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are　yet　free　from　the　stain　even　of　legal　persecution。　Penalties　for



opinion；　or　at　least　for　its　expression；　still　exist　by　law；　and　their



enforcement　is　not；　even　in　these　times；　so　unexampled　as　to　make　it



at　all　incredible　that　they　may　some　day　be　revived　in　full　force。



In　the　year　1857；　at　the　summer　assizes　of　the　county　of　Cornwall；



an　unfortunate　man；*　said　to　be　of　unexceptionable　conduct　in　all



relations　of　life；　was　sentenced　to　twenty…one　months'　imprisonment；



for　uttering；　and　writing　on　a　gate；　some　offensive　words　concerning



Christianity。　Within　a　month　of　the　same　time；　at　the　Old　Bailey；



two　persons；　on　two　separate　occasions；*（2）　were　rejected　as　jurymen；



and　one　of　them　grossly　insulted　by　the　judge　and　by　one　of　the



counsel；　because　they　honestly　declared　that　they　had　no　theological



belief；　and　a　third；　a　foreigner；*（3）　for　the　same　reason；　was　denied



justice　against　a　thief。







　　*　Thomas　Pooley；　Bodmin　Assizes；　July　31；　1857。　In　December



following；　he　received　a　free　pardon　from　the　Crown。



　　*（2）　George　Jacob　Holyoake；　August　17；　1857；　Edward　Truelove；　July；



1857。



　　*（3）　Baron　de　Gleichen；　Marlborough　Street　Police　Court；　August　4；



1857。







　　This　refusal　of　redress　took　place　in　virtue　of　the　legal



doctrine；　that　no　person　can　be　allowed　to　give　evidence　in　a　court　of



justice　who　does　not　profess　belief　in　a　God　（any　god　is　sufficient）



and　in　a　future　state；　which　is　equivalent　to　declaring　such　persons



to　be　outlaws；　excluded　from　the　protection　of　the　tribunals；　who



may　not　only　be　robbed　or　assaulted　with　impunity；　if　no　one　but



themselves；　or　persons　of　similar　opinions；　be　present；　but　any　one



else　may　be　robbed　or　assaulted　with　impunity；　if　the　proof　of　the



fact　depends　on　their　evidence。　The　assumption　on　which　this　is



grounded　is　that　the　oath　is　worthless　of　a　person　who　does　not



believe　in　a　future　state；　a　proposition　which　betokens　much　ignorance



of　history　in　those　who　assent　to　it　（since　it　is　historically　true



that　a　large　proportion　of　infidels　in　all　ages　have　been　persons　of



distinguished　integrity　and　honour）；　and　would　be　maintained　by　no　one



who　had　the　smallest　conception　how　many　of　the　persons　in　greatest



repute　with　the　world；　both　for　virtues　and　attainments；　are　well



known；　at　least　to　their　intimates；　to　be　unbelievers。　The　rule；



besides；　is　suicidal；　and　cuts　away　its　own　foundation。　Under　pretence



that　atheists　must　be　liars；　it　admits　the　testimony　of　all　atheists



who　are　willing　to　lie；　and　rejects　only　those　who　brave　the　obloquy



of　publicly　confessing　a　detested　creed　rather　than　affirm　a



falsehood。　A　rule　thus　self…convicted　of　absurdity　so　far　as　regards



its　professed　purpose；　can　be　kept　in　force　only　as　a　badge　of　hatred；



a　relic　of　persecution；　a　persecution；　too；　having　the　peculiarity



that　the　qualification　for　undergoing　it　is　the　being　clearly　proved



not　to　deserve　it。　The　rule；　and　the　theory　it　implies；　are　hardly



less　insulting　to　believers　than　to　infidels。　For　if　he　who　does　not



believe　in　a　future　state　necessarily　lies；　it　follows　that　they　who



do　believe　are　only　prevented　from　lying；　if　prevented　they　are；　by



the　fear　of　hell。　We　will　not　do　the　authors　and　abettors　of　the



rule　the　injury　of　supposing　that　the　conception　which　they　have



formed　of　Christian　virtue　is　drawn　from　their　own　consciousness。



　　These；　indeed；　are　but　rags　and　remnants　of　persecution；　and　may



be　thought　to　be　not　so　much　an　indication　of　the　wish　to　persecute；



as　an　example　of　that　very　frequent　infirmity　of　English　minds；



which　makes　them　take　a　preposterous　pleasure　in　the　assertion　of　a



bad　principle；　when　they　are　no　longer　bad　enough　to　desire　to　carry



it　really　into　practice。　But　unhappily　there　is　no　security　in　the



state　of　the　public　mind　that　the　suspension　of　worse　forms　of　legal



persecution；　which　has　lasted　for　about　the　space　of　a　generation；



will　continue。　In　this　age　the　quiet　surface　of　routine　is　as　often



ruffled　by　attempts　to　resuscitate　past　evils；　as　to　introduce　new



benefits。　What　is　boasted　of　at　the　present　time　as　the　revival　of



religion；　is　always；　in　narrow　and　uncultivated　minds；　at　least　as



much　the　revival　of　bigotry；　and　where　there　is　the　strong　permanent



leaven　of　intolerance　in　the　feelings　of　a　people；　which　at　all



