pensation is not known, but we are warranted in saying that, while the highest incomes of the American clergy are far short of those received by the chief dignitaries of the established religions in Europe, yet those who are worst paid in this country, receive a higher remuneration than the average sum paid to the great body of the European clergy.

One of the consequences of the freedom of religion here, and of the entire equality of its professors under the law, is a general emulation among the ministers of the different sects for popular favor, which has a salutary influence on their zeal, their morals, and the diligent discharge of their duties.

It might seem to some that, where the minister of religion must rely for his means of support on the voluntary bounty of his congregation, it would affect his independence: that, however incapable he might be of giving countenance to sin or vice, he would be more sparing of his denunciations when they were likely to make a moderate income an insufficient one: yet experience tells us that, where moral delinquency is denounced in the abstract, without reference to individuals, the preacher is not only tolerated in such course, but that this constitutes one of his highest recommendations. His hearers see, in this fearless warfare against vice, an assurance of his sincerity and pious zeal; and even those whose conscience acknowledges the justice of his reprehensions do not venture, by their words or acts, to withhold their homage to his merits.

The effect of the general rivalship among the sects is manifested in the intellectual, as well as moral, improvement of their respective ministers. Some sects, whose ministers were once characterized as ignorant and illiterate, can now boast of divines distinguished for learning,

taste, and eloquence. The same circumstance has produced a degree of strictness, sometimes amounting to austerity, in those sects which have allowed themselves. most latitude in Europe. There are not many places in the United States (if, indeed, there be any) in which an Episcopal minister would deem it prudent, if his own scruples did not restrain him, to attend the theatre, or dancing party, or would play at whist or backgammon, as is occasionally done in Europe. They are, in short, as a body of men, distinguishsd for fervid piety, for pure morals, for the propriety of their general demeanor, and their Christian charity, in its best and most enlarged

sense.

Yet the rivalship of sects occasionally overpowers their charity towards one another; and a controversial spirit, engendered by mutual ill-will, vents itself in polemical sermons and publications. But these signs of discord are less frequent than formerly, it having been found that in these, as well as most other wars, both parties had lost more than they gained.

One of the seeming consequences of the freedom of religion is the multiplication of sects. It is found that, as soon as one becomes numerous, a division is almost certain to arise to a greater or less extent; at one time from a difference of doctrine; at another, of worship, or of church government, and even of moral speculation. The Episcopalians are divided into High and Low Church; the Presbyterians have several subdivisions; so have the Baptists; the Methodists, into those who do and those who do not tolerate domestic slavery. Even the Quakers have a serious schism. The Catholics and Jews have no known divisions into sects, but their dissenters are individual deviations.

Here and there we find instances of a minister who,

under the influence of those mixed motives which impel men to seek notoriety and distinction, forms a new sect, which gradually gains a permanent foothold, or dies away, according to the force of his talents and zeal.

The high tone of morality which characterizes all these sects is manifested by the strictness and impartiality with which they scrutinize and punish the aberrations of their own members. If the esprit de corps is manifested by some, in sympathy for the individual delinquents, it is yet more strongly exhibited by others in the determination to preserve their creed free from taint, by ejecting the members who disgrace it.

Another probable consequence of the unrestrained license which religion here possesses, is the wild and anomalous character of some of the sects which are ever coming into existence; so that there is scarcely a doctrine, or opinion, that human wit has ever suggested, which has not been adopted and embodied by some one of our religious sects. Thus, the Shakers have proscribed marriage and sexual intercourse; so that, if their system was to become universal, it must annihilate the human. species in less than half a century. On the other hand, the Mormons would impede the progress of society by the opposite course, of allowing many wives to one husband, which, if carried into partial execution—and it admits of no other-would deprive a correspondent number of men of the joys and benefits of wedded life. The new sect of Spiritualists is a further evidence of the prurient love of novelty in this most copious and interesting of all subjects of human speculation. But these singularities bear a very small proportion to the mass of religionists throughout the country, and may be regarded as exceptions to the general rule. A certain degree of soberness and common sense will generally be found to

permeate and temper the religious faith in the United States, of four-fifths of whose people we are warranted in saying that, in no other country is the sentiment of religion more generally diffused, its doctrines more pure, or its practice more beneficent.

It should be remarked, that the African race, if not the most enlightened, are among the most fervid in their piety.

The Administration of Justice. - This is one of the best fruits of good government-when every man is protected in all his rights, and can count on redress whenever they are invaded.

In every State, the cases litigated between individuals are decided with fairness and impartiality: the laws are enforced with strictness; and popular influence and favor, much less fortune and station, have little influence on the decisions of courts.

While the supremacy of law is thus manifested in civil controversies, yet, in the prosecution for criminal offences, there are occasional deviations from the same impartial administration of the law. In those cases of homicide where the delinquent has been instigated by the sudden impulse of feeling, there is an undue indulgence shown him by juries, and sometimes by courts, so as to make the cases extremely rare when offences of this character. incur the severe punishment prescribed by the law.

The penitentiary system has probably increased the aversion to inflict the punishment of death on any offence; and, occasionally, men are met with who have persuaded themselves that such punishments are not necessary, and are unwarranted, as not squaring with their fanciful notions of natural law. One consequence of this impunity for offences is, that the natural sense of justice is occasionally aroused to inflict that punishment

in an irregular and summary way, that the law has been proved unable to inflict. This is what is called Lynch law; and it derived its name from the individual in Virginia, who, by reason of the inefficiency of the law on frontier settlements, prevailed on his neighbors to supply the place by a summary course of proceedings, in which the ends of punitive justice were looked to, without regard to forms of law; and to adopt it against horsethieves, and other offenders, who, in the relaxed state of the laws, for the want of magistrates and other officers of justice, were likely to escape punishment.

In all, or nearly all, the States, the judges are elected by the votes of the people; and such a mode of appointment was once generally supposed to be incompatible with the independence required for the discharge of their high functions. This opinion was borrowed from England, where the former dependence of the judges on the crown produced in them a time-serving and servile spirit, which gave a large and dangerous accession to the kingly power: but the opinion was adopted without considering the difference of circumstances.

If the dependence of the judge on the favor of the people may produce inconvenience, so may his entire independence. Whenever he does his duty honestly and fearlessly, experience tells us he is likely to receive the support of a majority of the people, partly from that respect which men instinctively feel for honesty of purpose, and partly from a sense of their own safety in the integrity of those who administer the laws.

In some of our towns there are, or were, magistrates who held their office for life, and another set who were annually chosen by the voters of the corporation; and it was always found that the last discharged their judicial duties as honestly and impartially as the first.