New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-18
A TERRIBLE FATE.

Differences of religious opinion have Offended to
the preparation of enormous cruelties We read
| a good deal in history about the prosecutions of
the christians by Nero and Diocetan of the
pagan Saxons by Charlemagne of the Protes-
tants by Philip the Second and Louis XIX of the
Catholics and Quakers by the Scotch and the Yam
KEGS. Every church and every sect has its mar
tyrs who have been crucifed, or broken on the
wheel, or burnt at the stake on account of an her
etical persistency in opinions distasteful to the
orthodox authorities We have not heard of such
things lately in this country it is true but the
cessation of theological fury may be due to the
fact that the time and attention of the majority is
now fully occupied in preparing ingenious tor
ments for political adversaries, and in deyising
punishments for 'rebels" and other "disloyal"
people. Nevertheless we observe that an instance
of the kind to which we have alluded has recently
occurred in St. Louis and is related with much
holy zeal by correspondent of the New York
Times, 1t seems that in the general assembly of
the Presbyterian church. lately in session at ST.
Louis, there was the usual contest between the
loyal" members and the "disloSal' members
that is to say those who think that man must be
heather and sinner unless he believes in the
gospel according to Sumner and Stevens and those
who imagine that man can be a christian and a
good Presbyterian even though he sympathized
with the South in the recent struggle. In the
course of the debate between the contending par
ties, one of the "disloyal" diyines made a state
ment which seems to have been dlsagreeable to
the loyal" majority. A retraction was demanded
but the offending member--a gentleman named
Ferguson, stuck to his words With the heroism of
martyr, and positively refused to recant.
ThereunGo the Rev DIR. Krebs uovnd nv bnI,y
horror aud "loyal" Indignation, moved that the
Rev. DR., Ferguson be expelled, The motion was
agreed to, and the.sentence was duly carried into
effect. We feel that we cannot adequately de-
scribe the terrors of the punishment inflicted on
the "dsloyal" divine, without quoting the vivid
language of the narrator. That graphic historian
of this remarkable event informs an awe-struck
public that the miserable man. thrust out of The
house, eu into The arms Of the fair rebels aUh0 left
the galleries to meet him at the door and crolon
him 1ojh their laoTeLS.n
Since the days when Hypata was torn to pieces
by the Alexandrian mob no punishment SO ex-
quisitely terrible has ever been inflicted on an
offender against established opinions. Yet we
must confess that it should ever be our lot to sit
in an assembly of "loyaln Presbyterian divines,
and to be thrust out like the miserable Ferguson,
we may, like that unhappy divine, fall into the
arms of fair expectant "rehes." The fate is
dreadful no doubt; but we should have sort of
morbid curiosity to so through with it. What
became of Ferguson igfeljJ, after this tracical
deHoueme1H we are not informed; but we doubt
not that there were at least a dozen aspirants
among his fellow diyines for the honors of the
martyrdom to which he submitted with so much
heroism.