EVIL OF SUPPEESSION. 3 



wrong preuatal conditions, passing its inilueiice along through he- 

 redity. Recently, in Boston, the city of purity and cultuie, 175 

 babes were exhumed from the sewers. But when the 'paternal' 

 nature of our government is full}'^ understood, nothing more of that 

 character need to be feared, under the argus-eyed surveillance of 

 the legislature. 



Evil not only hovers about us in our infancy, but it follows us to 

 the grave. According to Dr. LeMoyne, the cost of funerals exceeds 

 that of the public schools, more than our annual product of gold 

 and silver. And after the people are buried, the poison that exudes 

 from their bodies, to contaminate the air and impregniite the waters, 

 fills the world with disease and death again. On the ground that 

 it is within the province of government to suppress evils, should 

 not the disciples of cremation get out an act preventing the church's 

 burial of the dead ? 



Then there is the evil of poverty, with its degradation. Now 

 Socialists claim that the State should be one great work-house. 

 Then there is the evil of infidelity and our religious friends would 

 have the catechism taught by the State, and their churches untaxed, 

 because they are doing so much good. They would likewise have 

 Ingersoll suppressed because he is doing so much harm. But reli- 

 gion sometimes goes astray, becomes fanatical and superstitious. 

 SluiU revivals, then, be suppressed ? They must, of course, if when 

 tlie Infidels get into power, they can show tliem to be an evil, that 

 they produce nervous derangement and cause a Freeman to kill his 

 own child in imitation of Abraham. 



Now the genuine Calvinist holds that there is no ]}(trticular evil, 

 but that all is evil until it lias been rodcemed by sovereign grace. 

 Suppose now we let out to the elect all the remaining evil in tlie 

 world, to abolish on shares. The first article in their Constitution 

 would be, "■Resolved that God has given the government of the woi-ld 

 over to His saints." And the secoiul H'ould read, '■'■licsolvcd that we 

 are tlie saints." The wjiole world woulil be given over to the sup- 

 pression business ; everybody's evil suppressing everybody's evil. 

 The moment one ([uestioned another's authority for so doing, he 

 would be instantly suppressed. All that would remain in tlie world 

 would be an old intolerant, dried-up Johovaii as tlie the emltcMli- 

 ment of the elect. On each side would ))e the Y. M. C. A. and the 

 W. C. T. U. ; and St. Jolin, Joseph Cook, and Anthony Comstock 

 would be liis special agents ! 



The last and greatest evil, then, recpiiring suppression would 

 be the spirit of intolerance, or the sujipression business itself. For, 

 to this complexion have we come at last, that if one evil can be sup- 



