The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-07-25

Pu1pits and Pews.
The controversy which has been proceeding foi
some months in the Southern Literary Messenger
between the pulpit and the Pews." stii continues
writer in the last Messenger, under female sig
nature, speaks Of the seepness Of certain congre
cations. and wonders il they would yawn and snore
70, If Whitfield, Chalmers, or Sturgeon we're hold
ing forth. We are aware of the danger Of inter
fering in a controversy Of this character. Thu
secular press has possibly no right to thrust itself
into ecclesiastical dsputation, and this may not
be a free fight. Perhaps however, ~ belonging 70
the "Pews," the Press might be permitted to con.
slider itself entitled share in this bout Of words.
and. so assuming we will make bold to jump in.
The assaants Of the Pulpit assert that the reason
Of its inefciency is the drowsiness and stupidity
of the preachers, whereupon the defenders of the
Pulpit declare that the fault Is In the Pews, who, IT
they practised the hundredth part of what they
hear, would be engaged in better business than en-
deavoring TO write down the preachers. onr sym
pathies, we confess with the weaker party
man who is compelled 10 pass his life I'D the service
az soma 6va bundred or fifteen hundred masters
70 consult nil their whims and caprices; to, write
two sermons for their criticism every Sunday and
one lecture in the week time, in addition to funeral
discourses 10 visit every family in his congrega-
ton and be particular in his inquiries for the
COuduCt
every benevolent and educational enterprise: 10 r,
oice with those that rejoice and weep With those th
weep to set such an example Of good living. IN, t
no one can impeach the purity of his morals
or the propriety of his speech to have everybody
think himself or herself at liberty to pick his ser
mons and his character to pieces and especially 10
critieise his wife, who, being minister's wife il
uniformly used as milestone for all the gossps of
fhA Ffarsuh To 81
snort, to save such souls generally compose the
mass OF congregations in these times and then to
receives compensation, collected by the hard scuf
hing OF an energetic corps Of vestrymen and des-
cons in pursuit of slippery generation. not nuite
enough TO keep body and soul together and to sdu-
cate his chidrento do, bear and suffer all this we
should think would sufficiently consume and ex-
hauss the energies Of any mortal, without expecting
him to roar and cayort about in his pulpit on sun
day like young bull Of Bashan, who has never
had yoke upon his neck, nor been used to any
thing but disportns himself by smooth waters and
waliowing in clover up to his eyes.
country congregation. having worked hard, and
gotten in its wheat, tobacco. in the week time
goes 10 church Sunday to rest snooze and shore:
TO dream of crops, joint worms, the probable price
OF grain and tobacco and then we are asked
Would they do 20 II Whitfield, Chalmers. or Spur
3eon were preaching: Perhaps not Would Whit
field, or Chalmers, or Sturgeon preach for such ay
rs the aforesaid snoring ruscs give their "a itsr
DO you expect Whitfelds. Chalmers, SpETgeoHs in
every pulpit, or even in every cO1nt.y. OF. every
/, age? There is but ono spurgoon in all England
there was but Chalmers IL all Scotland: one
Whitfield since Luther. Ho,,ldnt some faut-find
ing country or city Congregation like to call the
Apostle Paul, tke feat orator of Christianity, to
tighten and thunder from their desirable pulpit -
And If thoy did, are they sure that even St Paul
could Keep them all awake. If he did he would
be more fortunate than at Tross. where We ara told
that, One Sunday, as Paul was preaching, "there
rat in window certain young man named Euty-
chus being fallen into deep sleep; and as Paul
was long preaching, he SAM, down with sleep and
fell down from the third loft, and was taken nm
dead Here was one of the sleepy headed disci-
ples-afterwards mlracuOusy and beneyoIently
restored to life by the apostleperlaps there were
many more, but does that prove the inefficenCy Of
st. PauFs pulpit mnistrations: Then how does
the like in modern congregations establish any
thing but the fact that people are sometimes SO
tired and drowsy that not even the RIGHTEOUSNESS
of going to sleep in church and snoring to +
amusement of the whole assembly, can keep t. nv
eyes open.
There are plenty Of somnolent and stupid
ers, just there are asses and drones in t''''''
IN medicine, in every profession, but, -.
poor preach" Do you expect Massil' ,o I i.'
Taylor, Summerfeld, Chalmers, Spur 49,, ;',a'.'
puIpitt Or, do you expect either IS e.. ..., =.
be himself every Sunday Wcr - .Isa. 49, ~
ergy of lawyers, and their abil ., , nv
attention of jurorsi How - - '"'
of fifty, which is about y =. - . '''
with two thousand inhab .,t. II, pm
-. ~ ~ -, lowers Of oratory Two or
:, And of those who do is il
~. ~ speech shall be great ora
,;,a a.. Jntrary, are not their grand efforts
a,ua.o,,a.s their forensic progress, with long
lrou ~ nothing particular between A.. More
" i" Iyers have the advantage of novelty in
every case, 10 say nothing of the stmuIant which
an .ntellecual combat awakens both in the parties
a.hd the spectators. If they had to present the
sape case every week, without the excitement OF
opposition, for two, ten twenty years, they
would be very likely to drop to sleep themselves as
we'll their audience. Yet, not only is the clerical
profession required. unlike every other vocation
TO embrace only frst-rate men, but each man il
every Sunday to deliver two capital oratorcal per
formances and this topics eighteen hundred years
old without the excitement ofany open opponent,
and in n style which will electrify drowsv CON
pregation We therefore conclude that the Pews
demand too much. The Pews ought to go to church
and say their prayers, and be sorry for their Sins
and inquire into their defects instead of pitch
ing into the poor Pulpit, which, poor it may be,
has generally good deal intelligence and
moral worth than half of the congregation. The
Pews ought to remember that the Church is a place
for the worship of Almighty God for explanations
of Scripture. and practical appeals in behalf of
good life-not for oratorical or dramatic display
II that is wanted, they have it at the forum or
the theatre, but, though now and then they may
have CLEAN of the footlights the altar and
the stamp and frown OF the tragedian in the pulpit
it is more than they have right demand ought
10 expect In the meantime, let the Pews rub
their eyes, and try and keep awake, lest like the
young man Eutychus, they sumber, and fall far
Their down than he did, and are found dead, with
no Paul 10 restore them
The East India Mutiny.
The Washington /" States publishes an extract