The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-11-07

been weighed in The balance and found
wanting.
The Lecture last Friday Evening.
There was a bulky audience last Fri
day evening TO hear Hon. n. A. Pat
terson deliver q lecture, as was an
nounced in last weeks Home Journal,
upon Tile Influence Of HnnbaAye'y 0"
our Race. The novelty Of ti.c subject,
and the position OF the Honorable lee
turcr, aside from u sense Of duty that
we, rs Editor OF u newspaper, should
he there, attracted us, and in the same
spirit Of candor which ought to direct
us in our vocation, in its various de-,
mands, we will say that we were much
interested. Mr.. Patterson is rather
graceful rs a speaker, is tolcrably gilt
ed in metaphor and sini!i,udc, and
more than ordinary in cloQucncc, which
last assertion, considering the ability OF
Tennessee orators, is quite complImcn
tary. We would esteem him rs Il man
Of much reading, deep thought, but &c
centric genius, and, withal, mctarhysic-
al. Did We not know, as well almost
as we can know, that lie is not q hum
bug, VIC should consider him one, and
thus agree with him in his assertion
that ave are all humbugs." And, lie
nying any design to set oursclf up as Il
critic under the assumption o, some
that 4 critic should be as competent in
all respects as the person he critIciscs,
we will presume 10 take issue with Tie
Honorable gentleman upon the asser
hu,nbugs." Had he confined himself
to what we believed the announced sub
jet justified, there might have been no
issue. But that we are all humhues
we do deny, and are unwilling To agree
that even the Judge is As great Il hum
bug as he makes himself in his own ar
gument, and herein lie may be dcceiv,
ing himself. Now, we had his asser-
ton that we are all humbugs,---that is,
imposters, assuming characters that do
not attach to us in reality.
We will agree that mankind deceive
themselves, but that deception docs
not make them humJuss, or imposters.
There are unconscious ~nyp0critcs, dcs-
p;te the seeming contradiction OF
terms, and we avow tAc belief. The
notion of deceit is By no means ever
present to their minds, fr the very
reason that self-deccit shuts out the
idea. Their pretension has grown by
habit to be second nature. They have
contemplated ucir own ideal selves un
til, like Narcissus, their INVESTIGATION is
complete, and all true discrimination
is precluled by the intensity of their
devotion to an unreal image. These
men do not make plausible prctcnses
for the purpose Of deceit. They may
deceive themselves, but 80 far as they
are concerned there is no deception
is, they do believe they are right,
and hence are not strictly humbugs, or
impostcrs. viii the Judge deny this ?
Would it not he better to call them
Unconscious Hypocrites? Uncon-
'cious hypocrisy is paradoxical, but
surely not impossible, and it ~pervades
lie pulpit, the roStrum, the parlor, and
life generally. To be plain, IRE
here not men in Winchester to-day.
members Ofthe different churches, who {
AXE sacrament regularly, and yet, in {
social life they take every advantage, /
lrive the hardest bargains, actually lie, d
see the widow and orphan suffer for i
,read while they luxuriate in plenty, u
rcat with GOODNESS those who differ S
With them in opinion AMI, even, de-. '
ounce them as iniidels, walk into the S
We groceries on our square and drink, !
ct abuse Others for doing upon whole c
he what they do in detail, and yet
,nsider themselves the elect, the salt q
: earth--a sort of backsliding faith, j
a faith in the impossibility of losing O
ligion, combining to ease their phi a
It consciences? Now, these men We G.
c willing to call unconscious hypo- ii
ties or humbugs, either. But does h
is admission prove US all humbugs ? hI
lis was a broad assertion from Hon. hl
A. Patterson, and despite his ex- m
cssed wish to not be personal, any pl
ne man must know that 1--WE are all CT
'mbugs" gives ample room for com. if