Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-03-05
COMMUNICATIONS.
iron rnE spEcrAroR.l

your paper Of the 18th ult., addressed TO the
Mayor, will ask you TO reprint what is said ON
the Preachers and Preceding in the three princi-
pal churches Of this town. II is as follows
81 was attracted first to the Presbyterian Church by
the celebrity Of the gentleman who occupies tat pulpit
He did not fall below his reputation simple direct
logical, evangelical, his doctrines are scrparai ms
style assamen;aye rather than pJpa'a a%" ME-
mcnts demonstration. l perceive ne rs no. merely q
moral lecturer. He comes with authority, bearing inc
messages Of God To these he challenges a.enoa not
great degree of the agent in the eialgence OF truth
scntatcd by an Intellectual percussion, which seemed
to kindle continuous blaze OF thought.
al CANNOT saw was less entertained at the Episcopal
Church. listened here with delight to an eloquent
heart is il work. and there unc,ion which
the attention Of his hearers, and sends glow Of feeling
through the channels in which the affections move
.sIn the Methodist Episcopal Church, last though
least in my estimation, found young man, grave,
socmnly devout, and aborious in his profession Al
though in feeble health performs great and efficient
Of one who has, within the past year. gone final rest
he has rcaped harvest which may well be regarded
the richest reward of faithful ministry The presiding
Elder is of strong mind order and efficiency, often
eloquent, laborious and areny devoted his masters
cause"
In your paper of the 10Th ult. the following
remarks occur:
ssYour congregations arc not AS large as the popua-
ton OF your town would justify In the Presbyterian,
which is numerically the largest, found assembly
of intelligent people, generally attentive and thoughtful
The Methodist and Episcopaan are equally noticeable
for apparent personal Responsibility OF the wor-
shippers In the Methodist Church particularly no
ticc large number Of wcldrcsscd respectable young
men, who arc the strength and sncw OF the congrcga-
tion: have been told that large portion of these
Of this class in your community. The Episcopal Church
is supposed to embrace the largest amount of wealth. but
p upon III ,ne .rcngn Q, & NJ pav " ,
middle walks Of life. should judge from the appear
at that ss To hes ST
Two of them SMALL and all of them have room gene
rally unoccupicd"
will also ask that you give to the public
what was said in the same communication in re-
ference 10 the Atih0dist Church cdifce in some
general remarks the buildings of all The
churches, and omitted entirely by the printer for
want Of room. 1t is in the following terms:
''Thc Methodist congregation have nearly completed
an elegant Stccc, and making other improvements
IN their church, which will render il the handsomcst
Edifcc in town, and will stimulate, hope, the other
churches to do likewise"
When these sentences were written, / supposed
they would be "readily understood not to be an
"attack'' on the religious assemblies or their very
eloquent and usefu! ministers, but entirely COM
plimentary TO them all. But it seems have
been mistaken. am instructed that one eminent
scholar has given his opinion that sany school
boy would interpret my language as dsparaging
and dsrespectful to the Methodist congregation
and "A Mechanic" who denounces all other
languages-and therefore must be presumed to
understand his own--has informed the public
what IS the true Interpretation Of "opparent re-
specia5iffy," the offensive term employed.
have word to say. There some dogs
that begin to bark as soon as they see stranger
come in sight. My usual custom is TO pass on
without noticing them. They are great annoy-
ance to The quiet passenger, and do no good to
their owners. They may rouse the family-but
1t is soon perceived whether the traveller has
hostie intentions. choose, in the present in
stance TO stop long enough to explain myself.
When the paragraph, which has been the sub
ject Of ga Mechanics criticism. was penned. 7
supposed had referred to the three conoreqa-
lions in similar terms. When one wac mention
ed and the others were said to be sse0uaEu noticea
bic for the apparent responsibility Of the worship
Pers," did suppose that if any thing of praise
or blame had been applied to one, it was equally
applicable TO all. But as we have not "A Me-
chanic's' views on the word equalYy, il NAV be
have misunderstood his Dictionary as much in
Ma' as In the term apparent, in the use Of which
ne sees concealed secret and deadly thrust in
tended against the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In writing English-Q rarely write any thing
else)-l use the american ENGLISH Diciionayy
by Noah Webster, Esq, the same standard work
tnat lies, by order of our American Congress on
the Clerks table in both Houses, and which is
the final arbier Of all the logomachy in those
quarrelsome assemblies. 1t has there been inter-
posed to prevent many duels and alterations, by
settIing the proper use of words, and by explain
s0g to mutual satisfaction the language of each.
hope it may be so now.
wenster says apparent means first, that NAV
DC SEEM visible to the eye; within sight or view
Sseond' OBVIOUS; plain; evident; ndubitable.-
z n visible In opposition to hid or secret
FoarM, visible; appearing to the eve seemino
IN distinction from true or reaL''
Here, in four grades Of meaning, it is made in
emery one to mean, Visible, plain, Obvious, eoident
indubtab!e-and only in the last is il made to
mean seeming, and even then after pisiJle is given
as inc Jirsf even of the fourM uses and from
the nature OF the it can bear that interpreta-
tion only when confrasfed with true or real. IF
then 'posifiue' virtues are asserted of one con-
gregation and the Methodsts are declared to be
eqnaHy noticeable, where is the contrast out of
winch the far, the very farthest meaning of appa-
Piaces ~ ~ '''''
The word appear is cognate with npparrnt. and
.'every schoob boy" knows that the common root
rs Pareo In Latin. This, according to Anthon's
Ainsworth, means, To be seen proped to be ma
nYesf i; yell understood. So in Luke "a. Sit is
reported by some Of the discipes-"The Lord is
, n" inaeed, and hath appeared unto Simon
OF redafy In that dppearance2 | happen to have
!he expression OF each Of the eloquent preachers
III the three churches alluded to--and publicly
mace wl'hio no very distant period-that Christ
appeared TO Paul in order that he might be quail
,ma ~ oe an apostle Is it supposed that there
was any want OF reality in that appearance9
More testimony could be readily adduced from
M s'oes 10 sustain my use Of the term which has
peeh SO severely criticised by ga Mechanic.''-
Dnl tiust II IS now apparent, even to him, that
IL is ms English that is in fault, not mine. !
n ae ehdeavored 10 make it as apparent as the
nose on MS iace-as apparent as the sun at noon
DAY. 30 that when hereafter / NAV exnress nv
convection that our Methodist congregation IS
equally respectable with the othersShe will feel
compelled Immediately to respond--that is onr1.