Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-10-29
Rifualfsn.

When community becomes afflicted
with any particular crime or moral delin-
quency, then should our clergy turn their
attention to that special point; should the
people become druukards, our preachers
should denounce the abuse and the abomi-
nation of excessive drinking. This loesli-
ty being Just now afflicted by terrible in
clination to RTTUALIsM, az any one can see
by entering one of our Episcopal Churches,
il is good that our Jealous clergy should
abate their attack on envy, hatred, malice
and all uncharitableness, and come square
" down to their work, nor slack their ef-
forts until this hideous spectre is banished,
at least from Nashville, if not from Ten
nessee. But, Messrs. editors, in charity, let
US leave this seavenger work to whom it
belongs. Why our secular papers should
gloatingly publish every squib and article
ridiculing Ritualism, is beyond my com.
prehension. The Episcopal Church is, and
ever has been, divided into two parties,
the high and the low or Evangelical. The
first ia liberal and conservative, meddling
in no way with the affairs of the other reli.
gious denominations, allowing the largest
latitude ia belief, in personal liberty, in
modeof worship, etc, etc. The low Church
is the old Puritan party, which in
sists upon each member of the Church
being fitted TO its particular bad, stretching
him out when too short-cuIting him of,
if too long. Not only does this spirit pre-
vail in their religious, but it would seem
also in their political views. These low
churchmen, who are now bowling at Rit-
ualism, are almost to a man, Radicals in
hO n-a mil
any extenuation in our late rebellion ;
their pet institution, this day, is the Freed
mans Commission. Ga the other hand,
the high churChmen are, without excep-
ton, Conservatives, who eagerly extended
to us the hand Of friendship Immediately at
the close of the war. The great lay MOgul
of the puritan party is Jay Cooke, the
banker, who possesses in an eminent de-
gree the peculiar talent which shone in
one Of the famous twelve who accompanied
our Saviour on earth, and who was the first
to quit the company.
But why print such articles AZ the fol-
lowing, which appeared in one Of our city
papers:
al am told that Ritualism is making
rapid progress in New York | know that
it is in India. The Protestant Cathedral
at Calcutta now resembles a Catholic Ca
thedral. This will not go quietly much
longer, depend upon it. Mischief 10 brew
ing, and the Ritualists will do well net to
flourish their mummeries in the face Of the
public more than they can help"
The Methodist holds his protracted meet
ing, and gets his religion in as boisterous
manner as he chooses, and who objects
The Baptist people swarm on the river
banks as thick as flies about soda fount,
and one by one the preacher leads his flock
into the stream, and dips them beneath the
surface with as much ceremony as he likes,
and who shall say 10 him, nay ? The RO-
manist, enrobed in silks and salins, eur
rounded by surpliced choiristeTs and AGO
lytes, and half smCthered in the fragrant
incense from swinging ceBser7, chants his
liturgy throughout the world, and DO one
but an utterly bigoted Protestant can re-
gard the performance with anything but
pleasure, seeing that religion, even if not
his religion or phase thereof, has such sway
over millions of his fellow creatures who
would otherwise be given up to in6deliiy.
But should the Episcopalian dare (even IN
this free country, where every man is by
The Constitution permitted to worship his
God in the manner that pleases him. to
change or beautify his mode of service,
to Danish his hired guartette of singers
from the choir gallery, or to alter the cut
of his clerical garments, or the cover of his
communion table; use the idolatrous sign
of the cross; or, horror of horrors, should
he vainly imagine that the Lord of HOsts,
when He declared that, from the rising of
IL 81 Il Sc IL -,
every place, incense shall be offered unto
His name, really meant to permit him. the
said EPiscopalian, to have a swinging CEN
ser, and 10 burn frankincense in his ser.
vices, then let such innovator beware,
for the public, that is the word, the
public won't stand it much longer Now
has the time come for this inquisatorial
bigotry? Two hundred years ago, the
pious people Of New England Uent for
any clergyman CT the Anglican Church
who was so ritualistic as to attempt to
to oficiate 10 their country, wearing that
rag of popery called the Surplice, but it is
TO be questioned if the American people,
be- logged in their morals as they may lie
by the events of the late war, are reduced
vet 80 low into baTbarism "a TO join heartily
in any crusade for religious purposes, using
force either to establish favorite or to crush
out objectionable doctrines or modes of
worship; and long may it be before the
general enlightment Of the people at large
is degraded to the ordinary level which
now guages the bigotry and intolerance of
the Puritan or Evangelical party in the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States of America.
JEROME