Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-05-04

Scrlbed habits have a tendency to the form
alton of morbid moods, and this among tn
number.
Ot the perverseness Of partisanship !
politics much is written, and my pen nee
not dip into it /; but there is peiversenes
exhibited by Christian churches in thei
quarrels that should be exposed and discuss
ed, because some people have an impression
that it may possibly be piety. 'Fo
dun Sqaizsle, read permanence,' said an edi
tor, correcting typographical error thai
had found its way into his journal II
seems as strange that perverseness should
De mistaken for piety as that 'permanence
should be mistaken for dun squizzle,' but
l believe 1t often is. Let some little cause
OF disturbance arise and become active 10 a
church, and it is astonishing how both par.
ties go to work aud pray over it, The pas
tor, perhaps, has said something on the
subject of slavery, or be does not preach
doctrine enough, or he preached the wrong
sort OF doctrine, or he does not visit his
people enough or there is "a row about
the singing, or about a change in the hymn.
books, or about repairing the church. or
bnylng an organ, or something or other.
ana stralghtway sides are taken, and the
Wills OF both parties get reused. 1t is
sometimes laughablc-it would always be.
only that it is too sad--to see how onickly
both parties grow pious, as they grow per
verse. 1t would seem. as the strife wakes
hot, that the glory of God was never SO
much in their hearts as now. They pray
with ferVor, they are constant in their pub
lie religions duties, they pass through the
most ScrupuIous self examinations, aud then
fight on to the bitter end believing,
suppose, that they really are doing God
service, when they are only gratifying their
own perverse wills.
Churches have been ruined, or divided.
or crippled in their power, by a cause of
quarrel too Insignificant to engage the
minds of sensible worldly men for an hour.
| have heard it said that church uuarrels
are the most violent of all quarrels, because
religious feelings are the strongest feelings
OF our nature. confess that l do not see
the force of this statement for it docs not
appear to me that religious feelings have
much to do with these quarrels l can
much more easily see why all personal diff.
ierenceS should be adjusted peaceabIy in
church, for there it is supposed that the
individual will is Subordinated to the cause
OF religion and the general good. The real
basis Of the bitterness of church uuarrels
is women. There are no others, except
neighborhood quarrels, in which women
mingle, and neighborhood quarrel will at
once be recognized as more like church
quarrel then any other. Women have
strong feelings, are attracted or repulsed
through their sensibiities, conceive keen
likes and diSlkes, do not stop to reason,
and are, of course, the readieSt aud the
most devoted partiSans. If the mouths of
the women could only be smothered in
church quarrel, it would be settled much
easier. Of all the peryerse creatures in
this world, woman who has thoroughly
herself to any man, or any cause,
is The least tractable and reasonable. |
hope this statement will not offend my
sweet friends, because it is so true that |
cannot consciously retract it.
What the books call pfide of opinion, is,
nine cases in ten, simple perverSeneSS. |
know most venerable public teacher of
whose early theory of the pro.
ductiOn Of animal heat-very ridiculous in
itseIf-is still yearly announced from his
desk, Notwithstanding the fact that the
whole world has received another, whose
SOundueSS is demonstrated beyond all ques.
ton. AS he, year after year, declares his
belief that animal heat is produced by cor
puscular friction in the circulating blood,
there is a twinkle OF his eyes among his
amused auditors which says very plainly
the old gentleman does not believe this,
himSelf.' The youngest student before him
knows better than to give his theory o mo-
ment's consideration. Well, the old Doc.
tor is not alone. The world is full of this
kind Of thing. Men adhere to old opinions
and old policies long after they have learn
that they are shallow or untenable, not
from a genuine pride Of opinion { | doubt
very much whether there really is anything
that should be called pride Of opinion
but from genuine perverscness of diSpoSi-
ton Men will give, in some heated mo-
mcnt, an opinion touching some ones char
acter or powers, and, though that opinion
be proved to be wrong a thousand times,
they will never acknowledge that they have
made mistake This is simple perverse-
ness which impress one not altogether un-
pleasantly, but this affects man with equal
anger aud disgust.
PerversencSS is sign of wednesday,
an element Of wcakness--in man or woman.
1t is no legitimate part of a true character.
The generous, OutspOkcn man, who is not
afraid to show himself and what there is
in him, who cares more about the right
way than his way, who throws away an
opinion as he would throw away an old hat
the moment he finds it is worthless, and
who good naturedly allows the frictons of
society to straighten out all the kinks there
are in him, is tho strong man always, and
always the one whom men love. PerverSe-
ness is really moral strabismus, and am
shocked to think what multitude of squint-
eyed souls there will he, when we come TO
look into one another'S faces in the 'uudreSs
of Immortality
The DANGER AT WASHINGTON gen.
tleman long a resident of Washington, who
has removed his family to the North, makes
the following statements