times　abides　in　the　middle　classes　of　this　country；　it　needs　but



little　to　provoke　them　into　actively　persecuting　those　whom　they



have　never　ceased　to　think　proper　objects　of　persecution。*　For　it　is



this…　it　is　the　opinions　men　entertain；　and　the　feelings　they



cherish；　respecting　those　who　disown　the　beliefs　they　deem



important；　which　makes　this　country　not　a　place　of　mental　freedom。







　　*　Ample　warning　may　be　drawn　from　the　large　infusion　of　the



passions　of　a　persecutor；　which　mingled　with　the　general　display　of



the　worst　parts　of　our　national　character　on　the　occasion　of　the　Sepoy



insurrection。　The　ravings　of　fanatics　or　charlatans　from　the　pulpit



may　be　unworthy　of　notice；　but　the　heads　of　the　Evangelical　party　have



announced　as　their　principle　for　the　government　of　Hindoos　and



Mahometans；　that　no　schools　be　supported　by　public　money　in　which



the　Bible　is　not　taught；　and　by　necessary　consequence　that　no　public



employment　be　given　to　any　but　real　or　pretended　Christians。　An



Under…Secretary　of　State；　in　a　speech　delivered　to　his　constituents　on



the　12th　of　November；　1857；　is　reported　to　have　said：　〃Toleration　of



their　faith〃　（the　faith　of　a　hundred　millions　of　British　subjects）；



〃the　superstition　which　they　called　religion；　by　the　British



Government；　had　had　the　effect　of　retarding　the　ascendancy　of　the



British　name；　and　preventing　the　salutary　growth　of　Christianity。。。。



Toleration　was　the　great　corner…stone　of　the　religious　liberties　of



of　this　country；　but　do　not　let　them　abuse　that　precious　word



toleration。　As　he　understood　it；　it　meant　the　complete　liberty　to



all；　freedom　of　worship；　among　Christians；　who　worshipped　upon　the



same　foundation。　It　meant　toleration　of　all　sects　and　denominations　of



Christians　who　believed　in　the　one　mediation。〃　I　desire　to　call



attention　to　the　fact；　that　a　man　who　has　been　deemed　fit　to　fill　a



high　office　in　the　government　of　this　country　under　a　liberal



ministry；　maintains　the　doctrine　that　all　who　do　not　believe　in　the



divinity　of　Christ　are　beyond　the　pale　of　toleration。　Who；　after



this　imbecile　display；　can　indulge　the　illusion　that　religious



persecution　has　passed　away；　never　to　return？







　　For　a　long　time　past；　the　chief　mischief　of　the　legal　penalties　is



that　they　strengthen　the　social　stigma。　It　is　that　stigma　which　is



really　effective；　and　so　effective　is　it；　that　the　profession　of



opinions　which　are　under　the　ban　of　society　is　much　less　common　in



England　than　is；　in　many　other　countries；　the　avowal　of　those　which



incur　risk　of　judicial　punishment。　In　respect　to　all　persons　but　those



whose　pecuniary　circumstances　make　them　independent　of　the　good　will



of　other　people；　opinion；　on　this　subject；　is　as　efficacious　as　law；



men　might　as　well　be　imprisoned；　as　excluded　from　the　means　of　earning



their　bread。　Those　whose　bread　is　already　secured；　and　who　desire　no



favours　from　men　in　power；　or　from　bodies　of　men；　or　from　the



public；　have　nothing　to　fear　from　the　open　avowal　of　any　opinions；　but



to　be　ill…thought　of　and　ill…spoken　of；　and　this　it　ought　not　to



require　a　very　heroic　mould　to　enable　them　to　bear。　There　is　no　room



for　any　appeal　ad　misericordiam　in　behalf　of　such　persons。　But



though　we　do　not　now　inflict　so　much　evil　on　those　who　think



differently　from　us　as　it　was　formerly　our　custom　to　do；　it　may　be



that　we　do　ourselves　as　much　evil　as　ever　by　our　treatment　of　them。



Socrates　was　put　to　death；　but　the　Socratic　philosophy　rose　like　the



sun　in　heaven；　and　spread　its　illumination　over　the　whole　intellectual



firmament。　Christians　were　cast　to　the　lions；　but　the　Christian　church



grew　up　a　stately　and　spreading　tree；　overtopping　the　older　and　less



vigorous　growths；　and　stifling　them　by　its　shade。　Our　merely　social



intolerance　kills　no　one；　roots　out　no　opinions；　but　induces　men　to



disguise　them；　or　to　abstain　from　any　active　effort　for　their



diffusion。　With　us；　heretical　opinions　do　not　perceptibly　gain；　or



even　lose；　ground　in　each　decade　or　generation；　they　never　blaze　out



far　and　wide；　but　continue　to　smoulder　in　the　narrow　circles　of



thinking　and　studious　persons　among　whom　they　originate；　without



ever　lighting　up　the　general　affairs　of　mankind　with　either　a　true



or　a　deceptive　light。



　　And　thus　is　kept　up　a　state　of　things　very　satisfactory　to　some



minds；　because；　without　the　unpleasant　process　of　fining　or



imprisoning　anybody；　i