword as it is i that of the valiant soldier It leadsmen leads-men to unshrinkingly tread the path of indigence and toil and pain j te meet the scoff and jeers of the worldly wise and by the inner lightof conscience to serve the t Lord though at the cost of the f rights of citizenship and the respect oft of-t friends Retiring lovely womanhood f at tits requirements becomes a minister mg angela Hampden braves the wrath of kingly tyrant in defense of constitutional constitu-tional right and a chivalrous dying Sydney passes the cup of water to the soldier whose necessities are greater than his own All good and evil is comparative Superlative goodness is seldom attainable attain-able and the greatest depths of evil are seldom reached In the adaptation qt means to endsthe sufferance of evil that Eoodlniay spring forththe evolving of strength from weakness humility tending as the reed where the strength of the oak would be leveled by the tempest is wherein the reflective man Displays his wisdom No one so high bat other heights are yet before him no one so low but profounder depths may yet engulf him and the sorrows of today to-day may acquire added poignancy tomorrow to-morrow How often we find true Christian l favor in close juxtposition to hypocrisy The cry Stone him stone him is railed and the rabble rout of tnenn a thinking multitude is made the instrument instru-ment of persecuting fanaticism Though we days of the todafe are passed I aWay the old leaven still remains human nature is the same now as ever though its modes of action are changed I I and its manipulations of punishment I I are varies more varied beHow little of real godliness seems to I be embodied in the religious creeds of th e day The hi her the professions I 01 sanctity and toe holier the pretensions I preten-sions of righteousness made by a people bee more exclusive and persecuting they SfSPae in towards those who spirit lifer with them The more they claim to t follow in the footsteps of Christ the j less they practice His grand ennobling nnClples of charity and universal b ratherhood Rigid austere unforgiv i tng through fanaticism even while advocating ad-vocating liberty catlllg their own individual Useg seek to force all others to embrace anu dvocate their narrow exclusive mi l of social ldwarfing creed penalty g on ostracismfi not of death and burnmg i in this world as once was and future punishment and damnation in the i hereafter here-after state Jf existence God with them as in eold Mosaic dispensation and records is Painted as a being of terror and blood delighting the miseries of I 8innblood in nttilmauf 8inn with nohtmerdy smtulTnanf1 wiHerswithno mercy for sinh nyi no compassion for error however j honestly come by or however sincerely believed in Ever since the advent of Christ among men has this persecuting seventy been taught and practiced though diametrically opposed Jo Hjs teachings He was all love all compas sionand mercy and charity for poor suffering sintried humanity jslow to anger and never punishing in the consequences of mens own unwise act How little therefore is the vaunted civilization of mankind of today intnis respect Nominally allowing the exer cise of freedom of conscience j they would coerce and abridge its rights in ° certainjlocalities and wereit necessary would compel at the point of the sword compliance with Advanced in science and art in religious light and liberality many of the churchmen the dominant domin-ant sects ae today found to be as ted t-ed as were the Jews of two thousand years ago And as ever it is all done under the guise of godliness With the rightband uplifted and voice crying Holy holy art thou Oh God I the left hand is too often held behind the back to receive a bribe or motion on the instruments of persecution and woe to those of more sincere faith and of purer lives than himself if they chance to offend his ideas of right and sense of propriety All who subscribe not fashionable modes of worship are without with-out the pales of safety nor can hey hope for anything but punishment and disappointment as viewed through limited medium of the faith of sects I am holier than thou the old Phar saic cry of the days of our Savior is still heard uttered fervently by those who profess to hate and despise the oldtime Pharisees pretension preten-sion of godlines The speakers only have changed the spirit of selfgratulation and selflaudation still exists though the mutations of time have caused people to change places and the persecutors to become the persecuted How intolerable and despicable this spirit ot religious intolerance appears to the calm eyes of reason and sciences How little must we esteem that God who can be so partial to some and cruel to I others How confined thatplan of salvation sal-vation that is acceptable to so few ° and has to be enforced by pains and penalties I penal-ties The countless millions of honest Godfearing deserving men and women who tare existed and now exist can have no hope of a future but that of disappointment sorrow and vain regret should some sectaries obtain their wishes and their noble feelings the honest persevering efforts they have made would be of no avail When prosecution degenerates into persecution it is time for reflective and wise men to call a halt and prepare to make a stand When constitutional laws are abrogated or misconstrued and personal rancor directs the course of justice there is danger to all classes and orders of people The rights of the lowliest in station cannot be infringed upon without forming a precedent dangerous to the prosperity and safety of the highest nor when the barriers barri-ers of custom and proscriptive rights are broken down can we foretell how far the flood tide of wrong and injustice may extend |