The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-09-10

. ~ stStH t"y"feH ~ "e D"Ptf C""tHi Oe-
Cause ;hey joined the Sons of Temperance, is
communicated to the Spirit Of the Age, prin.
ted a. Raleigh. Tae Editor says il " comes
10 him strongly endorsed for its tsuihfulness,
BY Reverend Gentleman, else we could
hardly believe that such bigo,fy, ignorance
prtjudlee existed anywhere in the good Old
North State"
ALEXANDER COUNTY, n. c.
i Mr Editor: As this is an age of novelty,
and as ruth is stranger than fiction, | trans.
nit 10 you aud through your valuable paper,
the following FACTS, that those who are fond
Of novelty may be edl6ed, and thai all may
know lhatesen IN this God gifted land Of lib.
erty, christianity and civilization, there are
some Ismenlsb!y da,k corners, where drunk.
snness has the preacher for lis advocate, and
vice ard blind prejudice are upheld by the
members of has church. A few weeks ago
was an eyewitness 10 the following scene:
BY appointment, the ministers the elders,
descons and memb bcie Of Little River Baplis,
Church convened fer ths purpose of divine
worship, and The transaction Of church hus.
ness. When the business hour arrived, Dea.
con Elisha RobbiHeu addressed the nodera.
tor to this effect Mr.. Moderator, | want
10 know if any Of the me mhersof this church
has ined the Sons of Temperance. have
heafn hat Two brothers has llned them aud
believe it is not accordn TO christian doc,in
for men TO jIue these traditions Of man.
+ This ignorant and anti republican inquiry
brought many Of the most respectable msm.
bers Of the church 10 their feet, who, in the
/ biterest terms, denounced such an enquiry
at such lime aud place but the deacon had
many hackers, who w5ts dear lovers Of thai
good creature of God,' and whose tender
and christian consciences were so wounded TO
! hear members Of their own household stand
up and proclaim war sgainsl their loving
friend iatempeTaGce, that they really could
not hold fellowship with these rascally Sons
and fep-obats sinners. Finally the mater
was passed over without any final aclion.-
Hero the scene changes:
The same church is assembled al Bethel
The same e;quiy is again propounded when
The blessings Of temperance, the curses of
druuk enuess and the igncrant and mischiev.
Gus course proposed by those pious devoiees
Of Racchus, were ably set forth by ths Rev.
j. j Watts and John W. jones. But here
the dfuukaTd had found new champion ia
the person Of The very plous snd enIightened
Rev. John @. BRYAN, who was moderator,
and y ho having reflected maturely and pray.
effulIy upon the sui jec,, gave i, as his opin.
len thai il was better that the few who had
Joined the Sons should be dismissed from the
church, than that the tender and religious
coascieaces Of The good brethren should be
mortifisa and outraged by associaling with
those sinful men, who hsuesly believed that
it is wrong for christian sud civilized man
to beestifv himself by drunkenness and he
believed farther that the church had nalu
"a and iualleuable right to do whatsoever she
will, in whatsoever manner she pleases !;
whereupon largo majority of the members.
thinking as lie good and sensible moderator
did, the vote was taken, and ous man who it
lis well known has been rescued from drunk
enGess by the sons, was oStracised by that
holy hody. And tell me, Mr.. Moderator,
fer what sin was this man expelled from the
lchurcb 1t was no, for drunkenness, for he
thsd within the know ledge of the church been
drunk often before, aud he was never told
that II was wrong TO get drunk. But he had
cot sober he had ceased 10 be drunkard
and pledged himself to live the life Of So
her man-and for this offence sgains, the
NV of God YOU have expelled him from the
church But surely in this enlightened day.
in this land Of Liberty, where all may wor
ship Almighty God according 10 the dictates
Of their own conscences there cannot be so
! much ignorance, so much vice
But here Mr.. Editor, is the unkindest cut
Of alt This same church is re assembled at
Liae River, Rev. J. ]. Watts mode a,or
when the aforesaid Deacon Elisha Robbinett,
being encouraged and emboldened by The re-.
sult al thel, renewed his enquiry, insisting
that tl.ep.rversene.s and wlckeGness Of these
Sons Of Temperance in refusing TO exhllarate
their souls with that good creature of Ged
aud in persisting in their abuse of his favor.
.liie god, Bacchus, was so mertiylug to his
religious principles, tha, he, with all his chris.
lan forbearance, was unable to resign him.
i self to a christiln fellowship with them
Yes this good deacon, whlskey dealer and
whiskey dtinker, could not hold religions
! corcourse with sober man Away with
" such christianity, il would disgrace savage
: 1t was here announced that the Rev. Johr
: ". Jones and James F, Steel had Joined the
Sons when the same deacon Elisha movec
tha, they be dismissed from the church for
: this grave offence; aud after couside rablt
? !, discussion pro and con, tbs moderator, being
pastor Of said church, resigned his chair aat
his pastoral charge of the church. This pro
;. duced some CONSERVATION among the disal
lie fec,ed ranks, but upon looking around the,
le beheld their faithful champion aud inteiIigen
rs miaister, John 6. Bryan, who at nod tool
re the moderator's chair, and decided that al
b. things we're right and that the good bOrther'
grievances must be redressed, and proceede