The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-06
THE ERA AT THE SOUTH

THE ERA AT THE SOUTH
awe are grateful, very grateful, for the man.
ner in which our friends are responding to our
annual circular. Never have we observed
among them so much enthusiasm for the Era.
and Tor the cause it represents. They have
carried our Inst up to near twenty-five thousand,
and still they come. Everywhere they are Or
ganlzlng clubs and circulating newspapers
Thus the National Era, an Abolition paper
published in Washington, D. c., glories over its
success. We have no doubt that one-sixth of
his $4,000 are Southern subscribers not that
they are Aboltionists, but subscribe merely to
get paper published at Washington, and to
see how his organ talks about the institution
OF slavery. The editor, Mr. Bailey, often al
ludes to the sympathy for his enterprise in the
slaVeholding States, and says he feels encour-
aged by the signs to press forward in the good
cause of ameliorating the condition of the
slaves" This is one of the sblest papers in the
Government; and well may he occupy the post
OF editor, when not only his par.u at hr'' nov a
but large one NJ .lroe, the clergy held the
Office of oral instructors of the people almost
exclusively. They limit their projections to
religious doctrines and worship which the
volunteer corps of lay teachers usually avoid,
but both parties meet congregations consisting
of nearly the same individuals, and the points
of correspondence are numerous enough to in
duce comparison and criticism notwithstand-
ing the preserved differences of topics and
treatment This is the case with Protestant
preaching especially. AS our religious exer-
cises are usually conducted, there is very little
of worship proper in then The prayer is by
the clergyman, the music chiefly by the choir,
the discourse occupying two thirds of the time,
and the people are in effect the audience, al
mos. Us rrut. ;cs at scientiilc or literary iec-
ture. They go to hear and the duty of the
place is pretty well performed if they listen
decorously to the sermon. Now, whatever else
there might be, or ought to be, in what we
term divine service it results in pretty close
resemblance to the better style of those popular
meetings for merely intellectual entertainment
which are coming into vogue so extensively
The professional clergy and church-going mus,
be affected by it.
The practice of public teaching, with public
worship, may have authority in its use and
propriety, but believe it has no example in
the practice of Christ and his immediate
| apostles and evangelists. There is no instance
and there is no notice, in the New Testament
of religious service or exercise in which
worship and text preaching or any form o.
didactic discourse, were combined This j.
worthy of notice. The Catholic and the Eng
lish Episcopal churches seem to have recog
Missed the difference, and provided for their
severance both of them make large part o.
the sanctuary service consist of prayer, peni
tence and alteration, and both are able by Their
forms to dispense with pulpit discourses in theil
churches have very different drift and policy
and the older establishments usually conform
to the later fashion, perhaps from a necessity
which arises out of the great controversy
which has brought their respective creeds int
debate.
From one cause or another, the pulpit ha
become among us a sort of popular forum
enough like that of ancient Rome to bring j
within the jurisdiction of public opinion, ant
subject it to comparison and criticism, in com
mon with the ordinary forms of lay teaching
Am right in the belief that we remembe
less of the thousand sermons which we hear
than of anything else to which we give our at
tention in a similar ways Am right in tn
opinion that preaching is regarded with les
earnestness and interest than any other kin,
of public discourses, What did Dr. Beeche
mean by saying that the Devil appears to hol'
a mortgage upon the educated mind Of tn
country The pulpit suppose, must suffer o
improve greatly under the influence of the new
method, which is now growing into system
In either case, it must experience such modif
cation as deserves the attention of all concern
ed The lecturers have advantages Of the clerg
lecturer has all the leisure Of the year for tn
preparation Of half dozen addresses he hai
besides, the chance and choice of his bes
points, and may be always strong and fresf
An itinerant ministry has these advantages ]
J a good degree, also I; but the pastors of all GU
churches in the thickly-settled communities ar
stationary and two sermons1a week, with
multitude of calls for adore ,es upon the b
uevolent, missionary, and literary movement
Of the times amount 10 heavier draft upo
; them than they can creditably answer. Dew
tional feeling and sacred associations atior
them some protection; but they will be con
, pared, nevertheless, in pitch, power, and inte
est with the hest Of their rivals, wherever Ii
{ new usage obtains. They have taught US
look for the matter and manner OF sloquer
performances And they must fall under II
a Judgments Of the rule.
There il the whole Of Sunday, one day
b the week, allotted to them, and they mu
. either bring us back 10 unmixed worship in OF
! churches, in which they have no rivalry
! Office, or they must gil up the time with sue
;. occupation ~ II may be the fashion to dsmAn
Q or they must fall behind the requirements
!, she timss The magni6oenos Of church bull
r inss the parade Of drsss, and the relief OF 'd'