Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1865-12-24

THE London Saturday Revieu, with an ir-
reverence for things both sacred and profane,
which is very naughty but exceedingly
clever, has been dissecting sundry funeral
sermons preached by the English clergy
upon the death of Lord Palmerston. "The
Right Rev. DR.. Dibdin, M. A., not content
ing himself with the usual path of eulogy,
discussed with great earnestness the difficult
and exceedingly perplexing question of the
probable fate of the Premiers soul, and then
published and advertised his sermon after
the following startling fashion: "The
Patriot Palmerston was he saved? Price
Sixpence" The Saturday Reuetc says,
that s.-
The most penurlous person would not
grudge his sixpcnce to ascertain the answer
to this modest question, and it must be par
ticularly pleasing to public man to reflect
that, after his death, the question of his eter-
nal salvation will be discussed in pulpits and
freely advertised in the newspapers Death
may grin horribly, a CHASTITY smile, but it
cannot be other than a consolation to know
that by the side, and in the style, of Do
you bruise your oats yet" or, Do you
double up your perambulator p will figure
the rather more delicate question, Is the
great mans soul saved p 1t keeps his mcm-
DRY sweet and wholesome among the surviy-
ors, and fills them with a pathetic concern
for him. True, there has generally been a
feeling, outside the lnquisition at least, that
the state of mans soul is a thing which
concerns no human being but himself; that
its salvation is a matter between himself and
the Divine Judge; and that the rest of us,
even if we had the wish to sit in the seat of
judgment, can never, by the possible ingenu-
ity or labor, be sure that we have the whole
evidence in the case. OF course, this is a
sorry squeamishness. Nobody but an in
different and wicked Gallo could dream of
allowing his neighbor to manage his own
spiritual business, or, after that business was
brought to its end for good or for evil, could
refrain from pronounCing sentence of damna-
ton or salvation. There are one or two in
functions in the Bible about judging another,
but these, we presume, must be taken for the
corrupt interpretations of a latitudinarian
age. 1t is a very useful and interesting ex-
ercise to discuss the Suitability of any COM
mon Tom and Harry of your acquaintance
1t is even soothing to accost some chance
person you may meet in railway carriage,
or on the high road with the question, in
geniously framed on the playful mockery of
the streets, How's youf poor soul ?' But
the golden opportunity is when some con-
spicuous public character passes out of the
world. Here is a soul that is indeed worth
talking about-a soul of quality.
" 1t was not to be expected that Lord
Palmerstcn's death would be allowed to pass
without the occasion being improved in this
delightful way. An Irishman of certain
sort would feel very uncomfortable if he al
lowed his friend to be buried in peace with
out the elegant ceremonies of the wake. And
clergymen of a certain sort would feel that
they had been shamefully wanting to their
duty if they suffered an eminent man to die
and be buried with merely few words of
decent regret"