The penny press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1859-1860, 1859-12-05
Rev. M. ID. Conway ON the Death of
CAPTAIN John BrOwn.

Rev. M. ID. Conway ON the Death Of
Captain John Brown.
The attendance at the First Congregational
Church, at the aorner Of Fourth and Race,
last night, was not largo, but this was, doubt
less, owing partly to the condition of the
streets, which were lagune-like.
Mr.. Conway opened bis discourse by saying
that he had often questioned himself in re-
gard to the extent to which he might open his
neart to his congregation, for he had been in
formed that his late sermon on the instruction
in Virginia had cost his church some influen-
tlal friends, aud just at this time any such loss
fell heavily indeed; for he stood as the repre-
sentative of humanity, and he felt that it was
the mission of those who had called him to the
pulpit he occupied to use their best endeavors
to humanize Christianity.
Every person had heard of AIRY Schaeffer
who had hung upon the walls of the homes
OF both continents the freshest pictures; most
Of those who heard him had seen his Cbristus
Consolator, in which he had pictured Christ
with outstretched arms in the act of pronounc.
ing benediction upon all classes Of men, one
OF whom was negro. This picture very soon,
and deservedly, became popular, but unfortu-
nately it met with theological accident for,
when Alonzo Potter, Bishop Of the diocese Of
Pennsylvania, wanted frontispiece for the
new book of prayers TO be used in his church,
he showed his good taste in selecting this, but
it was not all he showed, for it appeared in it's
place with the negro left out. This is the case
with our Christianity. There is salvation for
all classes Of men, Hindoos and Hottentots, all
save the negro, and yet this was the race that
to US stood to-day for Christ and him crucifed.
This was not an isolated case, nor had the
opinion been formed hastily. The Tract So
ciety, which represented more churches and
more able men than any other body on earth,
two years ago, through its publishing commit
tee, had expurged every thing that was said
about the wrongs of this unfortunate race in
their tracts. Like the case of Alonzo Potter,
it was the Christus Consolator with one of
the figures xpurged-Chrstianit with Christ
stricken out.
He was there to preach humanity and should
have left his duty undone if he refused to
speak Of the event that claimed his voice. He
might be silent but Old John Brown would
speak to his congregation from the scaffold in
Virginia, and they would hear it above and
over his head. The Christus Consolator must
be engraved upon the American hear t, not
merely upon paper painted upon the walls
OF our churches though theology fall and we
be compelled to dip the pen in our hearts best
blood.
On the day of tho 18th of October John
Brown, as it appeared from the testimony,
stood all day, with the sword in his hand that
Frederick the Great had presented to General
Washington, attempting, not to shed blood
or to commit treason, nor was he guilty of
either, but merely to secure tract of land
where all men might be free. The speaker
said that history of the sword might not be
uninteresting, and he told how Frederick,
after hc had freed Prussia from the yoke of
Austria, when this young country had I'M
furled its banner to the air and inscribed upon
it the sentence it had never admitted to be
true, that call men were born free and equal"
stretched his strong arm across the ocean,
levied tolls upon all the subjects of Great
Britain who passed over hisdomain, and sent
this sword to Washington with the words in
scribed upon it, "lrom the best General in tho
world to the greatest" When this sword
passed into tho hands of John Brown it should
have had upon it this inscription, "From the
greatest General in tho world to the purest."
This was not spoken in any disrespect to
Washington, for in no place than the one in
which he spoke, was the name regarded with
moro vonerstion. The Revolution began not
for human freedom, but because King George
had touched the pocket Of New England, and
il was not until after, or about the time of the
battle Of Bunker Hill, that those noble words,
originating in the minds of Thomas Paine and
Thomas Jefferson, composing the Declaration
of Independence, were written. John Browns
idea was to rationalize Christianity, and knew
that it could never be reasonable until ii was
humane.
Who does not not admire the English Hamp-
den? He who walked through the streets of
London and exposed his head to the block as
a traitor because he would not pay an unjust
tax Of twenty shillings. Do we admire him,
and then dsspise this poor old man who lost
his life upon the gallows at CharlestowD last
Friday? The traitor to Charles the First is
tho moral hero Of to.day-the traitor to Gov.
Wise will be tho moral hero of tomorrow.
In the Egyptian legend it is related the
Phoenix returns every five hundred years and
is burnt upon the altar of the Sun. Those who
examined the ashes of this bird upon the first
day found nothing in the charred mass but a
little worm, on the second a hedgling, but
upon the third it spread its broad wings and
soared away, to return again after five CEN
turies. Those who examine the ashes of John
Brown may find OF first nothing but worm;
but it will not be long before we, who have
just begun to wet our ankles in another Red
Sea, will witness the rise Of another Phoenix,
which will cover this broad Republic with the
shadow OF its wings.
1t does not take great deal of bloodshed
to create civil war, and when on one side Of
stream we have free speech and free press,
and when upon the other the free press is
thrown into the river and free thought is out
ragged, it is time that we, who rebelled because
the paltry sum Of few shillings of an unjust
tax was levied upon us, began to consider the
effect Of this oppression for many have al
ready concluded like Old John Brown, that
The noblest place for man to die
Is where he dies for man.