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Show "No lloll No llnaveu." TUo average American is apt to put the question, cui f.;it--MliaL'a thti use ? even to a romance. llo wants a moral a purpose, uvoi lo a otory. You cannot well amuse, him, eaiunjt reconcile- him lo pleasure, without showing him a glimpse oi exptdieiiey in it. II you show him moral ru-fniner, ru-fniner, ho scrutinizes him uiotivtw fiiiin tho prudential standpoint. And indeed ihrre. may bo re tson for this critical scrutiny in Iho array ol patent im dieuie agents and vendor lot all sot la of helps ami cures, j U In u a journal devoted to ngilu-(it'll ngilu-(it'll iMtii an eyo to popular returma-liDii returma-liDii appears, it ia a matter of course dial the motives ul Ha eumluelorh 1 cliouM be MilijecU-d lo popular si iu-tiny. iu-tiny. U ia another American idio-6 idio-6 nrm.-y lo ".igiiate;" 'ft it in not alwav.i citluT amiable or profitable, lo aciode, and olteu rtqilliea cousuIit-aMe cousuIit-aMe capital, ii Well an M iy uminual plirewdiie.-s. Il struck "a looker on in Venice" as a cati for native inquiMliveties, when tlte coniluetoin ot a daily jour-11 jour-11 tl with the avowed purpose oi moral reiornialiou frankly mid it was their pno-tit ul rule to know neither hell li.H' lit ava il. What does it mean '! and how can it be f Why, fulur' r-lrib(itioii is the assumption in every dt-pai tiui iil of ullicial American hfu. Coin (., legislatures and executives iniilu not, a tilings are, bein their doings without direct relereiico to Uod and the world to come. Well, alter tedioim thought and much ai plication the coe beeami-nuddi'iily beeami-nuddi'iily ill iiinattd. Thera ia realiy no laek ot threwdnesti, no want oi purpose in even the unusual formula lor a raid on esi.-ting evil "noli.d, no heaven, no hell.'' Hut il is easily t-.il.oncd as a lallioi; hack on liril : principles; a bold griping of tin-! tin-! absolute m morals a ciiivalnc vcii- turL in behalf uf Iraunccndeut tl per- kcliou. Even St. Paul lameutid the pits Ifin'i' ol nnitti inwiivt-s wuk'U made it .iitth ull to do n.lit. Toe E up ror 'Julian laughol at tm eori'tians bs-cau-e they cmiM not do rii;lit w.tluuit Hie impulM'of tear nd hope limt h 1 wit hunt "luavt n and lull." Jnna-! Jnna-! than Edwards, or po-v-ibly h:s conju-re Dr. liukin, iKud" it the tl A n i r'- tl i-oiiverbioii that the fubjret of it I w..s willing to be liainnid: dial s to s-.iy, loved virtue lur its own e.tke purely, and without sritih regards. It is evident therefore how completely it clears tuo track of duty and removes re-moves all embarrassing consecrations consecra-tions to ?tnke out of view the dogma about heaven and lull; how it i-ecuiaU I lie very big nee t moral am; '.lion; how it cuts oil the temptation and 'pportuniiy f 'r mixel uiolivi- of conduct. '1 lu journalistic programme "no li'd, no devil, no hell, no lieivtn" is thereforo pui forward for-ward simply i i the interest ot a I -so! u In virtue. Ton conductors ol the e r.lerpr.;-e are piulaiiinropicauy unwilling to he parlies iu corrupting people: that is, in alloying their motives. mo-tives. Tnis ia the reason why llu-y find it iuip"-.-i!'le to either believe or approve tne fire and brim-tone of Solom'a de-ftruction, de-ftruction, or Iho Bible account of the overthrow ol tho cities of Ai and Jericho, or indeed any other Bible sioriia. For supposing these storiec-true, storiec-true, they could only led children and nervous people to fear and hope, whii h is tlie tamc tiling as to corrupt their virtue. It has given me great attraction, therefore, einee tins view ot the case burst suddenly Uon me. I can, though of course only re-moUly re-moUly and at a great distance, sympathize sym-pathize with the journalistic her.'i?ui which in behalf of pure transcendental virtue, is willing to contemplate the hard struggles an J de-perale fortunts it may have to encounter in regener-' regener-' r"";"v. Tho l, 0u:,r, however, Fieps magnanimously ou iut arena, where s.ich as St. p.c.iT ani Julian, r.aloan! Fiward and Loal Herbert scarcely Kmnd l"-j;h.KI. Wuti iloes r.ut rejjiceat tne clearing up r f an injurious pnpul.ir impression, and the iriumpliant vindication of tiie put poses of one's intelligent fellow-countrymen? fellow-countrymen? January 0. Gentilh. |