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1000 THU LEADER. \$Avvm*m,
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NATIONAL HISTORIC STATUES. Sir,—I have o...
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THE OEEEK EMPIRE MEETING AT CEOSBY HALL....
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An Unhappy IrjiUSTHATiON.— King William ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Mokmonims And Theju Peksecutokh. (To...
suffrages possess , in this respect , * t least , soipe advantage over a possibly more oblivious and credulous posterity ; for it is just very possible , though the comparison may "be unequal , that it may be easier for all of us now to "be Christians , than it would have been at a much earlier period in the history of Christendom . As in physical nature , so is it very much with certain of our mental and moral perceptions of things , especially those at all associated with the marvellous , '' distance lends enchantment to the view . " Time gives them , more or less , the stamp of authenticity .
Hpweyey despised , therefore , may be this new faith of the nineteenth century , whether caused by its low origin , or by the extravagances of its founder , it is very certain , judging from past experience , that no inconsiderable success awaits it . At present it is estimated that the sect numbers somewhere about 300 , 000 . In the Salt Lake City alone there are upwards of 30 , 000 , The " Book of Mormon , " for which , like the Bible , they claim inspiration , is now in print in the English , Welsh , French , German , Danish , and Italian languages ; and preparations are "being made to translate it in the Chinese , Burmese , Spanish , and other languages .
It is obvious that there is in x and about Mormonism many points that will be ever and increasingly attractive to a large class of human beings ; no doubt almost exclusively confined to those who , like the followers of Mahomet , are to be influenced ha their religious convictions , in proportion as their credulity and animal appetites are ministered to and consulted . The supremacy and numerical strength of the priesthood will be useful and powerful in restraining and keeping together the people ; the inst itution of the priesthood
itself to serve as a stimulus to avaricious and ambitious devotees . The government of the Mormons is the most absolute theocracy . It consists of the President , the twelve apostles , the liigh priests , priests , elders , bishops , teachers , and deacons . In truth , the new religion is one of the " great facts" of our time . The rapid growth , and grossness of the imposition , is one of the most marvellous events of many centuries . " It is , " says a sensible authority , " a great practical comment on the so-called intelligence of the age . "
In the face of these facts it becomes the civilized world , and especially the more enlightened portions of Christendom , calmly to consider the best means of staying the progress of this moral scourge , the just retribution it may be of an offended God , for the deplorable ignorance and superstition that for ages have been cherished , and now permitted to rise up with rank luxuriance in our midst . The question , then , naturally occurs to us , how and
in what manner is this crusade to be carried on ? Is it to be by following the practices of the priest-ridden county of Somerset , by hooting , yelling , stoning , ducking , and assaulting those who differ from u . s ? Oz- is it to ° by more g-entle and Christian means , in the . spirit of " loving those who persecute us , and Kpitefully use us ? " By raising up the broad standard of universal love and truth ? Or by uplifting the standard of bigoted sect and party , a mutilation and distortion of the truth ? Persecution at all events will never do .
If history will supply a aohtaiy instance of misguided power ever permanently and satisfactorily serving the cause of the persecutor , then I shall be willing to abandon my position . The instances to bo found in the history of the world are all the reverse way . But without going further , let us take Mormonism itself to explain the operation of thin panacea for all the heterodox evil that "flesh i . s heir to . " Notwithstanding the known profane , lying , profligato character of Joseph Smith , the Mormon Prophet , ho miceeeded , fltep by step , in raising and establishing a church out of the weakest , mo . st corrupt , and unaccountable elomentH , ; it first consisting only of . six interested members of his own family ami friends ; and which , aa we have already stated , now numbers upward of 300 , 000 persons
—its influence threatening to Hproad over the whole western continent of America . In the supposed zenith of the Church ' H strength the prophet ordered " that all property should bo consecrated to the Lord ; " and with no greater rapacity than has been always manifested by the sacerdotal order—a tenth pai-t of all things for himnelf » nd priostH . No sooner did thin Mormon bull go forth than bin spiritual empire began to decline , and the number of " the faithful" to diminish . But fortunately for the Zion of Joseph a violent persecution arose , and the inhabitants of Jackson county drove out , amid roinorfiele . sH cruelties , the converts from Missouri , and froiji that instantMormonisiii drew fresh life . The prophet and a devoted disciple subsequently were shotand " their innocent blood on the floor
, of Cartilage gaol , " says an authority , " is regarded uh a broad Heal affixed to Mormonisrn that cannot be rejected by any court on earth . Him name now goes down to posterity us a (/ cm for the sanctified . " So well understood and established is the foregoing view of the ease , that I fool in some degree under obligation to apologise to your intelligent readers for offering ho elaborate an illustration of my proportion . Persecution is the result of ignorance ami bigotry , and it may bo well til ways to regard it an huoIj . It is peculiarly the weapon of the pnVothood . . No out ) who has over sincerely and patiently nought after the truth----who has vainly led hit ? soul through tl » o tortuous avomicH of
