The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-01-14
Fer the Miners, Express.

4
Fer the Miners Express.
Mrs~Rs. EDlTons:-- had the happiness of
meeting with the many, who parttci pated in the
exercise Of Dedication and celebration by
|. .. o. F, in this city on the first inst. |
was deeply interested in all the exercises of that
occasion, and much more than pleased with the
Grafton Of the Rev. II. S. Hamilton. |. seems
to ne to have been not only fair, candid and
lncld exposition of the principles and pract cal
tendency of the principles If our "Order,' but
that II mus; have been un"xeep.innlhle TO all
present. say this in reference to both matter
and manner ] was not, by any means, pre-
pared 10 believe that any sober, intelligent and
virtuous citizen, much less christian, should feel
compelled t. ccnsurc it. Judge then of my
surprise when heard one oil our Clergymcn,
not only dcclam against the sentiments express
cd in the address, bu; from ignorance for design,
q hope the furnlcr) misscpresent those portions
OF it, which were the occasion of offence.
could but regret that in 'la absence of he Broth
or, whose views were evidently the subject of re-
rrm'rk, the Rev gentleman should have been 50
carele IS in his structures. Some,h ny was evident,
thought tn be gailrd, from The fact that the Or
aor Ia led to quote entire, the 9th verso of the
first chapter of james. What the objection in
the view of the commentator could have been,
have been unable 10 determine, unless he con-
cev the latter to contradict the first clause Of
the passage, which reads as follow:
"Pure religion and undcfilcd before God and
the Father, is 20 visit the fathcrlcs, and widows
in their aiiliction, and to keep himself unspottcd
from the world =
If the Minister'S complaining is good author
Ity for what is correct usage i'll this matter, i,
could be nothing new strange or uncommon for
ministers especially to quote parts of verses in
favor of the position they assume. But how
| could the whylc verse have been less ohectona
| bic under The circumstances, than the portion
quoted. The passage was employed by the
| Speaker to show that while we Odd Fellows
acknowledge sour principles to be better than
our PRACTICES, the same objection would
lie against the members Of the highest and bcs:
institution under Heaven, the Church-faine
as they often have done, to make provision fol-
| their poor members.
Now for the neglected clause, "And to keel
himself unspotted from the world If Mr.. III
had admitted, Gas doubt not lie woud) tina
Dad Fellows did not keep themselves thus un
spotted from the world. could it in truth be said
that professors themselves do? The msrepre
scntaton of which complain is this, that while
MIR. Hamilton employed it to show, that while
the professions of Odd Fellows, were better
than their practices, the same might be said o
the professions and practices Of church mem
bcrs, and that if the inconsistencies of church
professors were no argument against the princi
! pies of christianity, SO neither were the inccn
sis'encies of Odd Fl lows, an argument agains
| Odd Fellowship. The falling to quote the neg
lected clause thea, seems 10 me to have cvince,
on the part of MIR. Hamilton, a disposition no
to push the comparison as far as it would bear
lest he should unnecessarily expose the faults o
christians to the world And yet this il seems
was another crou,I of offence, exposing thu
faults Of professors to the world BY this OBJ
lection, could not but be rem:n.sd of some o
The numerous instances in which h@d heard
the Rev Oh;cc'or engaged in what ] her
presumed he felt to be solemn duly, point.n1
out the errors and faults Of his brethren, ano
from his tone and manner, l thought him sin
ccre. DID the Speak in his address, do more
to expose the faults of christians to the world
than has the Director often in his sermons ? OF
has he changed his views in relation to the pro
prety of speaking i'll promiscuous assembly
of the faults of his brethren. In regard tt
this, would think, that if christians viii cease
to sin before the world, tisrir errors had bette
| lie kept from the world. But if they will sill
before the world, then let them he rebsked be
fore the world But it was claimed, it is said
that the society Of Odd Fellows. IS bcneyolen
society, when in fact it was nothing more thar
"Mutual insurance Company We viii ad
NIT we have no bcnevaence Of which to boast
still we do know, that thousands Of Dollars ar.
expended by our instita.ion every year, tor OBJ
jects Of charity upon the same principles tina
! entite other associations 10 the character OF be
ncvolcnt institutions Is it not painfully anu
sing TO The initiated 10 hear men with one b'eati
complain Of Us as secret society, and with TIT
next profess 10 tell the world all about uS' Blu
! we edo not 90 about dong good. as dc Christ
No, not as VIC ought. we confess, nor have WI
ever pretended it. Are protesting christians
faultlcs. in this rcspcct' o! would that they
| were then the work VIC are compelled to do
or lea &c undone, would be better done by thos
whose professions are far higher than ours, ane
whose mission no Odd fellow would trihc with
Odd Fellowship is all that religion Is, was nj
| where in the address referred to, asserted; Blu
tho contrary 10 my certain knowledge, W;
plainly avowcd. The comparison of the bcnev
olcncc of Odd Fellowship, vita the bencvo
| lcncc of Christ was ungcnerous, inasmuch as
| VIC never claimed perfection, nor anything in
consistent with frail human nature. can bu
think, that if the Director had borne in mint
| the fact, that our Speaker did not come before
| the eop!e, 10 give an address on the subject o
he wrongs of Hungary, or Railroads, nor even
Religion, but Odd Fellowship and that he mus
needs confine himself to that subject, that nearl
all of the faults found by him, had not been
seen, and hence his remarks of which
complain, had never been made. On the whole
| cannot but regret the remarks whic!
| have referred, both as it regards thci
influence on him who made them, and the churcl
whose interests are identified with his own
ODD FELLOW