Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1874-11-14
Upon this latter point Mr.. Fulton
M o,,rsolf thjnL iust olika

md ourself think just alike.
Before considering the next clause
bf Mr.. Fult0n's reply we make the
statement that because news, q SER
non, q lecture or a book Is "sensa
iOnal" it is not necessarily injuri-
bus to the morals OF the hearers or
readers. The announcement by MIR.
Fulton that he would preach q ser.
mon witch should be sequel to
the fair, was sensational announce.
ment. He knew very we'll that PEG.
pie would Judge from the text cho.
sen that he would "pitch" into the
fair, and the result was that his
church was filed, on that day. 1t
IL to be hoped that no evil resulted
from the sensational sermon. When
the reverend gentleman takes the
ground that everything sensational
is morally wrong he assumes a po-
Biti0n that he cannot sustain. Mr..
Fulton says it is "lamentable that
the paper IL sent into out homes to
educate in part, at least, our chill.
dren, bearing the same weight of
bvil as of good" 1t would be, GER
tainly, if such was the fact, but it
10 not. One is forced to the cOnclu.
sion from the opinion expressed by
Mr.. Fulton of the public press, that
he has patronized newspapers Of u
low order morally, not excepting the
OPINION. MI. Fulton asks "why
print GU q corner what it will take
four or eight or more pages to cOun-
teracti Is he public benefactOr
who will send out as much bad as
good in a newspaper We reply,
No; and ask him what paper does
this, and is he a patron of it 7 But
how will the reverend gentleman's
test Of all good and no bad hold
when applied to the Bible. That
book which we all believe to be the
work of inspired writer's, contains
matter which no paper dare print
worse than any thing published
about the Beecher scandal; "love
btories," which would subject pub
Usher to fine and imprisonment
Will Mr.. Fulton cast this sacred
book from his house, the pulpit the
public schools 7 1t so, upon what
will he found his faith, and what
will he take for his guide 7 Why
will not his argument against the
immoral tendency Of the press APP
ply with equal force to the Bible ?
We have only to repeat what we
said in our first article touching this
point "that good may come to the
young by the publication of the
consequences Of a criminal course,
and showing that sooner or later
ustice and punishment will over
take the evildoer." We believe
that the inspired writer's introduced
into the scriptures the full histories
of certain persons whose "deeds
were evil" as warnings to others,
who perhaps centuries afterward,
were to read such history. When
Mr.. Fulton gets the newspaper press
Ito come down to his narrow theo-
logical views, no doubt the ''moral
sentiment of the country will start
|it on proper basis"
Mr.. Fulton misrepresents us again
i'm his reply to our reference to bis
unfOrtunete selection of text for
his sensation sermon. Why does
Mr.. Fulton 60 SO far out of his way
Ito drag in certain words, like the key
note in tune, which we never wrote
in connection with the fair.
When anything appears in the
OPINION advocating horse racing or
adultery and the like, the reverend
gentleman may have the right to
Judge that by ''purposes" we meant
those things, until then he has no
ground for his supp0sitions.
We thank Mr.. Mr.. Fulton for in.
forming US about 'topically and
It has become the GUS
tom of many clergymen in these
latter days, to say but little "textu.
ally" and a great deal "topically."
In this way they can Gift scripture
from out among its contexts," and
then give it an Interpretation quite
different from what they could if
they had considered it in connection
with the context, and thus make
PASSAGES of scripture serve any pur-
pose they wish.
We now come to the last clause
of the communication. Here, again,
the reverend gentleman draws large.
ly on bis imagination to get text
upon which to make grand closing
splurge. Did we say anything
about the swearer, the drunkard,
the thief, or the other evil disposed
persons mentioned by Mr.. Fulton
or is there anything in the sentence
he is noting which any unprejudiced
person can construe as has Mr.. Full
ton We think not. We should
not dare, if we had the desire which
we have not, to class all the men,
women and children who attended
the fair, with the 'drunkard" the
"swearer," the "thief," the "gamb-
ler," the '.pick pocket" the "adulter-
err" and yet Mr.. Fulton does SO
when lie interprets the last sentence
of our article in the manner he does. {
We make no pretentions to deep
''philosophy," but hope that we pos
,ess a fair amount of common sense.
We strive not to allow prejudice to
overcome Judgment, and do not /
think every man who differs from