The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-09-09
WESTERLY, September 5, 1867
To my friend, John Wilbur -

WESTERLY, September s, 1852.
To my friend, John Wilbur
l have lately seen in the Literary
Echo, Of August &c, 1852, an article
over your signature, in which you COM
plain of me pretty smartly because I did
not publish your last reply to my piece
of poetry which I wrote at the earnest
request of my old friend, Joseph Max
son, in reply to piece Of poetry which
he said you wrote to him in reply to
George Carlow, on the Sabbath. Those
two articles which were written more
than thirty years ago, I once showed
to friend from Brookield, and he took
copy of each, and l suppose he got
them published in the Protestant Senti-
mel, which was published by John Max
son, at DeRuyter. But how he came
to make such monstrous mistake about
their being written on board vessel
going to New York, is what l am not
able to tell. 1t was not my fault, or my
contrivance. However, not long after
| wrote that piece of poetry, l received
from you four very large sheets of fools
cap paper written all over on both sides,
in prose, dated the fourth of the tenth
month, 1870, in reply to my poetry.
And now you require it Of me to make
that article as public as l have made
the other two, or else publicly acknowl-
edge that you had entirely refu,ed my
arguments, which l think is stinting me
rather too hard. For, in the first place,
to make such an acknowledgment, my
conscience would not allow me to do.
And to make that article as public as |
have made the other two, think l
have good reason to decline, not on ac-
count of the strength Of argument
therein contained, but on account
of its enormous length, for / verify
believe that to publish it in the
Echo would require one Of their whole
sheets on both sides to contain it, which
think they will not consent to do. The
only way that can see to have it done
is, to have all three of the articles printed
in pamphlet. And that suppose
would cost ten or fifteen dollars, and that
l should think is more money than they
all are worth. At any rate am not
willing to be at so much expense for a
thing of so little value. But if you
consider it to be of so much consequence
l have no objection (as I told you be.
fore), for you to get it published in any
way you please. have no objection
that you get it published in all the news
papers in Connecticut and Rhode Island,
if you can get them willing to do it..
But if all that was done, it really ap-
pears to me that it would not help your
case, except in the minds of those of
your own persuasion. But if you think
it would you are at full liberty to try it,
as far as am concerned. l wish not
to be understood that l mean to speak
diminutively of those of your own per-
suasion. For l verify believe that some
of the very best men among us are
called Quakers, but l am very far from
endorsing all their sentiments. Partic-
ularly in regard to the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God, which was set apart,
sanctifed and blest, at the very close of
creation for the use and benefit of man
in all ages, and dispensatiDns. As
Christ himself declared that the Sabbath
was made for man, and not particularly
for the Jews. For such an institution
is as much needed now am ng Christians
as it ever was among the Jews. For
A seventh part of time thereby is given
For man to offer homage up to heaven,
And set apart, from servile labor free,
That all might come and no excuse might be-"
And now seeing you have stirred me
up to take some notice Of you, hope l
may still be considered your unfeigned
friend. VIM. STILLMAN.