, 1865-08-04
SnmmHnita1fu
To the Editor of the St. CrOix Avis,
DEAR SIR,

referring, before this, to the series OF com
munications which have appeared in your
columns from the Revd. j. Gardin, pur-
porting to be an "Answer' to the Minority
Report previously published at my request,
but evidently so entitled solely on the
'locus q non lncendo" principle, e., be-
cause, while so intended, they are, in roali-
ty, no answer at all. Instead of meeting,
and r%efuting, argument by argument, the
Superintendent has made the weakness of
his cause even more lamentably apparent
than before, by so palpably fleeing from
the arena of fair discussion, and betaking
himself to that well known refuge Of CON
troversialists under dificulties-personahiy.
Throughout his communication, which only
for courtesy's sake we can dignity with
the title of "Answer," the whole object of
attack is-"the Revd. Dubois" ''the Revd,
writes,'' &c. and but seldom, if ever,
is the document which has called forth his
ire treated Of in its real character-as a
Minority Report, emau&tlng from no one
individual, but coming before the public
over the signatures Of four members of the
School Commission. Now the public not
unnaturally asks-why is this attempt
IIldQC 10 ICuuCC d ldIt ulSCuSSlOu Ol a IIiOSU
important public question to a mere per-
SOnaJ issue? The answers have been yari-
Gus. Some have suggested that it is be-
cause the Superintendent fears to give UNI
bragg to gentlemen who occupy the iniu-
entail positions held by my ~co-signers, by
including them in his remarks; while 9th
ers again declare, that it is evidently an
attempt to avail himself of this opportunj-
ty of gratifying some feeling OF personal
animosity against me. For my own part,
however, I%reiect both of these suggestions /;
for the former involves a charge of down
right cowardice; the latter one Of sheer
malice and | would be very sorry, what
ever others may do, to suspect one OF his
age and profession of such motives as these.
My own belief is simply, that he has fallen
into an error, into which the best OF men
are apt insensibly to fall, when engaged in
the hopeless task of endeayoring to defend
a long INDUCED hobby, contrary to all rea-
son, and in spite of the most conclusive
facts. A man who is not left a leg to stand
upon, but who, nevertheless, viii obSti-
nately endeavor to maintain his perpendi-
cular, will naturally avail himself Of any
semblance Of support that may be at hand,
not rejecting that his very resort to such
q prop, of itself, manifests his inability to
stand fairly and alone. The spectator of
such a scene will regard the actor in it on
ly with painful compassion, well knowing
that the rotten prop on which he leans
must fail him-that the fall must eyentu-
ally come-and that it will only be the
heavier, and the more damaging, for the
desperate effort which he now makes to
stand. Precisely such, in a controversial
sense, is the position in which the Super
intendent places himself by the character
of his "Answer 5" and such precisely too,
are the feelings, with which, in common
with the vast majority of your readers, 1
regard him. Apparently the Superinten-
dent has yet to learn, that in such a dis
cussion as this, mere personalities can ne
yer supply the place Of sound argument
and I can assure him, that if they are in
tended as a ruse to draw me away from
my only object in moving in this matter,
namely-to expose the failure of the Ru-