New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-03-30
The Big Gun.

To the Editor Of The Tribune:
was little affected by the consciousness Of
censor Of the pulpit who writes in The Tribune
of the 25th over the signature Erasmus" tie
is not pleased, it seems, with the use which MIN.
listers of the Gospel are making Of the late shock
ing catastrophe at Washington. (" In several
thrilling discourses growing out it, which he
has heard, the speakers spoke of " the vanity OF
ambition for fame and power, the brcyity of life,
and the value of the consultations OF Religion, os'
uttered no rebuke in reference to war" This ne
deems great mistake in the pulpit, undertakes
to teach the teachers, and, lest his own authority
for right preaching on the subject should not be
sufficient, quotes authority for good preaching
which, in his view, probably is first rate.
Many Of the Clergy, | believe, think that the
best way to prevent sin in any form is to attack
it in the passions of corrupt nature which produce
it, War originates in the badness Of the human
heart, Just as the thunder storm originates In the
foul state Of the atmosphere. Purge out the no1'
ious matter, and you prevent the storm. Let the
sinful passions of the heart be subdued, and there
is an end to their ravages in life. Here's where
the school of French philosophers failed; ano
how well they succeeded-that same Votaie
and others-in prev ting war and the butcheiy
of human beings, the French Revolution tells.
They attempted to make the fruit good without
making the tree good. Oh, no. do not send ou
Clergy to school to Voltaire to learn how to
preach against human slaughter. If they err on
= LoI1 tbo,, haV
lowed the guidance of the Bible rather than Una!
of the very excellent, truthful, chaste-hpped WV
taire. The philosophy of their directory is Deau-
tifully expressed in the following passage &" ffom
whence come wars and fghtings among you -
Come they not hence even Of your lusts "h'D
war in your members Z"
The ancients tell us of a little animal calico lAs
Ichneumon, which destroyed Crocodles. HOE
did the puny creature accomplish such task
By attacking the full grown animal No; but
by going around on the beach and crushing the
eggs which the Crocodile had deposited in the
sand They thought that the best way to Kill
Crocodes was to take them in the egg. Is mol
evil always best crushed in the egg-the germ OF
or the prlncipl which produces it Let the fea-'
son of Erasmus take lessons from the lnstlnc!
Of the Ichneumon. >
Now we are very apt to suppose that we coa!u
do other peoples business little better than taey
themselves dc it, and that usually in proportion
to our ignorance of it. The censure OF Efas.
mus reminded me of man with whom aI
acquainted, who has sadly neglected his edues''
ton till he has reached the neighborhood OF ioly3
He imagines that if he were licensed he sa9uu
make first rate preacher, at least when ne sn1D
have completely mastered the art of reading
Permit me to close with structure on the ssn
tleman's criticism. His quotation of the slang
Voltaire is in very bad taste. The sloughings;s
that foul spirit should be permitted to lie uo, sr
in the corruption of his own grave. nm, s n.r1
and foul-mouthed attacks on the Gospel Mnll hsn
are unbeftting the age and the nation anu Woo ,oo
applied to our Protestant Clergy are ralie .o;ty
much out of place to be any where in the gl:,
of good taste. Eye bungling soul pnys. s,,ch
to below for an hour or more" &c. NOW s.aose
language as this has served its dreadful Pmrto
in the Providence of God, and we arc so ~ The
see it revived and adopted by any censor - ante
pulpit now. Indeed, l think it IS asking ss,senl
too much OF public journalist to PRINT III {.
had almost said for my purpose