Daily American telegraph., 1852-01-30
Communicated
Kossuth.


To the Editor Of the american Telegraph:
Mr.. EDITOR: While congratulate you, as well
as the public, upon the resumption of your edito
rial functions, must beg leave to dissent from
the justice of your remarks upon the character
of Kossuth, contained in your paper of the 2Sth
instant.
In the first place you pass condemnation with,
out sufficient evidence, The assertion of aname-
less writer, though claiming to be friendly tc
Kossuth, is by no means to be taken for granted
But allowing his statement to be true, it is sus.
ceptible of an explanation entirely satisfactory.
You maintain that Kossuth's alleged fondness
for "the turf is inconsistent with his present
high moral and religious tone.
Let us see. You admit that gentlemen Of the
highest honor and patriotism have had and may
still have n passion for "the turf" or horse.
racing. You will also admit that a gentleman Of
such tastes may cherish profound conviction o.
the truth Of Christianity, though, while the pas
sion for sporting lasts, his life cannot be deeply
religious.
Now suppose such gentleman should fine
himself, his family and his country, suddenly
plunged into the deepest misfortune-that from
a position Of comparative ease and luxury he
should be driven from his country separated
from his wife and children, and compelled to liy,
the life of a wandering exile-will you not allow
Mr.. Editor, that such discipline would be vel
calculated, and, indeed, almost necessarily tend
to call forth the religious elements Of noble ma
ture, and to repress the desire for mere worldly
amusements? Such, there is reason to believe
has been the history of Kossuth's inner life.
There is another consideration which shoule
not be overlooked You have judged the Hun
| rarian by the modern American standard Of piety
The idea that worldly amusements are wholly
inconsistent with religious professions is by M
means universal. 1t is a Puritan idea, adopted
and disseminated by those great modern reform
ers Wesley and Whitefeld, and by them gradually
engrafted upon the English and American mind
But even now it is not universally accepted with
out qualification by all Christians who speak on,
language. How unjust, them to hold the in
habitants Of eastern Europe responsible to tn,
| strict letter of their teaching
| wish to be distinctly understood. | am no
the apologist of the turf" Far from it re
gard it as a relic of feudal barbarism which il
rapidly passing away. Its tendency is evil anC
almost only evil. Itegalizes betting, and thereb,
gives countenance to every species Of gambling
and is invariably the nursery of every vice. Th
is the turf in the United States. 1t may be o
less evil tendency in other countries, or its char
acter may be less conspicuously bad in countries
where moral and religious reforms have not we
taken hold upon the minds of the people AM
given tone to public sentiment. The best an,
most enlightened men are apt to acquiesce in tn
immemorial customs Of their country, and =
overlook their vicious influences How man,
patriots of our Revolution could stand the test o
your tombstone, Mr.. Editor2 They have beer
canonized not only as patriots, but as Christians
by all American hearts; but fear that most 0
them, though living and dying in communion
with the church of that day, would be sadl.
heterodox in morals if tried by the modern stand
ard. / am, very respectfully, q.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 1852
r We shall tomorrow make biief reply to thu
above, which want Of time to-day prevents ou
doing.-ED. TEL.