The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-12-01
The Northern Presbytsrians.

The death of Commodore Charles
Stewart and the Union of the old
and new School Presbyterians the
same week, recall an incident of the
early days of the late war, when the
defunct mariner, by well-told false
HOOD, aided one 81 Me SranSnes 81
tile united Church in firing Me/
Northern heart with that aMifAoslty
and vindictiveness which character
lied the subsequent management OF
the var About the time of the fall
Of Fort Sumter the Old School Pres
byterian General Assembly met in
the city of Philadelphia. During its
Session Commodore Stewart an
nounced through the public press
that Mr.. Calhoun, when avery young
man, just entering public life, told
him that it was the intention of the
South to dissolve the Union; that if
one pretext would not serve the pur-
pose another would be invented, and
so on, until the desired object should
be obtained. 1--WE quote from mem
DRY, not having thought Of the pub
LEGATION since that time. This an
nouncement was just the thing for
the white-cravated young Presbyte-
rian theologians, who probably never
heard of Mr.. Calhoun before, who
were doubtless ignorant that the
dissolution Of the Union had been
discussed for thirty years, and who
were overfowing with pious rage and
virtuous Indignation at the insult to
which "the old flag" had been sub
iected in Southern harbor. Pre-
destination, election and final dam
nation were lost sight of for the time
being, and the General Assembly
was turned into a regular Beecherls-
ed clerical stump-speaking love feast,
in. which the Southerners were men
tally damned and incontinently
handed over to predestined hell-fre.
In vain did DR.. Hodge and the IA
theirs of the Church endeavor to stem
this rising tide of fanaticism. The
devil had got among the swine, and
nothing could prevent their rushing
headlong down fguratiye steep
place to their own DESTRUCTION
Many m onths afterwards DIR. Hodge
and the Princeton Review abandon
ed a lifelong conservatism and join
ed in christian crusade against the
lives and property Of their Southern
brethren. With the dissolution O
the Union came the dissolution of the
Presbyterian Church. But with the
reconstruction of the Union CAM
not the reconstruction of the Presby
terrain Church. The Southern Pres
byterians refuse to unite with tn
r members of the Philadelphia Assem-
> bly, who so basely maligned them
and there seems to be no probabiit
that they will ever change their pres
ent determination.
The loss of their Southern men
bers the Old School Presbyterian
at the North have attempted to com
pensate by invi ing into their fol
, the New School wing Of the Churc
whom they have abused for thirt
/, years almost as uncharitably as the
4 have recently denounced the Soutl
ern Schismatics It is mistake
t suppose that the Church original
split on the slavery question. O
the contrary the division in 1887 ws
: was caused by irreconcilable diffe
: ences of opinion on theological dos
mas. The late DIR. Ashbel Greer
: formerly President of the College ;
Princeton, and Dr. Robert j. Brecl
inridge, Of Kentucky, were the leat
' ers of the Old School faction and D
: Albert Barnes, of Philadelphia, IL
d principal champion of the Ne
D School party. It is true the Oh
: School Church, up to the war, mai,
;. tanned a highly conservative positio
d on the slavery question, while tt
T New School Church, like the Ne
e England Congregationalists, WI
r strongly infected with Freesoil ser
timents. But the slavery questic
had nothing to do with the origin
IS quarrel, or the subsequent disru,
Il ton. Both wings are now doubtle
: in perfect accord on the polite
:, questions of the day, and have bu
led the theological Ratchet to preve
, both parties from dwindling avn
4 into nothingness, now that the Sout
.. has withdrawn it's support from eat
e of them.
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