תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

which never was rightly yours. Need we wonder at tradesmen and labourers endeavouring to filch from an aristocrat, when they feel themselves so grievously robbed in the first instance? It is, in most cases, a mere helping themselves to a portion of that, of which they have been unjustly deprived.

The evils of the law of primogeniture seems to be these: 1st. That it accumulates in the hands of individuals, and, in the aggregate, of a class, unwholesome powers, and renders such powers hereditary, so long as there is a male succession.

2d. That it does not respect the rights of property as they are respected upon every other principle of law in the country; being a case where debts accumulated upon the credit of real property are not payable.

3d. That it excludes the younger branches of a family, from all fair share of the family property, and renders them dependent and mean spirited.

4th. That it generates a worthless and mischievous aristocracy, such as by other means could not exist: for whatever be the amount of property acquired by an individual, if it be subject to an equal division among children or relations, there is a certainty that it will be again well scattered.

5th. That such an aristocracy will of necessity be a class hostile to the interests of the productive and commercial classes; for, looking upon useful labour as servility, it claims an ignoble merit in being distinguished as a non-productive class.

6th. That such a class will never compete in useful knowledge with the practical politicians of the day, as it despises that species of bodily and mental labour, and that society, by which alone that knowledge can be obtained.

These, Mr. Sturt, are some of the evils produced by the law of primogeniture, the most of which are strikingly displayed in your person. I blame you not for the sins of your parents; but I blame you for insolence and dishonesty in your own person-in being haughty, where honesty would make you humble. And above all, I blame you, and will punish you, as far as possible, for a series of outrages committed upon me while you were Sheriff. You displayed

the aristocrat to me in his real character. You shewed me that you had a private revenge to gratify; and as far as you could, you did gratify it. You have now no more power over me; but I have a great power over you, and intend to

exercise it. If you double your present age-sorrow for your conduct towards me shall be among your last thoughts.

RICHARD CARLILE.

SIR,

TO MR. HODGSON SMITH.

August 31, 1824. In a letter of yours, addressed to Mr. Carlile, in the Republican of Friday last, is the following paragraph:

"We were afraid Mrs. Wright had suffered in consequence of inattention, and shall be happy to hear from you, that nothing that could be done to alleviate her sufferings was wanting on your part."

This has placed Mr. Carlile in a very unpleasant situation; for I know he is too delicate to do himself justice. But something he must say, and he has given you the information you required, in as delicate a manner as possible. I should consider myself ungrateful if I did not say a few words in explanation. I can assure you, I suffered nothing from inattention; for both Mr. and Mrs. Carlile were unremitting in their attention to me. As for money, I had quite enough to keep me from want. I am certain I might have eaten gold if Mr. C. could command it. I do not complain of inattention from any quarter. I suffered nothing from the effects of the last prison, but I attribute all my illness to my confinement in Newgate. In addition to what has been said about foul mats, &c. &c., the restriction I laboured under in seeing my friends was grievous. The pound in which I had to stand was without any covering. Many a time it rained and snowed heavily while I was talking with my friends. Sometimes the snow was higher than my shoes, and, when thawing, would frequently run over my clogs, exposed to a strong current of air all the time. And this was considered a favour! there being only a single grating to look through. I return you my thanks for your kind inquiries respecting me, and once more assure you that Mr. C's attentions were unremitting, and that I was perfectly satisfied.

I remain, Sir,

Respectfully yours,
SUSANNAH WRIGHT.

We insert the following as the first production of a young man, by way of encouragement. To new, and particularly to young correspondents, we feel particular attention to be due.

EDITOR.

Salford, Sunday, August 14, year 1824, of
Christian imposture.

THE alarm bells had just ceased their rattling: the organs were
pealing the praises of Immanuel, in concert with the voices of the
devotees: the Catholic had entered his chapel, which is adorned
with the images and pictures of beatified saints-the Protestant,
his church-the Dissenter, his house of prayer-the Quaker, his
(oft silent) meeting house, where there is no Priest. The whole
junto of Christian idolaters were assembled in the temples of their
God, or Gods, to worship him or them in spirit and in truth-the
Catholic to dash through his Paternoster, Creed, and Ave Maria's,
and pay his respects to Saints Dominic, Benedict, and Jerome, to
the holy virgin who is mother of God, Queen of Saints, Virgins,
Martyrs, and Apostles, Queen of the whole Banditti of holy ragga-
muffins from Peter the first Pope, who is turnkey of heaven, to
Prince Hohenloe the wonder-working humbug-the Protestant to
sing his Te Deum, respond his litany, (occasionally) his foolish
Athanasian Creed, and hear a sermon in praise of our glorious
constitution and "the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of
the world"-the Dissenter to sing the songs of Zion, and the hymns
of the heaven-inspired Bards, Watts and Wesley, and to hear a
lecture on salvation byJesus Christ, or on some other hacknied sub-
ject. As for myself I had been reading the Republican, was con-
templating the immense mischief caused by that infamous rascal
the Devil, and the ineffectual attempts of the Christian Priests to
stay his destructive career. After ruminating awhile, I came to
the resolution respectfully to submit to the Christian laity a plan
which, I think, will effect his downfall, if ever it is to be effected,
a plan which, perhaps, has never been submitted to them before.
Whether it vexes or pleases I care but little, as it is well inten-
tioned on my part.

