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N; «P≫ Tfmwil. Howbvkr
; - (§> pn Cmraril .
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A REFORMATION . . . August 27 , 1850 . My dea . r Sir , —I avn an Unitarian believer of the Pries , tleyan school ; and , having read in your last week ' s Leader a very admirable letter signed M . C , I have thereby become informed of the fact that there does exist another advocate for the same idea of atonement which I promulgate , and I begin addition to observe that if the writer believes in the correlative doctrines which are enumerated under the title A Pure . Reformation , " I shall be happy to associate myself with him in an endeavour 10 have those elevating equitable principles universally published , maintained , and defended as truth . And I have the pleasure to subset ibe myself , your constant reader , Antichrist .
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The First Epistle General of John ii . 18 : —" Little children , it is the termination of the era : and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall . come , even now there are many Antichrists , whereby we know that it is the termination oftJie era . ' *
A PURE REFORMATION . Religion is a practice of the following personal , or individual duties : — Praypr , being the worship of One True God . Innocence , being an abstinence from vice , liepeiitance , being the remission of sins . Atonement , being an expiation of offences . Morality is a performance of the following social or relative duties : —
To amend , improve , and reform the laws . To promote virtue and to prevent vice . To eradicate slavery and to foster equality . To prevent , arrest , or suppress all warfare , and to uphold cooperation . Faith . A . belief in one omniscient , omnipotent , and omnipresent Being—the Creator , Saviour , and Everlasting Benefactor of mankind—and , consequently , the only proper object of human worship .
Hope . A . longing for the second advent of the Son of Mart , with great power , honour , and glory , to reign over all mankind , and to decree such rewards or punishments as their actions merit . N . B . I shall be delighted to answer any definite questions upon the above , and will endeavour to answer thorn by short lucid explanations .
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THE ELLIOTT MONUMENT . Oxford , August 27 , 1850 . Sin , —It must leave a painful reflection on the minds of all rational and thinking men who have read the soul-stirring and prophetic poetry of Ebenescor Elliott , at the dead and inactive manner in which the proposed testimonial to his memory has been rospomhd to . I am no hero-wonhipper , having been convinced lor many years that honourable and straight . forward actions toward our fellow men is far pi durable to any such homage . I certainly must confess I nlways had a hope that , should I ever see
the lay tluit I might be called upon in justice to contribute my mite to perpetuate the memory of one of tho nolilot * minded mon of the nineteenth century , I should sou in this boasted England of ours such a host of sympathizers respond to tho appeals as have not been witnessed in this country lor many years . It appears , however , that I am doomi'd to tho most miserable disappointment in this mutter , judging from thu appearance of the subsciiption list . I feel certain that Ehcnu / i r Elliott ' s works have not been generally read in this country , or it would be impossible for tho working classy of England to t > o far forgot tho buuclit he contorted upon them by his labours in
hastening that result ( viz ., the repeal of the cornlaws ) which must ultimately lead to a more general adoption of the principles which he so ably and energetically advocated to his dying hour . How truly is it said by Thomas Carlyle , " that we seem to have a great liking for stump oratory ; " sometimes , in fact , I think the labouring classes of England will never rise above " national palaver " and " gin palaces . " If I am right in this prediction , it will require no very discriminating eye to discern that we movinsr in road that will terminate in tnac win terminate
are on a very are moving on a roaa very abruptly . I cannot think for the soul of me what the intelligent portion of the working classes are and have been thinking upon for the last half century ; with the gigantic power of steam ready at all times , with head and hands the most willing and skilful that ever lived on the face of this beautiful earth , with the aid of the printing-press , locomotives , steam-ships , and the electric telegraph , they appear to be going very rapidly in a backward direction : this to me is and Thomas
has been a sad sight for these many years . Carlyle thinks that ten men might be found of the right sort to arrange our producing , distributing , and educating wants . I am of opinion that , if half that number could be found among the twenty-seven millions , there would be no difficulty in laying down a plan in less than one year , where all men possessing a soul within them , and whose dead bones are capable of animation , might produce a result unequalled in the annals of the world . Of course , to carry out this simple business , " eternal justice" must be che motto , and " national palaver " and " stump oratory " must be numbered with the things that have been . What a strange business is that Mormon question ; these singular people seem to have hit on a plan that does astonish us with all our prophesying , that men never can be equal—they seem to have given us the lie in our teeth ; and , if we are to believe the newspaper and other reports , there are thousands upon thousands gone into a wilderness to practise and carry out what the best of teachers advocated eighteen centuries back . Surely , we can find five men in England as good as some of these Mormons ; if not , to what a fearful pitch have we sunk . I do hope and trust that a day is near at hand when halfa-dozen reapers may be found that will enter into a covenant with themselves and the living God that made them , that they will unite in one common bond
of brotherhood and justice , advocating death to ignorance , and the advancement of truth , and the elevation of the mind of the millions of our unfortunate workers , hundreds of thousands of whom arc now to my knowledge withering in the coal mine , and dragging out a miserable existence more wretched than the unfortunate slaves that fell into the hands of the gold thirsty Spaniards in Venezuela . I am , Sir , yours truly , Thomas Atkins .
