Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-30
AmuSementS.

spoken. In the article Of June 18TH re-
ferred to an article on this subject. This
was not personal in any Of its illusions,
because d,d not have the least idea who the
writer was. The MESSENGER is supposed to
be the tournament ground where Methodists
tilt their wit in intellectual gladiatorship;
so that, whoever the writer was, he was sup
posed to be Methodist. and whatever was
said would be all in the family" and no.
body would take offense. 1t is well known
that the Methodists often use plainness OF
speech among themselves, and SO long as
they keep good natured and avoid personali-
ties and bitterness of spirit, there Is no harm
done. Not quite agreeing with the senti-
ments expressed in the last General Confer
ence, when, as l supposed some Methodist
had come into the MEssENGER with these
sentiments multiplied and intensified, it
seemed no harm to express L" mine opinion. "
Little did 1 dream that one of another flock
had come into Methodist pasture.
In the article of July 10th the syntax of
" Days. at first seemed familiar; and such
rhetoric had 1 not met with it before :?
Did l not know who made use of all the
terseness of Burke, the FIRE Of Homer, the
snoothness of Virgil, the depth of Milton,
all stud led with literary gems like Shaks-
peare? 1t seemed easy enough to point to
the writer He arose before my imagination;
and there was the " frenzy of the rolling
eye," and the clear, ringing voice that holds
the attracted crowd spell-bound. And my
countcnance fell as murmured, &" o that
had held my peace. for 10 the spirit of
New England is aroused the spirit of the
fathers is aroused; the spirit Of the Pilgrims;
the spirit of Brother Jonathan; who can
cope with it
Bat no: it is not that either. cannot
point to the writer now. | do not actually
know anything about it. As Washington
said to Braddock, when they were having
little controversy with the red men, &" Re-
member, you have an unseen -' opponent,
Or something like that. A writer under an
assumed name has a concealed position as
secure as Captain Jack in the lava beds.
He can give personal hits without the least
danger of receiving any in return. Doubtless
he thinks, verify is more blessed to give
than to receiue. Now here is my disadvan-
tage. Like man playing Blind Mans
Buff, they can hit me On every hand, while l
grope about without knowing who they are.
One concealed Pilgrim fires tract by mai ],
because has sect has been hit. Another con-
cealed Pilgrim, in the other extreme, pub
fishes cold bits of pilgrim literature, chopped
into hash and spiced with such sweetmeats
as Z" lie, " LIBEL =. dark vision" per
verse heart" 1" uncivilized," and warmed
over with regular ultramontane, eccle.iss-
teal curse: anathama maranatha
Aud man shall be as an hiding place"
Come out from your hiding places, ye modern
pilgrims See the disadvantage | am under,
for if knew mine opponent, L could use
such bar room language as :" lie, liar,"
" fool;' and could curse like a trooper, if
not like a protestant priest. My disposition
naturally low and grovelling, might lead me
to descend to personalities if | only knew the
person. l would tell the public if has " ur-
chins" had - heaps of playthings." And
would not drag forth the skeleton said to
be in every house, revel with his antecedeuts,
and make the feathers fly about his domicile
generally? But instead Of that, must
ba Nd rban
that is just well, for it has been said that
40 one gets out Of hunor and descends to
personal filings, except when be has the losing
side, and cannot mIiatain has position.
Therefore, the fact that this concealed
writer loses his temper and runs to personal
tiles is satre proof that has position is unten-
able, and mine is correct And that is the
reason | refer to them at all. What if
man pronounced insane by the highest med
ical authority, advised to 60 to an asylum by
good counsel, one of Vermonts greatest law
yers saying he should have chosen the same,
months afterwards so crazy that men feared
to work W it'll him, does it yindicate the blue
avs Of the fathers to attack the wife, who
died a member of the church in regular
standing, gone to a just God where poisoned
arrows clnnot reach her, nor the foul breath
of Islander ever intrude?
The latter-iay pilgrims are not like the
ones they attempt to initiate. They spoke
boldly, face to face. They were not afraid to
say Thou art the man" Imagine Cotton
Mathcr or Miles Standish going by an as
sumed name. Picture them at the stake, or
at the cannon's mouth, if need be. but nerer
say they wrote word to which they were
not willing to sign their real name in true
John Hancock style. There. now, | am
wrong again, for no gentleman would wish
to sign his name to an article which COM
m ,nced with the word lie," and Guided
with curse; not even the old Pilgrims.
Ia his first article he says we should imi-
tate the fathers and have no amusements
except % walking five CT six m les - and
{" saving wood.' Now, he says " they were
much given to sports sleigh rides, huskings
and balls First be gives US to understand
that they had no amusements lighter than
sacing ,oood, and in about month he comes
out and represents them to be the most
sporttul, dancing people in the world.
q All went merry as aimarriage bell
When the pilgrim Fathers] had gathered then
Her beauty and her chivalry, bright
The (candles) shone fair women and brave men.
On with the dance, let Joy be unconfned,
No sleep till morn when youth an d pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet"
We have many pictures of the Pilgrims.
On ship board in solemn convocation on
shore in grave affairs Of state and in their
temples in attitude of worship, but never
such picture as this writer gives, of the
Pilnrims floating in the circles of the may