The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-04-23
An Important Personage.

We are indebted to Messrs. Truman x
Spotford for copy of a tract by Rev. Nj.
ID. Conway, of this city, entitled Natural
History of the Devil" Mr.. Conway, con-
trary to the unanimous testimony OF all the
old women of Christendom, denies the ex-
istence of personal fend, and endeayors to
account for the notion of such a being upon
the score of the tendency of the unenlight-
ened human mind to personify the princi-
plies which it finds in existence. We do not
know what to think of Mr.. Conway. Thus,
in a serious publication, to deny one of the
fundamental articles of the popular Christi :
snity, is an act of no ordinary temerity.-
We half suspect that such opinions are
Atheisiic; that they are fiagrantly inhdel,
We do not entertain single doubt.
of course, it is hardly proper, in secular
journal, TO enter into discussions OF nice
points in theology; but it would not require
much time nor space to prove to Mr.. Conway
that be is mistaken. We never saw the in
dividual in question, it is true, but have
known several persons who were we'll ac-
quainted with those who did at least they
said so. In old cider-drinking times, in
New England, he used to be about good
deal; and although be is more careful Of
himself now than formerly, there is no rea-
son to suppose that he is dead or ont of Of
fee. He appears more frequently in the
rural than in the urban districts, and confines
his manifestations mostly TO women and
children, whose testimony, il would appear,
Mr.. Conway has not consulted.
But there is difficulty in this matter
which we suspect that gentleman has not
ha -hat
next? The act involves long train of dis
agreeable consequences. What is that place
whose name is inadmissible in genteel So
ciety, without its presiding deity? We must
give that up also; and with it the entire
theology OF high temperatures and then,
what is there left for man to believe p
We would demonstrate with Mr. Conway
Reverend sir. give us back our old creed;
return TO us our h--ll, if you please, with
its seas of fire appendant, and its mountains
of birthstone appurtenant; restore to his
wonted haunts our good old-fasbioned Devil,
with his orthodox horns, tail. claws, and
cloven-foot; SO shall the equilibrium of the
moral universe be re-eStablshed, the means
be at hand to keep naughty children in
order, and fragrant sinners he frightened
into good behavior here, and eternal happi-
ness hereafter.
More than an hundred years ago, Daniel
Defoe wrote the "Politcal History of the
Devil, the motto of which is
Bad as ho is, the Devil may be abused,
BE falsely charged, and causelessly accused,
When men, unwilling to be blamed alone,
Shift of their crimes on Him which are their
Defoe takes his Satanic Majesty to be a
real parsonage, and relates many incidents,
in which his acts and influence were mani
fest in directing the current of events. He
! considers him "cOme of an ancient family"
originally settled and filling high official
position IN heaven, but afterward, for some
act Of Naturalization, :" tried, condemned,
aud the sentence OF expulsion execufd on
him." SO that he is, in this world, like a
transported felon, never to return" Between
the authority of the two historians-the one
certifying that he is and the other that he
is not real personage-we will not pre-
sume to decide. The world is becoming very
skeptical, of late; and if so important a fea-
ture in our religious system should &c snuff
ed out in the summary manner proposed by
the Natural " historian, there is no telling
| who or what wonld become the next ooject
of attack.
We might be permitted to state by way
of postscript, that the last recorded appear
ance of the person in question, in his official
character, was at the taking possession, by
the late Joseph Smith, of the Latter-Day
Saints, of the spot upon the hill of Cumorab,
in the State of New York, where were de-
! posted the golden plates from which was
translated the sacred Book of Mormon.-
/ This important ceremony took place in the
presence of imposing delegations from both
the theological fnalities, who were summon
! cd as witnesses-the Prince of Darkness
himself, with a brilliant revenue of sable
potentates consenting to give his attendance
Whether this is positively his last appear.
ance, will probably depend upon events in
future.