The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-11-29


Houses that there has been a heavy de-
cline in beef, hogs, and all other four
footed beasts whose flesh is offered for
sale at the stalls? 1t seems strange
that they can tell you when rise of
the most homeopathic character has
taken place in their commodities, and
yet never can learn of a fall, no odds
how heavy or how far. 4 bulletin
board for their special benefit ought TO
be put up in Market Square by order of
the City Council.
The Religious Element OF the South.
Our readers do not need to be in
formed as to the prevailing tone among
those who constitute what we may call,
by way of distinction, the political ele-
ment in the South. We are not per-
United to doubt their deep seated hos
tility to the present situation" With
one accord they aft rm their unchanged
mental status before the world. From
the religious element in the South we
have not heard so much, but we doubt
if its undertone does not constitute IA
greater obstacle to a proper reconstruct
ton than even that of the political
element. 1t was said during the war
that the women and the preachers fan
ned the flame that shot forth its lurid
glare every once and a while, when the
prospects ofthe South seemed almost
hopeless, and that they were more re-
sponsible for the murderous and unciv-
ilized character of the strife on the part
of the rebels than all other influences
combined. 1t certainly can be said of
several of the prominent churchmen Of
the South that they were blind leaders
of the blind, and that they are deeply
responsible for the loss of thousands of
lives. Since the overthrow of the armed
rebellion we have not seen any steps
taken on the part of the ministry to
bring about n better feeling. On the
contrary, we notice that in their Pres
byteries, their Conferences, and their
gatherings of all sorts, they keep alive
the old feud. The question of slavery
even yet comes up, and we not unfre-
quently read the same old stale argu-
ments about clam and Onesimus," as
the Rev. Mr.. Nasty expresses it. Some
of the preachers are evidently puzzled
to account for the overthrow of their
"divine institution" They have read
in the text, assurances that il any
''work be of men, it will come to
naught, but if it be OF God, ye cannot
overthrow it," and so they are Mt loss
how to reconcile their orthodoxy with
an acquiesccnce in the overthrown con-
dition of slavery and all things depend
ing upon or related to that institution.
And thus the present status of things
Is stumbling block to them, and in
their debates they constantly manifest
deep seated recusnncy of spirit, and
lingering hope that somehow, in some
way, the upbuilding of their pro-slavery
Zion will result from the present diff
culties. They seem to imagine them
selves in the situation of the ancient
Israslites "by the rivers of Babylon"
and their various politico- ecclesiastic
harangues might appropriately be re-
duced to the spirit if not the actual
versification of the 18th Psalm. The
Yankees are TO them workable children
of Edom, who sin the day of Jerusa-
lom," not only called for the "rasing''
OF their divine institution" but actu-
ally did "rase' it so efIectunll = that not
one stone on top of another is left of it.
To them the whole North is but IA
daughter of Babylon who art to be des.
troyed" and in their opinion "happy
shall he be, that rewnrdeth thee as thou
hast served us" This is the temper of
their debates. The church militant is
H.,
is an earthiness about the talk OF many
of the debaters that shows they
are not very far removed from
this present sphere as yet. Especially
is this the case with the Southern
Methodists. who are just now holding
conference at Norfolk, Va. The
great question of discussion and
strife has been in regard to drop
ping the name of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church South, and calling them
selves simply the methodist Episcopal
Church" The proposition, so far as we
can judge from the proceedings, does
not seem to meet with much favor,
Some of the brethren appear to be very
vehement, and, as Mr.. Weller would
say, to "scorn the very idea."-I
One of them said that he pre-
ferred "to be known now on
"earth, hereafter in Heaven, on land or
" ON sea, at home or abroad, as "A men,
der of the Methodist Episco nal
Church South" He further said that
the line of demarkatiou between the
Methodists North and South, or. as he
himself expressed it, between us and
"thOse over the border who have n some
"what similar name TO ours, is as
"broad as from the North to the South,
land as deep as from the stars in the
heavens above us TO the earth on
(which we stand" The Rev. DIR. Ros
ser considered slavery an institution of
Divine Providence" and believed that
the same cause which made the divi-
sion necessary will remain until the
=" Bible is repealed and time shall be no
"more: and to that cause 1 will cling.
land though I may so down in viudi-
"cation OF its principles, shall fall in
"exultation.'
Southern Methodism, of all forms
OF Methodism, was the result of oppo-
sition to slavery by the North. Had
we all agreed on this subject there
would never have been division. The
dominant northern majority would not
give in, and We determined to MAIN
tain the faith of our fathers that slaY-
cry was not morally irron0.
That word South proves our ortho-
doXy and our faith. Slavery was the
cause of the appellation South hay-
ing been given to our Church