The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-10-18

GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND, IN a
recent letter TO the Chicago Tribune,
thus comments on
METHoDIsM, SOCIALLY, FINANCIALLY
AND POLITICALLY.
+ With the President, the ex-Presi-
dent, the Chief Justice. and one third
Of the religious Senators Methodists,
a Book Concern so rich that when it
is " shaved a little on paper. the
newspapers print it as defrauded Of
millions" and a membership so form
liable that Mr.. Lincoln attributed to
Methodist support his reelection,
the American Methodist Episcopal
Church has reason to look back with
the humility ofthe barefoot St Francis,
upon its origin and growth. A gen.
tleman who has preached in its
ranks thirty odd years, was telling
me, the other day, of its social status
when he was young, and attended
camp-meeting in Accomac County,
Virginia.
Aecomac, though it has obtained
the name of " benighted," since Henry
A. Wise, native there, reioiced in its
want of newspapers, is the richest
land in Virginia. and the GUSTS fam
lily, allied with Mrs. George Wash
ington, had their family estate there.
The Gusts nabob, who had succeeded
to their lands and pride at the time
Methodism broke out afresh, say 1925,
with its vigorous machinery of reYi-
walls, camp meetings, bush-meetings,
class meetings, prayer meetings, love-
feasts, cuttings, &C., was an advocate
of the Establishment" meaning
English EpiscOpacy, and he spared no
opportunity to show his contempt of
the Wesleyans. Therefore, when they
had camp-meeting near his estate,
he came over pompously, and, during
the hours of preaching, with his riding
whip hourished and in a loud, often
sive tone, he made the circuit of the
tents and huts, talking "horse,"
laughing and sneering. The preacher
was a great reviYalist, presiding
elder, or something, and fearless as
Peter Cartwright. He waited a while,
and seeing that Cnstis grew more in
solent after every pause, he addressed
him: -,.5s.- -5s
81 am stopping the Lords word till
that man gets done with his talk
about gambling, horse racing, card
playing, and such Wickedness. He
comes here to show his contempt of
the Lords people, but this pore little
aristocrat's contempt will be nothing,
my bruthring, to the Lord contempt
for his pore sole burning in hell fire.
He's related to Washington, more's
the pity but, my bruthring, the blood
that we boast Of is that We are bruth-
ring to the King Of Kingsl" aef
And this Custis went off before an
Accomac grand jury, indicted the old
| Wesleyan Roundhead, and the
preacher was mulcted in S., 900 dam
ages for rebuking the kinsman in law
of Mrs. Washington, which money
the poor Methodists raised by their
collections, and paid with sad hu-
mility.
From a purely political standpoint,
and emitting all spiritual considera.
tions, the immense development of
Methodism, socially and financially,
will seem to be the result not only of
its vigorous machinery, but of its
democratic origin. al
1t was the pioneer religion and the
pioneers have become the peers, and
carried their religion to their emil
nence. What the !" stump is to pol.
itics the Methodist pulpit has been
to religion, the travelling persuader,
the apostle on wheels With demo-
cratic manners, and democratic elo-
quence, 1t has almost revOlutionized
religious sentiment, and no political
party before election makes such an
exhaustive " canvass of a commune
nifty as Methodism possesses before
every church building and every re-
ViYal.
l have apparently gone outside of
nv political function IN order to state
more particularly for the Methodist
people, that there have been indica-
tions here for some time of the active
presence of a Methodist corner" or
influence or agency of some sort In
political partizanship, / hear daily of
the Methodist vote, and of so-and-
so. controlling it. Nowit comes IN this
form: $50
"Bullfnch has the Methodist vote
ali right; he's seen the Cardinal, and
got a note up to the head center in his
district bed aBvy a7s5< to aa
5 Again, it is expressed thus: e.
~ You talk /. about the whisky ring,
the Iris vote, the German vote, the
Odd Fellows vote, and; the temper
round is the Methodist Church. -