Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-03-06
MORE INTERESTING CORRESPON-
DENCE.
MR.. How1soN TO Ne. BAyARDrAyLoK.

r+
Mr. How1soN TO Ma BAyARDTAyLoK.
RI iar RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 10, 1850.
BAYARD TAYLOR, Eso.-Sir: Your
letter of1the Sd inst, has been received.
am truly sorry that you should con-
slider anything in my last letter person
ally discourteous or insulting to you,
Certainly such was not my intention,
nor do l believe that the letter, in whole
or in part, can with fairness be so con.
strued. Z .-r.- sF -t.~ .,.f.
It was due as we'll to yourself as to
those L represented, that, in withdraw
ing the invitation previously given to
you, should inform you plainly of our
Esasansefarssol deiasaa4Anda iysur,s letter
in no degree removes or diminishes the
force OF those reasons ---,.r =.,f
1t was not generally known in this
community that you were connected with
the N. Y. Tribune, and the fact of such
connection assumed significance in the
light of recent events, which caused open
expressions of dissatisfaction. s,tbr.
And when, in addition to this, you in
form me that you ''hold the opinions of
Washington and Jefferson on the sub
ject of slavery your partial editorship
of the Tribune indicates positive SYM
pathy with it's doctrines. Washington
and Jefferson were great, but human;
they lived and died before the subject of
slavery had been thoroughly discussed
in view of Scripture and reason, and
above all, they died before modern Abs
olitionism had commenced its pestilen-
tial career. ..-. ..r.. e.
Washington's opinions in favor of
emancipation were moderate, and, IN has
time, not Objectionable; but Jefferson
went much farther
If it be true that you, a scholar and a
writer, do noo in 1860 hold with Jeffer-
son, that ''the whole commerce between
master and slave is a perpetual exercise
of the most boisterous passions, the most
unremitting despotism on the one part,
and degrading submission on the other" !"
and, In view of slavery, that you ''trem-
BILE for your country when you reflect
that God is just; that his Justice cannot
sleep forever; that considering numbers,
nature, and natural means only, revo-
luton of the wheel of fortune, am &c
change Of situation probable by supernat-
ural interference" and is among possible
erents, that it may become that 'tthe AL
mighty has no attribute which can take
side with us in such contest If such
be your present sentiments, then you
cannot be surprised to find that you will
not be welcome visitor to Virginia
community. ..-.-......
AS to your lecture on Humboldt,
have never heard it, and as it has not
been published in full, 1 have of course
not read it. But certain extracts from
it, and statements of parts of it have,ap-
peared in the papers, the Tribune among
others, the accuracy of which you have
not within my knowledge, denied One
of these represents you as saying that
II Humboldtrarely attended Divine service,
and that he possessed an unbounded
scorn for much that is called religion;
that his religious nature wasperhaps too
deep to find expression by such meth
DDS; that in conversation with yourself
he uttered satire upon clergymen, and
to this, certain remarks of your own are
added, from all Of which, others beside
myself had inferred that you vindicate
and approved Humboldt's religious be-
lief, although it was Deism, and not
simple faith in the Scriptures as divinely
inspired. Whether such be your real
sentiments your own conscience only can
decide. | pretend not to Judge you, but
| am bound to draw my own differences
from the indications apparent, and l re-
gret that nothing in your letter removes
these unfavorable impressions,
You conclude with the strong words,
''Yours for free thought and enlightened
Christianity In a proper sense, l
unite with you in desiring these bless
ings; but the very forms of your ex-
preston remind me that with many at
the North ''free thought has degenera-
ted into "free thinking OF infdelity,
and eliminated in ssfree love-, and that
they have sought to "enlighten' Chris
tianity by holding up in the face of the
Sun of Righteousness the smoking taper
Of their so-called "higher law" For
such s'free thought and enlightened
Christianity" am not, but / am i
Yours for Constitutional Liberty, and
the Christianity of the Bible.
Eta@EI '.5 p r. r. sHOWISON.