Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-02-13
A Southern Bishop on the war.

A Southern Bishop on the War.
The Bishops Of JEFF. Davis dominion, it
would seem from The Richmond Dispatch,
are engaged in "fring the Southern
heart" DR.. Elliott, who is commended as
patriotic Bishop according to rebel ideas
Of patriotism, addressed his fock in sa-
vannsh lstely upon the awful results Of |
submission to the North. Submission, he |
declares, is no longer possible. Once when
the rebel army was laundering st the
gates Of Washington, thsy might have
submitted to the H conservative and Chris
tisn people Of tho NORTH" but now 1--WE
must lock cur shields and trust il God"
Nov, however, our bellicose Bishop sees q
very different state Of things. The north
has been transformed into an army Of sin
fdel fanatics, and needy and greasy sol
diers at their backs" Now" says this
reformed son Of Mars, "if we OF the South
show the slightest disposition to yield, the
north, with an army Of greedy aaventu-
tureTs, will storm down upon us and
swarm eli over the land, like Attila Of
ancient dsys. In that event." continues
the Bishop, "your wives and children will
bs thrust. down to msnisl service, and you
yourselves be Pariahs among your fellow
citizens" The Bishop then makes his Pc
rOrsdOn in that grandIoqusnt manner
which Is peculiar to the warmer insgins-
tion Of Southern cline.
That mankind in general, as well as
Savannah in particular, may have the
benefit of this orstoric war-cry, ne give
the Bishops concluding words:
"OhI for the tongue Of a prophet to
paint for you what is before yor, unless
you repent and turn to the Lord, and real
iEe thst " His hand is upon oil them for
good that seek him" The language of
Scripture is alone adequate to describe it
"The Garth mourneth aud languishe b
Lebanon is ashamed and bewn down
Sharon is wilderness. They that did
feed delioately ara desolate in the streets;
they that were brought up in scarlet en-
brace dunghills. They rsVisheo the Wo-
men Of Zion and the maids in the cities of
Judah. They took the young men to
grind. The joy of our heart is ceased /;
our dance is turned into mourning. The
crown is fallen from our head; woe unto
Us thst have sinnedT'
We agree with the Bishop that his flock
have sorely sinnsd and would suggest
that the language Of prophecy which he
quotes, exactly describes the condition of
those Southern sinners. The crown has
fallen from their head and they that did
feed delicately are become paupers, de-
pendent on the commisasry storss of the
enemy.
The dunghill which they have embraced
in Hes Of being clsd in scarlet; is their own
fendish wickedness. Their guilt is 30
great that it is not at sll astonishing that
the earth should mourn and languisF.
The depopulation of their country and its
conversion into a wilderness, is no doubt
sptly and practically said when the Bish-
Op cries, Sharon is like wilderness. The
desOlation and woe into which their peO-
pie srs plunged, should arrest the Wsrlike
Bishop and remind him that it would be-
come him far better, if he would breathe
q less martial spirit when he gets up be-
fore his flock.
It is quite incOmprehensible why such a
valorous Peter the Hermit, when sounding
his crusade against the needy and greasy
soldiers Of the North, should not attempt
to enlighten the people Of rebellion lit
tie on the peculiar nature Of the sacrifice
they would have 10 make in case they
should submit. They cannot, Indeed, fog
niggsrs any more. 1t will be source Of
great grief, no doubt, that they cannot
live sumptuOusly on the unpaid lebors Of
others. The chivalry cannot WELD bludg-
cons and bunoombe,sny longerin Congress.
The "mesn whites might occasionally get
q ray Of acknowledge from some other source
than BY setting on wsy-side stump5. The
ssnd-hillsrs might no longer eat clay snd
dip snuff. The negro might lose the gra-
cious privilege OF hsying wife and child
ssld on the auction block. Their large
farms might be divided up and cultivated
by the "gressy soldiers" But no.with-
standing all their losses 60 sad snd melan-
choly for . rebsl, slaYeholding Bishop 10
contemplate, they might possibly be COM
penssted for their sacrifices by free, loyal
intelligent people; E country enriched by
all the arts OF peace commerce and man
ufactures, that in half century would
make the sOuth mighty people. Their
States now trsmpled under the iron hcofs
Of war, would spring up By magic to the
rsslzstiOn Of prosperity and glory, such
90 the world has never witnessed.
Alas for Bishop Elliott and his misguided
flock. The surge that viii sweep over then
are only the tidal waves Of lo5ler oivili-
zation.
-