The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-01-10
PREAcaERs-LOcAL AND GENERAL


An old and valued subscriber
referring to our article OF . couple
Of weeks since on the case OF Rev.
Tenimore, fears that We may have
been led to the publication Of the
article In question ss . sensation
NATTER thing which he justIy
says TaE News haS always hereto
fore abstalued from. Another sub
Scri Der endorses fully the article re-
isrred 70, but says, In substance,
"Why do you stop 1t FenimOre2
Why don't you pitch into Rev. -
and Rev. naming . couple
OF ministers. each. Of different de-
nominations.
The article concerning the,case Of
Rev. Fenimore, WAS not published
for any sensational purpose what
ever. We take NO pleasure In max.
ing such exposures. FenimOre was
OF unsavOry reputation already on
account Of operations similar to
those with which he stood charged
before the church council, and had
avoided the consequence Of bis acts
long time by superior ,shrewdness
and frequent change of the base
of his operations. No person snd
no family would desire the scandal
and annoyance consequent upon ex-
posing him; the church could not
act except upon charges, or 9 repu-
tation moro or less general, and
would be, of course, chary Of In:
shutting proceedings % long as The
same could be avoided, for much
the same reason that attaches to
private indlvidaaIS. In this condi.
tIon Of affairs, 70 make the whole
matter pub ic was 20 remove the OBJ
1 structi0ns that were In tie way Of
. prosecution, by challenging the
church to make use OF the evidence
which was thus made public for {
full investigation. This We did
and at once facts which had been
hidden for years came 20 Light, and
the finding Of the tribunal before
which trial was had became Of slight
consequence. Whatever that might
have been the days Of Fc0imoro'i
preaching were over. =.
In the case OF ono OF the rover
ends referred to by our lsat-men.
TONED correspondent, there arc 90.
sentisl differences from that Of Fen
imore, a. We understand it. Tut
charges, a. made, are Of imprudent
conduct, and while, according to one
side, tho statement OF the fac u
would possibly warrant Al inference
Of imprudence, Il 10 not upon such
unsatisfactory evidence that . sound
Judgment should be formed. The
charges, too. have been Investigated
by tho tribunal having power In the
case, and do not seem 70 have beer
sustained. Unless theirs IL q show
ling that. the Investigation waS not
full It does not seem fair % 60 back
OF Il, especially under the eiroum-
stances -. ..-:.
Il is frequently objected that the
public Judge ministers OF the gospel
BY too high q standard. We do no,
think 20. When men set themselves
up a. teachers of the people In mat
ters Of m JrAls and religion, much
may be properly expected OF them
Few meh subject their religious be-
lief 70 the absolute test OF reason.
+Eaith IL . higher quality than rea-
son )" aud all true religious belief
has Q substratum of faith. As,
therefore, Intellectual processes have
not mainly induced belief, so they
will not maintsin IL. II, therefore,
the teachers OF religion ere Eot such
- to inspire confidence; il their
reputation is tainted ever 90 slight ;
IL they are given to se-jOckey-
Ing, to loose or violent talk, or
other habits which an exalted stand
ard OF conduct or morals forbids,
they might as we'll at once forsake
the ministry for ell the good they
will do. The faith of men In the
purity or efficacy Of religious dog
ma, 10 nodded materially by con.
temptation or the oracle through
which IL is propounded. This IL 9
TAct which no intellectual power
no denOminational power, or other
thing. can materially modify, and
which should drst be taken int &C.
count In the employment Of minis
terra.