Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-10-27
From tho Dolly Chronicle OF Oct 2i
A FEW WORDS MORE ABOUT
THAT MEAN ATTEMPT TO
STIR UP STRIFE.

udN, III " leeUle way, Hdll dJJempJS "
defend, and half apologies for the
paragraph which we criticised on Fri
day morning. The editorial might
, very appropriately be entitled, "How
,, not to lott" for it is written in the
spirit of one who knows he has com
mitted an error, and while he has not
the moral courage to apologize for il
in n manly way, he has not the hardi
hood TO openly defend his infamous
production. The writer evidently
goes upon the principle that his rea.
ders are wanting in common sense,
and can not comprehend the import
of plain English. again call atten-
ton to the paragraph objected TO. 1t
is as follows:
The last session of the Conference that
met in Knoxville WAS held in the troublous
times Immediately subsequent to the war, a
period when the Southern Methoiists in
this section were frowned upon by the nrro-
gance Of political bigotry, aud had no de
Tense from contemptuous and often violent
treatment save :heir own brave adherence
to principle and the unwavering goodwill
OF here and there a friendly newspaper
But times changes have wrought wonders.
| Truth, crushed TO earth, has risen. and the
men who were wont to spnrn Southern
/ Methodism are now among the foremost in
respectful consideration.
Referring to my article Of Friday
morning the Press and Herald says
Now, We protest to the "Senior Editor,
etc, that the assault, so "malicious," so
'untimely,"so "uncalled-for,r and "con-
temptible," is purely of his own imagining.
And webes to assure him, further, that no
assault or ''attack" upon the Methodist
Episcopal Church was for one moment con-
templated or effected by the Press and Her.
aid, nor by any legitimate construction can
any such assault or 'attack" be deduced
from the language employed in the extract
which is made the text of his article.
After protesting that none of the
members of the Methodist Confer.
ence had anything to do with the par
agraph or knew anything about it, the
Press and Herald says:
In saying this, however, we repeat, what
we have already intimated, that the refer,
ence made, in the extract quoted, had no
design of offending any member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, as its conclud-
ing portion very clearly indicates to any
mind not seeking demonstration Of its
meaning.
He need not have put himself to
the trouble Of stating that members
of the Conference had nothing to do
with inspiring the malicious para.
graph, for since writing my first ar
ticle, | have had abundant evidence
that no respectable number of the
members endorsed the, paragraph
while number of them condemn its
spirit. If the Press and Her
AIDS mischieyous attack was
a bid for favor from the Southern
Methodists, it has in this case over.
shot the mark. The paragraph was
so utterly at variance with the spirit
of the times, now when every good
man is interested in the cultivation of
a traternal feeling, among the Chris.
tian churches especially, that it must.
as it will, begenerally condemned. 1t
Is manifest that the Press and Herald
has shown more zeal than judgment
in this matter, and it will find out
that the newspaper that is now willing
to re-awaken the strife engendered by
the war, and to beget animosities be-
tween two of the largest bodies of
Christians in this country, will meet
with condemnation, and be regarded
by all whose good opinion is worth
having, with loathing and contempt.
The editor of the Press and Herald
charges us with misconstruing the
meaning Of his remarks. But if we
have misconstrued his plain language
Others have done the same thing, for
the remark was generally construed
just as we interpreted it, and Just as
the language plainly imports. The
surest way however to avoid any mis-.
construction ofthe language or the
motives that prompted it, is for the
editor to explain what he did mean.
Who is it that frowned" upon the
Conference when held here before,
prompted by the " arrogance of polit.
ical bigotry," but upon whom "time's
changes have wrought wonders" and