every species of theological dogma , leading to the obscurities of so-called " belief "—will ever feel any desire to resort to such a practice . It is truly humiliating to know that nearly all the evils recorded in the history of the world— -the wars of nations , the cruelties . and persecutions of sects and individuals—are more or less to be attributed to the baneful influence of a proud , ambitious , and tyrannical p riesthood . Do we wonder at the extension of error and superstition ? With what reason can we wonder ? Is it not notorious that , with very rare exceptions , the whole efforts of the Christian priesthood are at present directed to the curbing and restraining of mind , if not
the absolute suppression of conscience , Reared , many of them , in the musty cloisters of Oxford and Cambridge , they know comparatively nothing of the state of feeling and opinion beyond the narrow circle in which they move . There they have been taught that it is a dangerous thing to think , & sin to doubt , and a damnable thing to believe , other - than that which is stamped by the authority of their own church . Such being the teachers , no wonder at the character of the taught . Yet these are the men who are trained , and turned out to feed the hungry souls of the neglected millions . " The people ask for bread and they are given a stone , " for equally indigestible are their dogmas . The mind is d t
first excited by the marvellous in doctrine , au hen stultified by the inconsistent in practice . The Christ —whose kingdom was so emphatically declared to be not of this world—is mocked by the pomp and pageantry of state profession . The Christ "had not where to lay his head" : —his chief disciples now live in palaces , enjoy princely revenues , and claim , by a sort of " apostolical succession , " all this splendour and greatness of the worldr- The people meanwhile are taught to " despise riches , " to be "jealous of human wisdom , " and to be satisfied that such is the mechanical power of consecration given to the hands of bishops and priests , that the most ' . unholy thing '' may be consecrated pure and holy to the Lord . "
Thanks , however , be to God , these things cannot long be perpetrated with impunity . Such are the laws by which the Creator governs his universe that evil ia a purblind thing , and is in itself suicidal . " When the worst comes , to the worst things must mend . " Yours respectfully , A Spectator . October 6 .
1000 Thu Leader. \$Avvm*M,
1000 THU LEADER . \ $ Avvm * m ,
National Historic Statues. Sir,—I Have O...
NATIONAL HISTORIC STATUES . Sir , —I have observed , with considerable surprise , that the statue of Isabel of France , the wife of Edward the Second , is , or is to be , among the ornaments of the Westminster Palace ; and as some visitors to the twelfth-cake show shop may be curious to know who she is , I beg leave , by means of your columns , to suggest that her title , from Gray's Bard" She-wolf of Franco , with unrelenting 1 fangs , "Who tore the bowels of her mangled mate , " be engraved upon the pedestal . In addition , Sir , I would ask , upon what principle is the statue of such a woman to be introduced into a building in which the picked men of the most moral and thinking nation of the world assemble for the sole purpose of making laws for this nation ? There should not be a picture or a statue in that palace that is not suggestive of the good , the great , and the becoming . Private ' wealth may encourage mere manipulation , and cover its walls with dogs , horses , and bad women ; but the nation pays for these adornments , and can afford to pay for nothing that has not a tendency to purify
and exalt their representatives—nothing that lias not mind in it , and that rightly directed . 1 could write , a volume on this subject . I will not suppose that the persons ordering thin fttaiue went ho deeply into the matter as to nay , " We will place it there us a beacon or warning ; " no , Sir , she was a queen ; and ermine , like charity , covers a multitude of sins . It is true , she was as infamous rb a woman as she could be , and through her arose the accursed claim of JCngland to the throne of France , which desolated both countries with a war of a hundred yearn ; but nhe wiih a quv . en ;
and though Cromwell , '' Vimirpatcur ( hyne de rajmrr , " an Voltaire nays , bo excluded , her effigy nmut have a place of honour . Whilst upon this subject , allow mo to advert to the Htatue of Richard Occur do Lion , about to lie erected in the metropolis . in ancient timos , no doubt , statues were erected to keep . people in mind of their benefactors ; when ( Ionian wealth , luxury , and vanity extended the practice to the heads of parties , families , and royal fav 6 uritus , tho principle was deHtroyed ; when bad men and women in the flesh obtained marble
immortality , that which had been originally good , became morally evil . The name remark 1 have made ; upon the " she ' wolf" statuo holds good with respect to thin famous OaMir do Lion ; being beautifully wrought , it would be fitly plueed in the gallery of some eminent virtuoso ; but it has no business to stand as a public monument , in a great city , in the your 'IHGIJ . Such points of honour should only bo occupied by that which would stimulate the public mind to worthy action , and in accordance with tho aims of the existing ' world . . Richard can only stand as a symbol of brute strength , ungoveined pauuioiiH , and indomitable selfwill . He whs a bad man and a bad king ; ilh much
bel < H ? Ms great rival Saladin as possible , lor , notwithstanding the fictions of painters and poets , he never even overcame him in personal conflict ; and why then is this statue to be thrust daily before the eyes and thoughts of a people who now , thank God , have nothing in common with the character of which he ia the ; type ? Its skilful workmanship is nothing ; it is ^ j ^ that the arts and artists were informed they are wronein 4 ; heir aini ; that 9 > rt alone is worthy of public enT couragement which , in addition to the efforts of the ey < 3 and the hand , proves that mind appeals to mind
W . B Stockwell . [ Although contrary to pur custom to discuss with writers the opinions which we allow to find a place in our Open Council , we must in this case , merely to protect ourselves from further correspondence , enter a protest against what is said of Eichard C < jeur de Lion , whom we regard as a man of his age , and distinguished in that age ; worthy therefore , as all distinguished men of all ages , of national respect . —Ed . j
The Oeeek Empire Meeting At Ceosby Hall....