[ Mr . Atkins encloses four guineas towards the Monument Fund , which will be found in the advertisements . —Ed ]
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DISCUSSION OF RELIGION IN NEWSPAPERS . Boyne-cottage , August 16 , 1850 . Sin , —There is no one feature of your valuable paper that I approve of and rejoice in more than its introduction and discussion of religious subjects—a province which newspapers in general have hitherto far too carefully , not to say timidly , eschewed , — another instance of tho pernicious practice of relegating religion to particular persons , times , and places . How often do we read in a public print , when some religious topic has been incidentally touched upon , words to this effect : — " But we must desist : such subjects are ill-fitted for a newspaper . " Rowland Hill , or some other pious humorist , when
exposmiatea adapting nymn-woras operaairs , a ^ ked , Why is the devil to have all the best tunes ? " In like manner I ask , " Why is the pulpit to have a monopoly of that best of lore which concerns all alike—the laity as well as the clergy ? " But the truth is , the latter fear the loss of their influence , and would fain discountenance newspaper reading among their flocks . And well may they cry out " Our craft is in danger ! " when such able articles in their own line ( though very different in treatment ) are to be met with in the Leader , — articles in which a far more liberal and heart-enlarging divinity is
taught and enforced than is to be found , as I take it , in professional sermons in general . Be this , however , as it may : my chief object in addressing these lew lines to you is to say how completely I accord with George Sunter , jun ., in tho opinions expressed in his letter headed " Erroneous Notions on the Sabbath . " I have read nothing better put , or more to the purpose , for many a dny . The truth he advocates is one that needs to be again and again impressed upon the public mind , which is steeped in superstition upon tho subject of Sunday , or ( as the pious prefer to say—mischievously , I think—) Sabbath observance . We shall never make progress in genuine piety until the notion of a holy day as made to give place to the far truer and nobler one of a holy heart . I a «» , Sir , yours very truly , Thomas Noel .
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TYRANNY IN ENGLAND . August 21 , 1850 . Sir , —In looking through some late numbers of the Athenaeum I caught sight of a brief report of a judgment recently given in the Vice-Chancellor's Court , shewing that the same spirit now animates the Court of Chancery which formerly actuated Lord Eldon in depriving the poet Shelley of the guardianship of his children . The case to which I allude was reported in the Times of June 5 th , as having been heard and decided upon by the late Sir X , auncelot Shadwell on June 4 th , and as it has not been commented upon by any paper , so far as I know , and may have escaped that attention it so well deserves , I beg to recal it to your notice and that of the readers of the Leader .