Seeing, that the Devil is the cause of all the misery that afflicts mankind, (according to the Holy Bible) — that the plan adopted for expelling him from this terrestrial region is altogether fruitless-that, as the influence of the Devil increases in a ratio with the number of Priests, there is very great reason to suppose that the two powers are formed into a confederacy for the better accomplishment of their mutual objects (the Devil that he may preserve the supremacy over mankind, in opposition to Jehovah'; the Priests, that they may live in ease and splendour by terrifying, in conjunction with the Devil, all mankind) —

This being the case, I do advise all Christians, in future, to

pray Jehovah to rouse himself from his stupid lethargy, rescue his character from the charge of carelessness and inhumanity, and exercise his fierce wrath as he did in the days of old, not to punish his children, the work of his own hands, but to destroy the Devil as the sole cause of human misery, and to break up that place called Hell, first liberating the unfortunate prisoners. It would be more becoming the character of a God to do so. If Jehovah did not feel disposed to destroy the Devil, let him send him to our globe, to the Old Bailey, London, where he shall be tried by Newman Knowlys as Judge, and a Jury composed of Christians of various sects, and if found guilty of the crimes laid to his charge, be punished in the most exemplary manner. I do not like to precondemn his hellish Majesty; but I think the best plan would be to hang him; or if that should be thought too severe, to banish him to the island of St. Helena, where, probably, a cancer on the stomach might "quench his immortality," and with it the "irrevocable hate" which he bears towards us poor mortals. Nor would the sentence be too severe, when we consider the immense mischief of which he is the author. According to the accounts of Christians, he is the fomentor of all wars, all religious massacrings and burnings: it is he who stupifies the Mahomedan, Hindoo, &c., so that they reject the mild doctrines, the sublime truths of the heaven-originated Christianity.

And if infidelity be wickedness, it was he who inspired Paine, Palmer, Volney, and others, whose writings create so much alarm among the sable-clothed gentry. It was he who inspired with courage Carlile and his little band of heroes, who have, by their manly and virtuous conduct at the bar, put to the blush all Christians whose cheeks were capable of suffusion; and who have said to superstition, "hitherto shalt thou go, but no further; here shall thy peace-blasting influence be stayed." These men have given birth to free discussion, an all-powerful, benignant, light-creating being, from whose presence the hated fiend superstition shrinks with dismay and self disgust, and will, ere long, expire amidst the exulting shouts of millions possessing emancipated minds! What can be more worthy the attention of Jehovah, more worthy the prayers of the Christian laity, than to annihilate Hell and the Devil? What delightful time would follow! There will be no necessity for Priests and Churches. Then tyranny's day will be over : love and harmony will unite all the nations of the habitable globe. No more "vice societics" warring against the advocates of free discussion-no more crusades against the liberties of mankind, preached by Priests, headed by a Bourbon, and backed by a Holy Alliance-no inquisitions resounding with the groans of tormented beings-no Minas banished, nor Riegos executed, to gratify the hellish malignity of offended despots. Human nature no longer degraded-the dignity of man no more insulted by villainy and imposture. Oh! how worthy the prayers of the Chris

tian laity, how worthy the attention of Jehovah to annihilate Hell and the Devil! What a million-fold increase of voices to join the angelic chorus; then, and not until then, will Jehovah be glorified.

W. D. M.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY JESUS CHRIST.

CHAPTER IV.

Statement of some religious instruction which Jesus neglected to give, with remarks on his character.

HAVING stated what Jesus has not done for mankind as a mechanic and a reformer, we may next consider what instruction he has given them as the teacher of a new religion, and also state some things which he has neglected.

We cannot find that he ever told his disciples that he meant to abolish the Jewish religion, and establish another in its place; if such a person really existed, his object seems rather to have been to establish a reformed sect, similar to the Essenes, and some other sects that existed among the Jews in his time; and his views were apparently expanded in proportion to his success in drawing followers after him, and modified by other circumstances. But there are no accounts in any of the evangelists, that he ever told plainly what were his particular intentions, or the ultimate object which he had in view. If he came to the earth to abolish the Jewish religion and to set up another instead of it, he ought to have declared his intentions openly; if he came to establish a new mode of worship for the reformation of mankind, he ought to have described it clearly in order to accomplish that end.

He ought to have described clearly the best form of government for securing the peace and preserving the purity of his church; and the system of discipline most effectual for suppressing vice and promoting virtue among its members. He ought to have prescribed the instructions most efficacious in improving the human mind, and directing mankind to happiness; and the whole system of doctrines necessary to secure these objects and his own glory, since he is so jealous about it: yet he gave no clear directions on the subject. He gave no instructions whether his church should be governed by Assemblies and Synods, Presbyteries and Sessions; or by Popes and Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops, Archdeacons and Prebendaries, assisted by a society of Jesuits, a holy inquisition, or a society for the suppression of vice; he gave no directions whether it should be reformed by general councils or by the civil government, nor any hints that it would No. 10, Vol. X.

« הקודםהמשך »