New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-16

| Our readers will remember that We printed
mon the 18th inst. curious account of q
Spiritual Baptism ut Willetts Point--a cer-
tain Prof. Wheeler being the candidate, and
one Mrs. Draper, "a Daughter Of Zion,p the
" Officiating Sister," and the whole being under
the patronage of " The Spiritual Baptist Church
and Progressive Association" Now, as 1t
seems, there was nothing particularly original
about this droll and sad exhibition. 1.-The
Progressive Association" in spite Of its go
ahead name, is merely keeping up with scores OF
other Associations in the .xaco VI novelty ahi
absurdity. If one will but examine tho adver.
tisements in the daily newspapers, he will find
full assortment Of saints" OF prophets 7
and Of " churches" announced; and every week
brings to us the publication of a fresh faith.
But in all these we discover O family likeness.
There is always ga High Priest" There is
always "a Daughter of Zion.' There Is always
something said about the "Mllennium"-that
great mysterious coming and browning event.
upon faith In which SO many strange sectS
have been founded. Thcrois always preacher
to whom a special revelation has been made.
And not seldom there is shilling to be paid at
the door, .t.I..- dfV-tII~ soy
| IL there IL any reader who thinks these
yagaries peculiar to tho present day, and is
panied by the reflection, we offer to him by
way of solacc the assurance that he is entirely
mistaken. These eceentricities are as old
as Christianity-they aro peculiar to no
country nor to any age, nor are they the
offspring of any particular creed. Beside the
gigantic scheme Of Mohammed, these petty
Ilunacies seem contemplate, but they are the
parasitical growth, just as that was, Of the
b, Christian faith. In modern times We have had
Jumpers and sandemanans, Shakers and Mil.
Ilcrites, Muggletonians and Mormons. Dunkers
i and Mysties, While men permit themselves
to DO divided by slight differences, a course
which we dc. not here pretend either to con
Idemn or to approve, it will be Away
on easy matter for any one who desires
to do so, TO found o sect. There i
no folly great enough TO repel all mankind
There is no error palpable enough to be sccute(
Iby everybody. Whoever pleases, and will tak'
i sufficient trouble, may set up "religiOn.
The oi;iv point upon which he cannot DO sure
lis that Of pemailsracei for gross ana unmlll
gated absurdity is ,hort.live.:: fe'' Us 'oi'a''
once said, Error has its value; uu ie
quently arciigtuus scheme, which upon It's IL"
seems to bewholly ridiculous IL found to con
tain some detail Of economical good sense, o
ieven some grains Of spiritual truth, Of ,virtu
sufficient to prolong its existense for severa
i generations 00e ............''..A lih' b. -
Th1ercat safety Of the present time agains
error is to DO found in the federation
which, in this country at least, has become ON
Of our social and intellectual habits. II tn
old gentleman who, the other day, was bap
tiled into 1.-THE kingdom Of the Bride" shoul'
be arrested, and taken to the Tombs, ant
racked. and put upon bread and water Diet ant
finally hung for his heresy in the Park, twent,
lother old gentlemen would at once rush to tn,
rescue, demand to be baptized by the oorpu
lent Mrs. Draper. and he seriously disappointed
'lif, in their turn, they were not raoked ana
hung. Under such management "the king