The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-12-02
WRITINGS of a perturSed SPIRIT.

Writings of q Perturoed SPIRIT.
Perhaps the substitution of the word cop
perhead" for "perturbed spirit" in the aDoV'
caption, would better express the facts u
which that caption has reference. Inc ar
ms is in trouble with the clergymen. linen
.presence is to it like holy water to his satanic
majesty, or as the symbol OF the cross 70 a.
evil spirit. Thursday morning it came ou' =
axtravaoant praise of Rev. Mr.. HepWofth'
lecture before the Mercantile Library Assoclt
ton. finding not one word of fault enVelln
not one complaint or exception, but Wihaihg
up as follows: c''>'' ~
1v,a lactorer was well received, and spoke in
most ell )quent and amusing manner Keeping the au'
dience in good humor the entlre evening, felaGm
many lauqbabe anecdotes of Sambo, and the aristo-
cratic Sontherner; and finally the Prodigal Son re-
I1rnng to his fathers house. The lecture aboundet
In wit and far surpassed our expectations.
This was editorial. 1t was the language o.
no correspondent. But presto. Inc mex
morning, after the acids and alkalles IN th'
editorial stomach had had opportunity to
churn up together, and to produce their ''S''al
effect. that naper came out with terrible On
slauobt upon Mr.. Hepworth, styling him "a
notable specimen of pulpit sensationist," ano
asserting that he apparently thinks vastly
more of creating sensation than OF incul-
eating correct sentiments"
Not satisfied to assail the gentleman as
Lecturer in the City Hall, the Argus, with ex-
treme bad taste, we think, follows him int
the church and assails him in the. pulpit
Here is its language: .s.s .r.Ilt
But who is to blame for this state Of things? We
answer tho people-the community. 1t Is ihelr ap-
proyal their countenanee and support of tits style
Religious p teachings which has placed the Hep
worth's in pupits and has aided to educate the pub
lie mind In the rection named. The advantage o.
such ex iibition as he gave at the First Parisl
Church Sunday evening recently, and at the Cits
Hall on Wednesday, evening, Is that Dy its @
ed irreyerence and uDadulserated ultralsm IL VII
call attention ii anything can do IT. to the existing
evils and to the dapgers which threaten from thu
source While people will approve and pay for th
kind Of stnf fere will be enough to furnish it, II
reouires no more talent, no more religion, no more
jeniaI than it does TO make successful leader
nj a MIRO minstrel troupe. Any fast young MAJ
who tses 10 smoke his cigar drink his wine and
white kids and make sensation, may aspire to thi
position. IL is not required that the aspiraIt shall
command respect for dignity OF character tor supe
rior goodness for spiritual mndedness, for
for sacred things least, the most successful
most applauded pulpit sensationsts DO not appear
seek this sort OF respect or to regard as of con-
sequence
We have been accustomed to regard the
people with degree of veneration; they are
the only sovereigns known on our side of the
Atlantic,-at least, in this portion of North
America,-and as a Democrat we have SUP
posed they had a right to approve to ''coun-
tenance" and to Support" such a "style of re-
ligious teaching" as to them seems best, and
that they have quite as much right to prefer
"Hepworth" as a copperhead saint has to pre-
fer Hopkins; quite as much right to believe
in and applaud the doctrine of "deliverance to
the captives" as the argus has to believe in
and pray for the deliverance of JEFF. Davis ::
quite as much right to uphold liberty and 10y
atty as that paper has to defend slavery anG
cultivate disloyal spirit. But in the estima-
ton of modern Democracy-such Democracy
as the Argus representative people are of nc
account; their voice is the voice of the mob,
and there is authority and good sense only in
the voice of the aristocrat, all booted and spur
red to ride rough-shod over the common peo-
pie. According to its idea, the slave-whip is
the magic wand of the true christian reform
er, and the whipping-post, on which black hui
manity is scourged, is more luminous and
blessed than the cross. s '4 ~
But the argus has still other troubles with
the clergy. Referring to the report in the
Press of the Freedmen's meeting on Monday
evening, that paper said: "
"The reporter OF the Press who stated that ever,
W gDnlr of fhn.
Freedmen's Aid Association came out in the strong.
est terms for granting the right of suffrage to the ne
gro must nave had his ears queerly attunei, or els
they Of such proportions enable him to
what was not spoken, and were attached to tina
whlca IS me1tioned in the sacred writings as know
ing his Masters crib
In reply to this the reporter, OF local editor
of the Press, simply gave the remarks of the
clergymen who spoke ON that occasion, as he
took them down in his notebook on the spot
fully indicating his own report, and showing
that whoever made an ass of himself, it was
no animal that brays through our columns
To this the Argus of yesterday morning re-
spends, under the head of "Obtuse," as fol
lows: -i-f i5-a4t.D
''There is difference, wide as the poles almost
between favoring universal suffrage for the negro
coupled with the forcing of il upon the South as
condition of its restoration to full relations in the
Union, and the favoring of suffrage for negroes who
are properly educated to enjoy the privege yet Tie
Press in its anxiety 10 drag clergymen who spoke
the Ffee1mens meeting into the support OF its anat-
ical partzanship utterly confounds this distinction
and seeks TO place some of them, at least, in posi-
ton which their remarks in no way justified, ani
which nothing but the greatest obtuseness ON thi
part of the reporter could excuse relieve from the
suspicion of intentional misrepresentation
The only "obtuseness" exhibited in this mat
ter seems to have been on the part of the dr.
gus, in not discriminating between what oui
reporter actually did say, and what its jaun
diced heart would have it understood he said
He did not say word about "forcing it me
gro suffrage) as condition to its (the South's)
restoration to full relations in the Union
He simply said:
"Clergymen of every denomination came upon the
PLATFORM each expressing the greatest interest fol
the cause of Freedom, and each one coming out III
the strongest terms for granting him the RIGHT Of
suffrage. There was not the slightest hesitation up
this point by any of the speakers but all came
square up to the mark, and insisted upon this right
being granted the negro as well as the white man."
And this statement is strictly correct. If
as the Argus says, Eat least two of the cler-
gymen who spoke on this occasion, made nc
reference to The suffrage question at all" they
nevertheless "insisted upon this right being
granted to the negro as well as the white man.
for While other clergymen were both explicit
and emphatic on this point, the "two' to
whom the Argus evidently refers, expressly
gave their assent and approval to all that
others had said.
A Proper Estimate. ...4r
Tho Richmond RuLleti9l refer;no, 4,