The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-03-31
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
Top OF HOUSE MOUNTAIN, March, 1869

Top OF HOUSE MOUNTAIN, March, 1869.
Mr. Editor,-I have not written to you for some
time, and would not do so now but that L have
undertaken to be the spokesman for some OF your
Scotch Irish readers who are rather dident about
speaking for themselves
We always read the Central, commencing gen
orally with the poetry on the first page (which by
the way has lately been very good,) and ending
with the estimated value of one inch of the Central
on the fourth page, which greatly enhances our
estimate of the value of the paper when we have
read it all over. We generally believe everything
that we read in your paper, and have enjoyed as
only the Scotch Irish know how to enjoy the spice
of religious controversy which has occasionally
appeared But of late our equanimity has been
somewhat disturbed by seeing some articles upon
life assurance, which of course must have been In
serted with your appreciation.
We do not know exactly how to take the articles.
In the first place the gentleman who writes them
is personally unknown to most OF us, and we did
not know but that he might be connected with
some insurance company, and might perhaps be
paid for manufacturing religious public sentiment,
of which paid manufacture of religious sentiment
through religious papers we have great horror.
In the next place we could not understand the
exact purpose of the articles for it seemed incredi
BILE to us that life assurance was urged upon US as
a religious duty, and we knew that you would not
condescend to secular things. We are not in a
hurry about an answer but when you have time
we shall be glad to hear from you.
We never had in the House Mountain but one
agent of lite insurance society, and he mixed up
politics and life insurance to such an extent that
most of our people thought the process Of recon-
struction was going vigorously in him, and that
he used the life insurance scheme in order to get
access to our people. | think he lived near Win.
chester, or Fredericksburg or somewhere down
there. We knew him to be radical in religion,
if not in politics. by the assertion which he made
that life assurance was Gods appointed instrument
for the reformation of the world. He said that
'the Great Equitable" (which suppose is a pc.
cular feature of insurance. was to be in the hand
of God the means of Fastening the millennium.
Ever since that time some of our old women
have believed that Satan was at the bottom OF
these insurance schemes, and that the millennium
that would be brought about was not the one they
were looking for.
The most important question that have to ask
is, whether you think that your correspondent has
satisfactorily answered the objection to life assur
ance, which he mentions, that it partakes Of the
nature of gambling. Because if you think so, we
want to say that we do not agree with you Asto
the dstrust of Providence implied, we think that
he has mistaken the force and application of the
objection. The history given by him (are you
sure he is not an agent? p of mortality tables pre-
MUM policies, loading, unusual casualties, mar.
gins &C., may prove that an insurance company
cannot lose anything, but it does not prove the
morality of the institution.
Nor will the claim that there is perfect equality
in every insurance transaction answer any better
so also the equality in game of cards is perfect
where the players are honest
1t is true, sir, that some of us have conscience
about these matters and some of our religious
reading sometimes hurts these consciences. What
sort of balm can the Central administer?
In closing, for the present, let me say that [
wish your correspondent would come to the House
Mountain and see u.s. We want to show him
what sort of life assurance we have who are re-
minded every day that GAS the mountains are
round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about
them that fear Him." We want to show the faith
of some poor Christians who believe that ''the
angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
that fear Him and delivereth them"
Do you think he will come?
Yours, &C., ScoToH-lRIsH.