The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-10-10
pr..s,,er,an and Episcopal Churches.

r,-oshvterian and Episcopal Churches.
W. commend to the attention of our readers the eS-
,,.,,. ssn the letter Of tbs Row Washington Baird
p..,or q tho Presbyterian Church In spartsnsbars,
so ca,,a,. aalresssd 10 tho Hon /. VI. Keis, on
~, ,as,s, o. tbs Presbyterian Church Of the United
s,a.os and a,a,sr,. The e,ter was called forth BY
.o.a remark, Of MI Keiti, al dinner given rcnpi.
n.p,arv "a G., Orr the member Of Congress from the
spsr,n.hars District, which placed the Presbyterian
and Episcopal Churches in false light before the
ro,i and wss thereby calculated 10 do them injury.
four columns would permit, We would gladly pub
hsh the whole letter.
Beneath H. we inscr, an able vindicatoa Of the Eps-
so,sl Church, written for the Ashcslle Spectator by
shs Rev. Mr. Buxton, Rector Of The Episcopal Church
10 Ashssilis.
Dr.. Baird, aaa eOnpimen.ins The Speaker, goes
On 10 Say
"yes Win not understand me to deny either
thc right or the propriety ofreferring public
ly to the Church. in any Of its aspects, con.
dilions or bearings, even in political speech
Is. II was your right. The Church alss
plants herself boldly before the world, and
inyi,es-nay challenges investigation Of her
character, her condition aud her works. What
regret is that you had not informed your
self more fully Of the facts in relation To the
churches Of which YOU spoke. And what |
complain Of is. that your statements uncor-
Fected, place thnse churches in false light
before the world. and thus do them great in
justice and injury.
In support Of your argument in favor of
Southern organization. you pronounced the
whole mass Of the population north OF the
slavery limits. with the rarest exceptions.
"thoropghly and hopelessly aboiirionized! -
stated that their conversation. their teachings.
their books, aud their nursery lullabies, were
all deeply imbued with those execrable SEN
timents-that in consequence Of this state OF
things, division had taken place years ago, in
the Methodist aud Baptist ihurches--that
the Presbyterian and the Episcopal churches
we're in state Of deep agitation, were indeed
on the very eve OF division, and that division
was inevitable!
"Now while freely admit that tie fanaii
cal eleven, in that region is large, that por
tons Of il are 50 far gone that no reasonable
hope can be entertained respecting them |;
and while agree with you that their spirit
and course Of action are highly censurable, |
dissent wholly from your differences, as to
what must be the inevitable result Of their
fanatica! course; and protest against the oc-
cupancy, On the shove named churches, Of
the position in which your statements would
place them. You spread out before your
hearers those loathsome masses, and repre-
sent them as Astounding equally in all the
Churches. But the Baptist and Methodist
churches, years ago, cut loose from their pur-
tiob Of those concentrating hordes, and. Of
course, have, ever since stood forth before the
world, purged. commendable and glorious
while the Presbyterian aud Episcopal church.
Is are still ia tie Odious cOntact-still frater-
mixing, or striving 10 do so, with those on
whom politieians-not always very fastidious
IN their moral tastes-spit only venom. and
from whose touch their purer spirits inslinc-
tiyely recoilit This, sir, Is The i,n-i':..- in
which you have placed Us!
Now, in relation 10 those divided churches
1say, blessings on them 10 their deed They
chose their own course had perfect right
10 do so-acted no doubt from conscientious
m0tises-pursueI the only course which, a,
they Supposed. roald be taken.
as long ago as 1887, the PRESBYTERIAN
Chuuch commented It's reform, and made its
division not by sectional line, but in re.
lstion todOctrines and church order-separa.
ting az one time large portion Of tina, lnusr
floating. fanatieal element to which you have
referred. Since that period our duty. a. re
CARDS that matter. has been easy, aud gene
rally pleasant. Here and there few obstrep.
progs spirits for a time remained. Most o.
these have since gone oH-some IN one drec.
ton, some ii MISUNDERSTANDING themselse'
heller than we. Others j little fractions
have. under conservative influences, beer
restrained. Thus has the process Of reform
gone on, until nuw-ays, aud Tor years pas
We have, az church. been wholly free iron
agitation on that subject, not only in tbs
meetings of our General Assembly. but, -
far as know, ia al The subordinate judicsto
RES. The frs within have died out for wan
u eomba,tible material and all attempts q
introduce hr.brands from without have =
signaliy failed, that sgiiators have abandOne'
The hopeless Tack"
"a member of the Assembly which recent
ly met ~ Nashville has related to me tbs
following incident, which secured 10 ttat DO
dy, 10 direct conflict With your statements
An over jealous delegate lram one Of th
Congregational Associations down East. u
ing admitted ~ the h.or A. correspondent
rnembrr. 20 Gar forgot his whereabouts ., I
undertake 10 lecture the Ssgthern mtmJcr
upon their "sins and duties !" Instantly
dozen " more Northern mrm3ers spfang
Their feet, sacA eager to east the inst stnn
al him. Aud Among them, they gave MIN y,
~ much such " letting dswn a. The ol
maa DID - the ysung intruder whom be loan
rO01ng his orchard " Most haH,lsamcl
and abit." says nv informant, we're "a
Southern members defended by their NOrtl
era brethren, without the neeessity u SnC
therH man saying worll--sueh men as Di