Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-25
For the Chronicle.


our public churches, we heard a very solemn
admonition against the attendance of Chris
tians at the strawberry festival" given by
the lady managers of the Tennessee Orphan
Asylum" This admonition seemed to be
based upon some jocose intimation in your
last issue, that the young folks might sue
coed in getting up a dance at said festival
sub rosa. Whether they may succeed in do
ing so, we do not know, as we write in ad-
vance Of the entertainment. We only write
this communication as a mild protest against
that over-zealOus piety, that in its haunting
fear of some possible ligh, frivolity, peculiarly
odious to certain sectarian tenets would
crush an institution whose aims are the no
blest, and It's charities the most sublime that
ever enlisted the sympathies and energies of
mankind. We appreciate the minister who
uttered this admonition, as one of the best
and purest Of Christian gentlemen, and, there
fore, we the more freely protest against the
standpoint Of Christianity from which he
launched his thunders against an entertain
ment, given for the alienation of huuan suf,
fering and sorrow. We think this stand
point one utterly false to the true spirit of
Christianity, one tina. ignores the spirit for
the dry letter of the Gospel, one whose field
of view would see the poor bird committing
a fragrant sin in trying to allure, by artful
deception, the urchin robber from its nest of
young ones, inasmuch as she violated that
letter of the law, that says, thou shalt not lie.
This false standard of religion would Ut
terly crush out the widest and most compre
hensive enterprises for the alienation of NOR
tai woe and wretchedness, if perchance it
permit some frivolous gayety, in disregard of
merely human and sectarian prohibitions.
Oh, low such over-scrupulous and mistaken
pietists forget that Christ came to revive, not
the letter, but the spirit Of religion, in the
heart of man; and how, in spite of the letter,
which said, thou shalt do no work on the
Sabbath, be healed the sick and suffering on
that holy day, administering his memorable
rebuke to the worshippers of the letter and
not the spirit of Gods law. Forgetful of
this divinest of all truths, which He taught
our frail human recognition, how many,
alas! yet grovel in the dust that gathers
about the mere letter of the divine law, and
never soar to those regions of highest truth,
where its bright spirit ever beckons the soul.
Self-fancied sentinels upon the highest peaks
Of Christianity, to give warning of the APP
proach Of sin, they are really the microscopic
inspectors Of the worlds small vices. These,
they denounce with unsparing censure, but
never see the "Arch enemy under his thous-
and different guises, oftcnest in the shape Of
religion, taking unsupecting possession of the
human heart and prompting il, under the
illusion of an immaculate Christianity, to
deeds at which the angels weep.
Such a narrow ken can see, and thunder
against, an Institution whose aim is to re.
lieve the wants of the orphan, If perchance il
countenance some sinful frivolity. But il
fail to discover and warn Christians agains,
those, maybe of their own chosen fold, whose
relentless avarice, makes such institution!
necessary for the support Of the orphan. II
can sometimes hold pleasant converse, and
walk arm in arm, and even partake of the
Inequalities of the man who deals out the
liquid damnation. that makes widows and
orphans, but must forsooth, hold aloof from
the entertainments that seek TO relieve the
sufierings of these same widows and orphans
if they should dare to offer any such sinfu
!, amusement asdancingi t....
In connection with this discussion of wha
we think a mistaken zeal, we will add, fol
the benefit Of those thar can swallow an ele.
plant but turn sick at the sight CT gnat
that we understand there will he no dancing
at the Tournament, on the 3lst. Hence, n,
one will do violence to his conscience, o
: "be insulted," in patropizing an exhibition
designed to aid the destitute and helpless or
, phans of our State. YHDEx.
MICRO TRooPs. army rolls show tina
Tennessee furnished ?o,l23 negro troops 10