The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1866-10-17
nuernment what is denied to us

to get from the Governmental is denied to us
by our brethren?
Let me state to you a fact: When General
Sherman's army passed through Winnsboro
Captain Fuller and six others Of that army
robbed one of the elders of the Scion Presbyte-
rian Church there of an elegant silver communion
set, the gift of dying female member of tie
same, costing $3.50 in New York, and having the
church's name and the donors name engraved
upon each article. You will say this was a sac
religious act of robbery Now, concerning this
fact question: Would it make this case better,
or would it make it worse, if | could go on and
tell you that certain congregation OF your body
now has that silver communion set which Cap
tain Fuller presented to them, and are now using
it for their communion purposes with those
names Of Scion Church and its dying sister sta
ring them continually in the face as they eat the
| bread and drink the wine which set forth the
body and blood of our common Master? Would
not the receiving of this plate by church be, in
| fact, worse deed than was the taking of IT by
| rough soldier? And would not the holding of
| it, after the Winnsboro' Church had asked for
its restoration, be still worse than the receiving
| Of it?
Another question: Suppose, instead of
soldier that took that communion service, 1t had
been one of your Church's missionaries, and he
had held and used it in your Assembly service,
would that make it any better case? Or, let
me state another case: Suppose one OF your
! missionaries in some heather land were to pos
sess himself of a dwelling house, and use it in
your service-keeping missionary school, say,
| in the basement of it-and suppose he should do
| this, forcibly, by recourse 10 the power and
authority of the Governor of city, but against
| the will of its owners and suppose the case
should come before your Assembly, what course
do you think that body would pursue with respect
| to the injustice so done by their missionary to
| that heather man How would you like to hear
of your Assemblys Withholding all censure Of
| the missionary and the committee which sup
ported him, while saying: sit was the act of
| the Governor, not ours or, Oar missionary
did it, not WEI" Nay, how would you like to
| have them pass n vote commencing the zeal,
fidelity and efficiency of their agents in this bust
ness?
| Ny dear DR.. Backus, the whole width of your
well.merited reputation for generosity and truth
is not sufficient to enable you in your kindness to
cover over the deformities which attach to this
| case Misled yourself, through the goodness of
your own heart, you might read to your people
your Secretary's letter, and they might easily be
mised to believe that it is all right 1t does sound
tolerably smooth and decent when subjected to no
! criticism and no analysis. But l may venture TO
say you could not submit that letter and my reply
to the deliberate examination of your congrega-
| ton without their calling on you TO take back
| some of your commendation Nor will the action
of the Assembly of st. Louis, on this case, bear
the examination ofthe intelligent citizens of Balt
more albeit you have been led to such charitable
Interpretation fthem. That Assembly was, per
haps under too much excitement to look carefully
into this matter. Just think of it. Mr.. Logan
tells them ''the committee had made no claim upon
the church as our property" and yet there, in the
Assembly, were the printed copies, sent on by u.s.
of Gen. Sections reply to the corporation OF
Zion, telling them that their petition had been
returned to him from Pitsburg with the commit
tees claim endorsed upon it And there also,
in the Assembly, were printed copies of Mr.. Lo-
gan's letter to me, in which he acknowledges in
so many words that they made the claim Think
of it again: both Mr.. Logan and Mr.. Mcknight,
(late a member of the committee,) attempt to
to throw the whole responsibility of the holding
of our edfce first upon the General and then
upon the missionary; and Mr.. Allison another
member of the committed ventures to declare
to the Assembly that " the impression seemed to
have got abroad that they had come into a COLI
sion in this field of labor but this altogether
a mistake They had carefully avoided estab-
fishing themselves in any place where the South
ern Church and Freedmen's Aid Societies were
operating" o. SIN all cases, teachers and
missionaries had been instructed to avoid in
frinpinp on the labors of others" @ Astound.
ing statement No collision and no establishing
2 of themselves where the Southern Church was
operating, and no infringement by their mission
aries on the labors of others And yet this
, committee is commended by the Assembly for
their "Adelity, zeal and efficiency" and this
Secretary for his 50 faithful and successful
workl'
il is gratifying to hear you say "all the world
win not make me believe that my Southern breth-
rem are not worthy of my confidence and affec-
E ton" You have many Southern brethren, no
doubt, who deserve this. You 90 on to add that
my Northern brethren are as really worthy OF
NINE" | acknowledge that many Of them are.
| go further There are at the North as noble
Christian men and women as ever adorned any
country. know some such personally, and / can
well believe there are thousands more. But does
it follow that all my brethren there, whatever
they may do or say, are entitled equally to my
confidence and affection? Ought you not to be
somewhat more discriminating? Letme ask You
to reflect, in the exercise of such discrimination
whether what has happened regarding Zion
Church be really as you signify, merely INDUCING
"terrible prejudice" or not rather your actu-
ally committing fragrant injustice; and whether,
therefore, you are warranted in ascribing it to
my being "irritable and captious that have
"perpetrated such and like letters as you D
have written to Logan" Charity does indeed
(as old DR.. Miller used to tell MS at Princeton, }
. "hope all things and endure all things, but at
the same time charity has eyes and ears and is
no FOOL