THE OEEEK EMPIRE MEETING AT CEOSBY HALL . ( TotheEditoroftJieZeader . ) May * s-buildings , St . Martin- s-lane , October 6 th , 1853 . Sir , -r-With considerable expectation I attended a meeting at Crosby Hall on Thursday week , a meeting called for the purpose of sympathising with the Christian Greeks of the Turkish Empire . It was a gr < eat strain on my patience to sit and hear the halfhour speeches of the St . Johns , interlarded as they were with Christian cant . It seemed as if Christian bigotry was pitched against Mahomedan fanaticism , and I must confess I have little sympathy with either . No policy was enunciated . Wild and unlinjited denunciation of the Turk supply the place both of policy and principle . This is not the way to move the English public . If the- St . Johns aim at rousing Exeter Hall and its imbecility , at reaching the old women , the inhabitants of teadom , they are going the right way to work ; but I take it , impotence is not what they seek .- Mr . Nicholls , who made a speech that went home to the hearts and the heads of the audience , spoke quite apart from the . Christian-furor and silly depreciation of the Turks of the other speakers . He stated he was a stranger to the gentlemen on the platform , and knew nothing of t :. e league , which he advised the audience to judge by its fruits , neither to accept it without caution , nor to condemn it on bare suspicion . Mr . Nicholls seemed to think there was danger in the attempt to form a new empire , with the
colossal power of Nicholas confronting it , ready to take advantage of the dissensions and the weakness that always accompany a new state . One expression does him honour , and the audience , and the clergyman in the chair who heartily applauded it . It was to this effect , — " Tell him there were 90 , 000 , 000 of human beings oppressed , trodden under foot , outraged ; and he would not wait , nor did he believe the public would wait to inquire whether they were Christians before he raised an arm in their defence , or made h ie voice heard in sympathy . " I should not have troubled you with this , had not the daily papers neglected to report anything said by Mr . Nicholls , and tho Eastern Star omitted to repair the oversight of its daily contemporaries . Your obedient servant , W . Bobinsow .
An Unhappy Irjiusthation.— King William ...
An Unhappy IrjiUSTHATiON . — King William IV . was one da y inspecting a militia reg iment , with tho Duke of Buckingham on one sid / j , and a su nbu Indian veteran on the other . The King suddenly found it necessaiy to make a speech , and tho natural topic was tho glorious contingencies of a military career . By way of illustration , he pointed to the Duko on his left , and said , " You see me supported here , one side , by a descendant of tho Pliintagencts—one whoso lineage is equal to my own ; while , on tho other , my side in pressed by a man sprung front me inry dregs tf the people . —Mao Quarterly Review lor October . ll
This Cjcdauh ok Ljsjj . vnon have diminished fr « m forest to a sacred grove , guarded by a priest Jin < l protected by a superstition . Tho prophecy of Isaiah '" " long since been fulfilled , nnd " Lebanon is turnort «« a fruitful field , " " tho rent of tho trees of Iuh iorest aio few , that a child may write them . " The cedar * i w Lebanon scarcely oceupy a space equal to two '" j { ground ! But Lebanon is a fruitful field ; th e , inullmtry tree yields its luscious fruit , and its more useful Wftv . , with graceful luxuriance ); and in its valleys tl »« « vewts wave spontaneously in autumn . - —J \ ffio ( Jicai / icnitio for October « .
. _„ .,. Ktatihtjoh ov Longevity . - 1751 P «* ° » ^ T taken , all of whom had attained an hundred yu , and were all living at tho same time . In ' >** * they had diminished to 1587 , in th « nocom 1 Voar Uh , in tho third to 1280 , in the fourth to 1 U « , { ho on till , out of tho original 1751 , "' y " . *^ the age of 320 ; U survived to 180 , _ 1 * ^ ** 1 ^ of one tough old gentleman actually resisted tl »« ^ Ict N _ time ana weather , till ho had completed his >* * ¦ uhkii AND-FxmmH y « ar ! -JSTcA quarterly Hew for October .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 15, 1853, page 16, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_15101853/page/16/
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