American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-07-22
ICommunicated.l
lCommunicated
TO the Editors of The american Telegraph.

To the Editors of The Amerieaa Telegraph.
GENTLEMEN Will you be SO kind as to give
these few lines place In your paper, that they
may correct false impression likely to be
made by one of Mr.. !" Commentators" commu-
nications recently published in the 'f1elegyaph,"
ito which, however, we perceive you take ex-
ception.) He has made, as we conceive, an
unmerited and unjust attack on Methodist
preachers. He has sent forth to the world that
there are about forty clergymen of this order
employed in the Executive Departments in this
city. Now, sirs, if he will go to the trouble of
gathering the statistics, he will probably not
lind more than twelve or fourteen at the out
side thus engaged But why this special notice
Of Methodist preachers alone ? Are not the
other churches equally well represented in the
Executive. Departments am informed that
the Episcopal church itself, though 50 vastly
inferior to the Methodist church in point of
| numbers, both in membership and ministry has
! . representation of some six or seven ministers
similarly employed. And we+wish it4to be un-
derstood that we do not think it wrong for them
to be here. We simply mention the fact to
show that, notwithstanding the fiings that are
made at Methodist preachers for accepting
Offices, the ministers Of other churches thus
employed greatly outnumber those of the Me-
thodist church, when we consider the vast su-
periority Of the latter in point of numbers to
the former in the United States And yet Mr..
J" Commentator" says not word about minis
ters Of other churches. And why so particu-,
larly vent his spleen on the Methodist clergy Z
Why, we most respectfully ask, this invidious
allusion? Has he an incurable hatred to this
class Of divines? Now, the facts in the case
seem to be these: There are some twelve or
fourteen Methodist preachers in Office here,
and some six or seven of this number are of
the local. order, who consequently left no
g circuits or stations" having no connezion
with any of the annual conferences. This
leaves but small number of travelling preach
ers, nearly all of whom are incapacitated,
by impaired health, for the labors of the Itine-
rancy, who have been thus kindly favored by
the Government with the means of making a
support for their helpless and dependent fami-
lies. That a man is q minister, and has been
so unfortunate as to lose his health in so honor
able and praiseworthy calling, is no reason,
| in my judgment, why he should be spurned
from the sympathies of Government or lose his
rights in common with other men. If Mr..
| !" Commentator" has been misinformed, and
would sustain himself for truthfulness, he will
make correction of his errors, and, in future,
be more careful in making such gross mistakes,
in reference to which every schoolboy in the
city should he better informed.
The following are the statistics Of the princi-
pal religious denominations in the United States.
Mr. Commentator will find by comparing the
number of ministers and members of the Meth
odist church with that Of other churches, that,
| if his statement were true that forty Methodist
preachers are now employed in the Executive
Departments in this city, they would not be any
better, if as well, Represented as other denomi-
nations.