ADVANCED TIMES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4546, 31 July 1883, Page 2

ADVANCED TIMES.

(To the Editor of the Jiveniog Star.) - Sir,—There is a class of men who are always dwelling upon the wickedness of the world, that it is getting r worse every, day, and there is no cure for it but for G-od to set it on fire and born it up, and have a fresh start. I admit that there is a great deal of badness in the world, but there never was a period when there was so much goodness and liberty as now. In no time of the world's history would I sooner live than now, although it is such a moneygrabbing age. What a change for the better has taken place in the last fifty years. The grim old Puritan ideas are fait dying. out, when they made so many things wrong * which in reality were'not wrong, and many things which were really wrong they practised and could not see any harm in. It was wrong to sing a moral song, to curl the hair and ornament the? person with costly clothes, and it was wrong to hate games and amusements. It was very wicked to be merry and jovial. They sang— No room for mirth and trifling hert, For worldly hope or worldly fear, ' Wben life bo soon i§ gone.' "',' ' Vf, -:[ On a Sunday it was very wrong to .dor Vf anything ' but sing psalms and '" go to church; it. was wrong to laugh and whistle, or talk about worldly things'; they bad not to think their own thoughts, nor speak their own words on that day.; Thea many things that were really wrong they saw no harm in; to be intolerant, indolent, and bigoted, and to hate and persecute those who diflered from" them on religious matters. People now feel ashamed of the doings of their forefathers ; they were like ao many wild animals, killing one another, and that in the name of religion 1. •' Intemperance then was not thought such a crime fts breaking the sabbath; but now different religion* are inclined to be forbearing and tolerant, one with another, and there are men springing up in all denominations with more liberal and broader views, in apite of the iron grasp of creed. Eeligioutr teachers all the world over, and in every age have been desperate conservatives, and agaiust all progress; they believe in standing still, and do their best.to. prevent other people going forward,? bnWJibey most go forward, or else be left behind, and become putrified fossils to qcbibit to posterity to show what, did gkiit. The Bible must be viewed, in a more liberal and rational light, and not niide use of to crush every honest and manly feeling out of us. I never heard a valid rnasoor why' men should not now be divinely inspired as much as ever they were nor that-6od should not now^ speak to man as sure as he ever spoke to Moses. The idea is extremely absurd that God spoke his last word to man 1800 years •£<>«. laod no one has had a word sfront bintfine** We may thank the Press and' not the Pulpit for the progress that is made. Although there is the ebbing and flowing of things; the world never made such rapid strides on the road of progress as it is doing now in every direction; verily, all old things are passing awayr and all things are becoming new.. a Ignorance, . falsehood, bigotry, intoler incei and selfish* ness are giving way to light, troth, love* and goodness; let us never espair that God ia too weak to accomplish'his^wutikto will and purpose;—l tin, &c, J*"™i -•*< ....--., , J. H01H..,,.