Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1859-01-30
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EDITOR MoRSING NEws:-I would beg
leave to say, most respectfully, in the Ian
guage of John, the young man who sits a,
the Professor's breakfast table; vios the
Atlantic Monthly, Il didn't know thai
you was the ordained minister of this Par
sh," but recent article in the Neus, head
ed Faith without works, Free Love. etc.
present unnistakeable signs that you have
really changed the Chair for the Pulpit
really DOTTED the blue coat, epauletts, and
donned (tell it not in Virginia. the black
coat and white cravat; thrown away the
sword of the flesh and taken up the sword
Of the spirit. Now would like to say a
few plain words to you, IN plain way, not
as editor of the Necs, but as "the minister
of the parish More especially, as have
seen two articles since in reply to that one,
defining certain positions, defending certain
doctrines, etc.
Now, if you will grant me, the same
privilege. ! will define my position, by cay
ing, that am a member of the Davenport
Institute, and also a Spiritualist-now don't
go off into holy spasm, mean Spiritual
ist as understand it, not as you under
stand it.
NOW, III tuuI dTttCIc yOu COLL ue very
hard names-this does not look we'll in any
person, more especially in minister like
you, so lately ordained "pastor of the par
ish; :" but youth is excusable. When you
get to be as old and experienced as some
Of those you traduced, "in that sermon,
perhaps you will think more favorably of
human nature And then, again, perhaps
you may not there are many instances of
very "holy men" going down to the grave,
thinking very hard of their fellow men !;
and uttering very deep curses against them,
as tor instance, David in the lO9,h psalm,
etc.-but hope better things Of yon, as the
ordained minister OF the parish
But even If all the things you say of us
uere true, would it not have been better
nay, would it not have been your duty, as
minister of the parish, to have paid us a
parochial visit, tried to show US the error
Of our ways, and if possible, saved our souls,
by showing US divine truth? We would
have received you kindly. and looked at
what you might have said without glasses,
in the light, aud with the naked eye of
reason. | believe as far as | now remem-
Der. no member of the Institute wedrs sp.c-
tacles. But instead of doing this, you have
(perhaps at one or more of your sociables)
allowed certain old women. Of both seres to
influence your truly upri !ht, and naturally
good heart with gossip and slander, and
permitted yourself Il am afraid) to be
tempted by the devil to tell, if not some
very big and glaring untruths, at least some
very unjust conclusions. Now don't make
bad worse BY getting angry at this remeln-
Der what tho poet Burns Gays:
"R'en ministers, they hae been ken'd
In holy rapture,
Aru nsefb, a times to vend,
AMI n,ii't with scripture"
But another thing. Even the hard words
you use, are rather indefinite, or at least
have different meaning, when viewed by
different parties, from different points. Did
it never occur to YOU when as minister of
this parish" you take up collections and
send missionaries to "Baariboola Cha" you
were then helping to make Infdels? You
deny it? I'll prove it! Can heather las
you call him) become a convert to your
faith without becoming infdel to his own
All! but. say you, he is in error, and am
right. Now, my dear sir. that is Just what
those, whom you call Infidels, say of you
and who is to Judge when doctors differ. y
The Mahomedan calls us Iutidels, and we
call them the same would it not be wise
to admit that there are truths in all sys-
TENS. Let us be true to them. That there
are errors also in ALL LIT as be Ifdel TO
them. As Pierpont says in one of his
poems
ask myself IL all that host
Whose tnrbAnd marble o'er them nod,
W.re doomed when giving up the ghost.
To die those who havr no God?
No! no! my God thu worshiIped thfe,
Then let no doubt my spirit darken,
That thou who always nearest me
To these thy chir.n too didst hearhen.
Again, You apply that very naughty
word Free Love, rather foolshly-to say
nothing of its untruthfulness-to the spirit
ualst portion of the institute. suppose.
Now as minister of this parish" YOU must
be familiar with the early history Of chris
tianity If you will turn to that you will
see that the old Pagan church said very
many hard things about the early christians
and accused them Of every crime in the cal
ender, even said they went down in the
catacombs under Rome for the purpose Of
eating dead bodies. But then YOU know
christianity was then heterodox and in the
minority, and we living at this distance
know better, but you cannot fail to perceive
that the past is always being reproduced in
the present, and will also be in the future
But as minister Of this parish you will
also be familiar with your bible. you will
there find that Paul accus es the Corinthians
of this very thing free love, and according
to the record not without cause; but sir,
palsied be my arm and dumb may my
tongue be, when | accuse true man or
a body of men with faults and errors which
l know the great body of such neither ad-
vocate nor practice. But this You have done
to us when you knew or might have known
that the great body Of spiritualists in gene-
raj, and the Davenport Institute in particu.
lar, advocate no such doctrine or practice.
BIT still sir if you as the minister of this
parish insist that this shall be the ammuni-
ton v hich is to test the strength of our re-
spective edifices, be it 80. accept the
test, but remember the old adage, men who
live in glass houses &c., and don't be often.
ded when say, that structure with Abra-
ham. David, Solomon. &C.. for some Of the
foundation stones and Kalloch, Dr.. Daily,
land it may be some nearer home) for some
Of it's shingles. is very sure-in such con-
test-to be pretty we'll bombarded.
But you know Hudibras says:
ssSome foster sins they ara iacined to,
By damnng others they have no mind TO-"
You finally allow yourself to get worked
up into holy passion, and call upon public
opinion to 'crush us out" All my dear
sir, have care here; You are tresding on
most dangerous ground; this il weapon
that most surely cuts both ways. Are you
not aware that It was public opinion. head
al he the chue~h ~hinh ran~ ihe tneain m
the eve Of St Bartholomew day lS7a
Have you forgotten that public opinioa haa
slaln end lnpsisiousd some Of IL bset bsns.
fastsss, and the pablis episSsa of ~ nszt
generation raised mouuments b then
Putlls spinisa 60 day 1tsevs poln leevel
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