The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-07-05

Bishop Smith, of South Carolina
shouldered his musket and made the
most intrepid csistance-stimulatng
his people by precept and example His
excrtions were unabated till taken pris.
} uner at the surrender of Charleston.
Rev. Paul Scrquard, of South Caro-.
Ina, was a member OF the first Provin.
cial Congress, and bad great influence as
a legislator and an orator, animating the
people by his fervent addresses from the
pulpit.
Rev. Samuel Warren called to Eu.
rope at the beginning of the Revolution,
was tempted by the most liberal offers
to return and uphold the cause of the
King he dashed aside every tempta.
tlon, and braved every danger for the
liberty OF his country. The same hon.
orable mention may be made of Rev DR..
Percy, Rev Mr. Lewis, and Rev DR..
Purcell. All of these were of the ostab-
lished church in South Carolina.
| Not less energetic and efficient were
tho Independent ministers of the same
State, Rev. Messrs. Furman, Smith and
Lennart The last of these was mem.
Der of the Provincial Congress and
House of Assembly and in every place
preached resistance to oppression. and
stood forth an mistaken champion of lib
erty and independence While passing
to another point, 1 will give an instance
of the conduct of minister in my own
State in the last war. The Gentleman
from New Hampshire Mr. HlBBARp]
has deemed it proper to charge the min.
listers with preaching treason, and pray
ing for starvation in tho war of 1912.
know of no warrant for such state.
mcnt and the gentleman has not given
us his authority Would it not have
been quite as fair to give the facts, as
every one knows them, that there was divi-
sion among all other classes, as well as
among the clergy, in regard to that warl
The same charge, with others, was long
since MADE by Colonel Hayne, and |
adopt Mr. Webster's reply
There were presses on both sides.
popular meetings on both sides, ay, and
pulpiis on both sides also indiscreet ser
mons, frothy paragraphs, and fuming
popular addresses-w whatever the pulpit,
in its moments of alarm, the press in its
heats, and parties in their extravaganza
have scverally thrown off in times of
general excitement and violence"
There was dissension among the mem
bers of the bar of New Hampshire on
that subject. And | put it to the can
dor Of the gentleman himself, whether
it would be just to hiss from the stage
a company of New Hampshire lawyers.
petitionng against the extension of slav-
cry, on the ground that forty.two years
since, meh of the same profession
thought the war of 1912 unnecessary
And yet that is the sole ground on
which he wishes to cashier the clergy of
the present time. | will proceed with
the statement. When Provost came
down upon Plattsburg, with fourteen
thousand men, McComb had only four,
teen hundred men to defend the place
and check the march of the INVADER
The only resort IVES to arouse the coun-
try around. A courier, Fastening
through that portion of Vermont Dor
dering on the lake, halted at the door of
a little church in a retired village of
Franklin county. The pastor and his
flock were closing religious services pre-.
paratory to the sacrament of the Sab.
bath. The startling announcement was
made, and the question was raised, who
will 60 to the defense of their country 2
No long delay before the pastor said,
brethren, l will 60, who will 90 with
me 2" 1t is needless to say that COM
pany instantly set out for the scene of
action, the clergyman was made their
captain. and after fighting bravely in de
fense of their homes returned to their
peaceful village. Governor Tompkins,
of New York, presented the pastor with
an elegant edition of the Bible, and on
the first fly leaf was noble letter writ.
ten by his own hand, complimenting the
patriotism of the minister. 1t was my
fortune to be in Fairfield and go to the
place of election with Father Woos-
ter" when he cast lis last ballot He
was in decreptude, but not in the do
tage of age lie could never again re.
new his strength and mount upwards as
the eagle, but the fire flashed from his
eagle eye when he recounted the scenes
of his stirring conflict.
MIR. Wooster was, like the rest of his
profession, averse to war, unless demand
ed by the stern necessity of self-defense.
He believed that the question in contro'
versy in 1912 might be settled by arbi-
tration or diplomacy, without bloodshed
and without dishonor. lie so thought,
and, like an honest man, he SO spoke
Was there any "sedition" in all that
But when his country was invaded, al
other questions were laid aside, and he
thought only of repelling the hostile ag,
gression. believe he was substantially
a fair representative,in in the above respect,
of those ministers of New Eng land who
thought the war needless. 1t was, there
fore,with the utmost ain and modification
that heard a New England man brand
ing New England clergy as traitors to
their country.
| wish to call attention to ono other
matter in which the ministers exercised
influence, viz in adopting the present
Constitution. know of no other in
stance in which free people SO sudden
iy, of their own will, changed the great
organic law under which they were to
live. The English Constitution is
tho slow and gradual growth of ages -
The change from the old Confederation
to the new Constitution was made in.
stantly, and is looked upon as one Of the
most critical aud hazardous experiments
in our history. While Patrick lIeury
and other great statesmen used their