Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1860-12-12
THE RAFTsbDAN,s J0pRe1Al,
noWu ON THE CLERGY.

y8E DOWN ON THE CLEh6x.
| There are those, even here in Clearficld
where one would suppose the m oral at MI osphere
to be almost as pure as the mountain air, who
| contend that Slavery is of Divine origin and
the result Of direct revelations. They may not
| at all times avow it In SO many words, but their
arguments on the subject are generally based
upon that hypothesis, and their sensibilities are
frightfully shocked at anything that may be
said TO the contrary. The editor of the Clear.
field Republican seems to be one of this class !;
and hence it is not surprising to find him, in
his last issue, censuring, indiscriminatcly, all
the clergymen who on Thanksgiving Day said
anght against Negro Slavery in this boasted
"free" country of ours. According to his ar
ticle, these preachers must be dreadful set Of
men. They are a blighting curse to our land
" and everything that is just and right is
the unqualified Judgment pronounced against
them by the editor of the Republican. They
are 'wrong doers" and 'shypocritcs," says he,
who "succeed by false pretences," and "wear
SO the livery of heaven to serve the Devil more
" fully than they otherwise could.' They are
'' a generation of vipers," he further declares,
"who come fully up to the standard of their
" predecessor-we mean Judas Iscariot, for
Z" they both betray their master and insult their
Z" hearers, and assist to trail the banner oftheir
" Divine master in the dust" If all this be
true, as our neighbOr says it is, a fearful state
Of morals must be prevailing among this here
tofore highly esteemed class, and every body
will doubtless be astonished to learn that they
are carrying on in the manner described by the
Republican. Nor is that the worst of it. 1t
seems they are actuated by selfish motives.
They do it for gain-for pelf-for money!
calculates our immaculate neighbor, with we'll
affected astonishment; and then, very charita-
bly,, he hopes, or " expects to hear of them
sc closing their lives in the same manners in
which the unfortunate Mister J. Iscariot wound
up his earthly career. In the meantime, as
Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity which
is 'salways embraced'' by these preachers ssto
spread then selves in their pulpts'' on the sa-
very question, our neighbor very philanthropi-
cally proposes to prevent the recurrence of
such improper conduct by doing away with this
annual custom. eFor our part,' says he, swe
hope the day as such may be aboished''-
wiped out, entirely obliterated. That is the
sovereign remedy-or, rather, the great pre-
ventive, which he intends applying to stop
these ''vipers" and sshypocrites'' from talking
SO much upon ga subject not found within the
=" lids OF the Bble-negroes and American
e Slavery" 1t may be that the Bible does not
contain anything on this sssubject''-we will
not at present assume to say that it does but
If 1t does not, where will these gentlemen find
the authority to make it q "Divine institu.
tion 70 Let this, however, be as it may, we
think our neighbor has hit upon an expedent
which is well calculated to bring about the re-
suit he SO much desires. IT it does not, he
might go in for ''abolishing' the Sabbath Day
also, as by doing tlat he could at one blow de-
prive these sswrong doers" of every "opportu-
nifty" to attack SO sacred thing as slavery.
and at the same time cut off from the comforts |
Of Christianity all who do not receive the Cos
haps, in order to reduce the matter to Ger
'ainty, he intends adopting, in conjunction |
Sith his own plan, Joe Lane IS orthographic |
NODE of punishment, and scare them into good |
by swelling out, as he does in the |
arlicle before us, the 'sDevP' with the biggest |
sort of a 'tD," whilst he reduces "heaven' to |
as small dimensions possible. But, serious
y speaking, are not affairs coming to pretty
pass when Christian Ministers cannot exercise
he Constitutional prerogative of Free Speech,
without being denounced as ioathsome crea-
ures and compared to the most abominatle
nen: and, in one instance at least that we could
mention, threatened with a withdrawal of SUD-
'ort, because, forsooth, they say that Human
slavery is an evil and at variance with the
cachings of the Bible We might expect to
ear ct SUCH things being done in the South,
'here Preachers aIe hanged for ayowing anti
lavery sentiments, and where other individu-
Is are mobbed, tarred and feathered, or lashed
n the most brutal manner, not for anything
hey may have uttered, but because they are
uspected OF entertaining opinions adverse to
ne "Divine Institution; - but that this species
despotism was beginning to show its ugly
cad In the free and enlightened North, is
lore than we could believe did we not our
elves know it to be true. John Randolph, q
lavehoider himself, uttered a severe rebuke to
ne apologists of human bondage ia our section
the land when ne said, al envy neither the
heart nor the head of tina. man from the North
who rises to defend Slavery on principle.'
TIE TIMER BUsINEss.-We are not at this ,
= l..