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Show CIIC Kill TKIAI.S. A lunatic or a knave by the name of Schweiufurth has for some timo past posed as tho Savior returned to earth and established a "heaven" at Rock-ford, Rock-ford, 111., where his followers meet in worship and adulation of him. From all accounts this henven is a hotbed of tho grossest immorality. Stories of the most incredible debauchery have come to light Invoking the interference of the courts though only, it would seem, with indifferent success, as the fellow is still at largo and prosecuting his nefarious trade with immunity. Naturally it was supposed that .Schweinfurth's dupes were wholly recruited from the dregs and scum of society, but it appears from tho expulsion yesterday of the Francis couple from membership in tho Christian Chris-tian church that the fraud is drawing converts oven from people of intelligence intelli-gence and alleged refinement. So credulous is human kind that it can be imposed upon by the most transparent humbug. But the most amazing part of the whole thing is that there should be any question raised regarding the .justice of dismembering a person, or a number of them, after they have deliberately delib-erately gone astray anil embraced tho worship of a creature of "diviuo" im- puuenco or insanity, However the Francis ease, in connection connec-tion with the blasphemous Schwein-furth, Schwein-furth, is not a solitary ono, though it is tho most revolting one, on record. It often happens that ministers who repudiate re-pudiate tho church, or tho creed which they have been ordained to preach, still Insist on remaining in fellowship fel-lowship with it, and a false public sentiment sen-timent sustains thein in their position, It is not necessary to mention names, as any one conversant with the church history of this country will readily recall re-call a number of them. As a matter of fact, this is a free country in wh'ch every person is at liberty to worship according accord-ing to tho dictates of his or her own couscieneo and a minister or layman has the indubitable right to change his belief be-lief as often as ho sees lit. Nobody will impugn his honesty or motives for that; but the proper thing for him to do is to voluntarily and at once sever his connection with tho church ho has forsaken. for-saken. We canuot understand the logic of a man, bo his name Francis or Newton or MoGlynn, who will maintain main-tain his right to remain in a church with which ha is avowedly no longer in sympathy, and then complain of the injustice of a church trial that decrees his expulsion. |