The facts are briefly these : —William Jones Hartley , by his will dated 4 th October , 1843 , after several other bequests , left all his personalty not specially bequeathed to Major-General Briggs , to pay debts and legacies , and ' * to apply £ 300 of the residue as a prize for the best original essay which he can procure on the subject of Natural Theology , treating it as a science , and demonstrating the truth , harmony , and infallibility of the evidence on which it is founded , and the perfect accordance of such evidence with .
reason ; also demonstrating the adequacy and sufficiency of Natural Theology , when so treated and taught as a science , to constitute a true , perfect , and philosophical system of universal religion ( analogous to other universal systems of science , such as astronomy , &c ) , founded on immutable facts and the works of creation , and beautifully adapted to man ' s reason , and tending , as other sciences do , but in a higher degree , to improve and . elevate his nature and render him a wise , happy , and exalted being . "
The same testator also bequeathed " £ 200 to the American Minister of the time being , to be laid out and applied as a prize for the best original essay on the subject of Emigration to the United States of North America ; the chief object of such essay being to diffuse authentic and recent information on the advantages which those States present as a field for emigration , and especially British Emigration . " The surplus of the testator ' s property to go towards publishing and circulating the two essays in England .
Mr . Wray , who appeared for the Attorney-General , " argued that the bequest was good , and that no doctrine broached therein was inconsistent with the principle upon which the Bridgewater Treatises were founded , and which had been recognized as a good law . " The Vice-Chancellor ( Sir L . Shadwell ) declared both bequests void . "He could not imagine , " reports the Times . " that the first bequest meant anything at
all consistent with Christianity ; " so that , according to this decision , the study of Natural Theology and of the works of the Creator is inconsistent with Christianity . The AiJienceum reports the addition of the judge ' s opinion that the fulfilment of the testator ' s intention " would tend to demoralize society and subvert the Ch urch ; " from which it must be inferred that the study of that living book of Revelation constantly before our eyes is immoral and inconsistent with the Established Church !
With respect to the second bequest , the Times reports briefly the Vice Chancellor ' s opinion that «? it was perfect nonsense ; " but the Athenaum reports thejudge ' s reason for annulling it to be , that "it would tend to encourage persons to emigrate to the United States and throw off their allegiance to the Queen . " Now , as one reason for declaring this bequest void was precisely that it would promote the object of the testator , the epithet " perfect nonsense ' is equally applicable to the decision - indeed more so . to truth and
Futile as are these attempts suppress stifle free enquiry , such judgments , emanating from the highest and most powerful court of justice in the kingdom , have a deep and grave significance for all who seek truth and value justice . The power and tho will to set in motion the legal machinery that has superseded in this country the old engi nes of physical torture , has assuredly not died with . Sir Launcclot Shadwell ; and who knows how soon it may be brought to bear upon the utterance of opinion \ vy living men as it has been on the purpose of one who
is dead . , . That any investigation of the beauties and wonders of creation and the divine laws of the Creator should be regarded as inconsistent with the pure doctrines of Christ and the spirit of Christianity , is so astounding , that it is difficult to believe any enlightened Christian , much more an English judge of the late Vice-Chancellor ' s int < lligence , should enunciate such an opinion ; and that " society " would be " demoralized " thereby , seems an apprehension as vague as tho form of expression : what is here meant by " aocietv . " how it could possibly be
"demoralized " by the study of Natural Theology , we aro left to conjecture . But , that such investigation may tend to weaken the authority of certain dogmas cherished by tho Church is not unlikely . As regards America , that every true statement of the advantages " which the United States offer as •« a field for emigration" would tend to promote emigration to America , there can be but little doubt
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Ther . e is no learned man but will confess tie hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and bis judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for bun to read , why should it not , at least , be " tolerable for his adversary to write . —Milton .
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• I li «< aHi-rations in llw < above , from ltl . t time , " to " termination oi the em , " have b . en mutle to Biv « in ihu text the apparout meaning of tho writer more clearly to tho reader .
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542 ® f ) £ 3 L ££ lr 0 ?* Saturday ,
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[ IN THIS DEPARTMENT , AS ALL OPINIONS , IIOWBVER EXTREME , ARE ALLOTTED AN EXPRESSION , THE EDITOR NECESSARILY HOLDS HIMSBLF RESPONSIBLE FOR NONH . l
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 31, 1850, page 542, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1851/page/14/
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