Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-12-01

PERSONS desiring to hear the thank,gi,-
ing sermon by the Abolition stump speaker
Rev. JAMES THoBURN will find him at the
U. =. Church to day, Thursday and not
at the Presbyterian Church as announced
last week.
The above, from last weeks Gazette,
is fair index to the religious, moral,
and social character of the editor
JAMES THoBURN-born and raised in
Richland Township, respected and adj
mired by every one who is acquainted
with him, possessing an amount Of tai
ent far above what's ordinarily allotted
to men, and degree of reverence and
piety that makes him an obieca of re-
spect and love wherever he mingles
with society-was invited by all the
ministers of St. Clairsville to preach
the thanksgiving sermon in this place
on the oath ult.
Fearing the influence of his talents
and his patriotism, the leaders of the
Copperhead party were unwilling to
have their followers listen to his elo-
quence and his burning, inspiring
words of Christian patriotism-and
they determined to keep them from
hearing him. The first step was to
keep him out of the Presbyterian
Church, which, we are sorry to say, is
too much under the control of the pot
house politicians of the Copperhead
party-and in this they succeeded by
mean, contemplate lie.
In order to prejudice the minds of
its followers still further, the Gazette
! published an attack upon Rev. Tho
BURN, made by an anonymous scribbler
to the Wheeling Register-smuggled
into that paper in the absence Of its
editor, as he informed Mr.. THoBURN
the next day, when he frankly told him
he would not have permitted it to ap-
pear if he had been at thome-and makes
it the occasion of contemplate attack
upon Mr.. THoBURN by the editor.
Still fearing that some Of Mr.. Tho
BURNS personal friends in the Copper
head party might 60 to hear him, the
above very respectable notice appeared
in that paper the day before the SER
mon was preached. a
We are glad to say, however, that
if the object of this Jacobin was to
prevent Rev. THoBURN frem getting q
good congregation, he and his satraps sig.
nally failed; for the United Presbyterian
Church was Allied with one Of the most in
telligent, respectable and patriotic congrega-
tions that ever assembled to hear any man
preach in the town of St. Clairsville. After
the sermon was over, it was not difficult to
SEQ and understand why it was that those
Coppsrhead leaders we're 80 anxious to keep
therfollowers away from its Influence. The
glowing rehearsal ofthe causes We had as q
people to be thankful to the Father Of Msr,
ciss the touching appeals to the philan.
throphy, ,!the Christianity, the patriotism Of
tho people; the exhortation to provo true
ia the hour Of trial to ourselves, to pes
terity, to our country, to the Church aud to
God; touched the tender chord in every
breast, and stirred the feelings Of patriot.
ism in every heart, until those pent up feel.
ings, restrained by the sacredness Of the
place from more boisterous demonstrations,
found vent through the "windsws Of the
soul" in the trckling teardrop that glist
eusd upon almost every cheek. No wsnder
these leaders sought to keep their followers
away from the influence of that sermon, fer
their bigotry and prejudice would have been
but posr protection against the Truth, the
eloqusnoe, the appeals to patriotism it con-
tanned.
These Shiny creatures may rrjoice ever
their victory--as they term it-of keeping
that sermon out Of the Presbyterian Church,
but thsyswill find that it is ono of those vic.
tories that will react with terrible fsrss
upon the yictore.