Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-06-24


Randolph did not like Calhoun and it was about
as much as his stomach would bear to see him
and shake hands, He did so, however, under
a sort of protest, putting in the Provso, that if
he got well the "muke up" was not to go for
anything, and things were just to stand 81"
stntu quo"
1t seems to us that there is some resemblance
between the utterances Of some of the clergy
these days and the principle upon which John
Randolph proceeded in the above recited case
We do not know that the parallelsm is striking
" obvious, but we think that it can be easily
impressed into illustrating what VIC mean'
Whenever calamity in the shape of a war,
pestilence, frost, or famine, beGalls the people
IN any particular part of the country or all over
1t, tits made heoccnsion for serious of oracular
explanations as to what it is intended by Provi-
Clence in the matter. 1t is suddenly discovered
that the world has become insufferably wicked
and needs dispcnsation of affection. Had
these persons been consulted month, or per-
chance week before, rs to the moral status, Of
the country they would have said most likely that
under the beniticent workings OF the Tract Socle-
ty, the Bible Societies, the Societies of Inquiry,
the Young Mems Christian Associnti"nS &" th"t
lm0 world Ill much more morally health
full condition than it was a year ago, when the
crops were abundant, or the pcstilence unknown
or war or calamity unhcard Of Yet, no sooner
does the affection come. than these gentlemen,
after the "t-posteriori" fashion of the old Soph-
lists, proceed at once to snuff corruption in the
atmosphere, and to preach and proclaim to the
people how terribly sunk in dcgcncracy and
wickedncSs wc all arc.
Now, we are among those who believe that
the moral forces of the world, neither in times of
stormy revolution, nor yet in the "piping times
of peace" are retro -gressive in their action. In
other Words we are firmly persuaded that each
revolving day and year this world Of ours,
bad as it is, becoming better and better. There
may have been, grant, more "Plng nglyism"
in Baltimore last year than year before, or more
Grip Rapism" in Washington City, or "Dead
RabbitisIn'' in New York. All these pests aud
burdens society may have bndded and bios
somed and matured more mnbnshingly and
rankly under the prominent influences of the
literature, and the doggeries, and the hrothcs of
those localitics-hut take the country, the great
nation east, west, north and south, and the
advance in morals would be found as palpa-
BILE on the face of the census returns rs the adj
vance of the sun light upon the dial plate
Believing thus, VIC are 10th to sec the clergy
dogmatizing, as many of them do, when news
comes of frost, or an epidcrnical or even
sporadic outbreak of disease in the country, or
any part of the county. We are 10th to SEQ
them, as it were periorcc, and by virtue of their
office and calling, setting about TO hunt text,
which, in its turn, sllalisct forth that "a time"
and half time" has arrived for the pouring out
of vial Of wrath upon US by reason Of the
nnbearabe magnitude of our sins-whcn, NIL the
WHILE as we have before said, the census tables
show that more money has been paid for the
poor and the heather. more HOSPITALS and
-i.urctlrs nave been built, more charity success
fully invoked, more sick visited and in general,
that more good has been in every way accom-
plished, and more evil discouraged than before.
1t looks so much like the tricks of trade, so
much like the way the old Druids used to in
terpret eclipses TO the Britons; so much like
the way St Quintus or Sextus, or Saint some
body else used to work on the pentcntial apprc-
tensions of the supcrstitious medievials.
But VIC related the case of John Randolph
and Calhoun at the starting out 1t was do.
signed to show that it is prudent sometimes, in
order to avoid an embarrassment, to put in
saving clause; to provide loop to get out of,
the way the politicians, for instance. do when
they assert such and such beliefs "subject to
the constitution" or Subject TO the will of the
people" We observe. that many of the clerical
brethren have gone industriously to work,
preached regular blood and thunder sermons,
setting forth how just and how great was to be
the punishment of the people of these United
States, in the devastation of their harvcsts,
which had been swept down like the armies Of
Syria by the dcsolating bosom of tho Destroy
ing Angel, on account of the sins of the people
We also observe that they have not told US
wherein the people had sinned excessively
wherein they had plunged hcadlong with acccer-
ated speed. All that they have said has been
of sins in a general way, such as ''thc carnal
mind" has been guilty of every day, since the
fall of Adam, we presume They have told US
that the nation was worshipping mammon-
That may be, They have told that wo have
drunkenness rife and noisy throughout the land
That, also, may be- But what of that? Take