Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-11-03
A Brief Notice Of a Bitter Article

l 10 me fs1itofN OF me Chrunfcic
| hope you viii excuse me fur APP.
I gearing IN prin,. ! see lengthy arii.
Gle IN the Holelon Methodist, by r.. &.
Reeves, very Uli OF bitterness toward
what we know "a the told Methodist
Episcopal Church" but which Mr.. X
with rapaCluu- appetite, calls the
Northern Methodist Church - and
much Of the bitter maliguity Of the
article is directed toward Col. John w.
Ramsey 0ud the overplus IL squiTted at
Rev. J. i. Speru,.
A. We have no religious paper ~
East tennessee advocating the Cause
of Old Mrthodism.n / will ask to cN-
press a few plain thoughts through tbe
columns of "a political paper, which,
however, in i's advocacy OF what ,-
right, i independent ia AL thinCr
aud neural in nothing"
A. tn the cause which inspired Col.
Ramsey's speech At Gfeeupvills, amt
MIR. Reeves Ion and bitter article of
reply, ! leave the parties or others, e.
dispose of the facts. Col. Ramsey
well known ability as n lawyer, and
his sterling integrity and honest up
rightness IA "A man and Christian gentle
man, will insure tersp reply, ii he doe
- -
that silence il the best reply to one -
careless MS To fuct- and wreckless "a tn
the feelings Of Others. A. To the ques-
ton Ia controversy, however, ! am
disposed To think that Mr.. Reaves ami
those who urge him forward az their
ever-ready and abusive advocate, will
have to labor long before an enligbt-
ened Christian public will cOnclud.
that II IN equitnbly, legally, morally, or
religlously right for u minority ~
body to obtain sole pos easiOn of
church which the body built; and
then follow the majority, tb us excluded,
into new church seeking TO subject
the new building, or the pockets of its
builders, tn the pay ment of heavy rent
for the time the old house was occupied
10y them. Such action may correctly
be estimated Southern rights en-.
forced with veDgance.n But What
specially desired TO write of il this Mr..
Reeves not only, with glib haste,
writes " Northern Methodist" az often
as room IL found for the phrase IN his
long article, but seemingly thus mis-
names a large and most respectable
religious organization under the eati-
mate that the title Is one Of reproaoh.
Well so 1t IL. In fact there Is no such
church organization as the Northern
Methodist Church." If there was, its
name would be reproach, aud such
organization sectional dishonor 10
all that savors of genuine original
Wealeyan Methodism. 1t is o matter
of regret that we have within the
United States of America Southern
Methodism," or Met hodist Episco-
pal Church, South" We have, aud
have had, for more than one hundred
years Methodist Episcopal Church"
in America. 1t l. not coOped up and
compressed within lines uf sectiona!
American latitude ar longitude. L. Is
not Church North or South, ~
or " East or West,n but North,
South, East aud West" The " Meth
odisl Episcopal Church "of the United
States, Districts, Lakes, River, Seas,
Oceans and Territories of Republican
America. IL Is true that the devil and
human slavery interests practically
excluded this Methodist Episcopal
Church from most of the territory of
the Southern slave States from the
year of Grace, 1914, u the year Of Clio
riOus Liberty, 1863, but the old Meth
odist Episcopal voice was thus hushad
In the pro-slayery South, a., and from
VIZ ohhAt A7ANGhlC Ihb kJliAtlOn IiltI BdB-
ged the mouths of supposed free white
men, in the same section, fOrhiddiug
manly utterances of that which was
religiously true, aud morally right
1t il said, and | suppose true, that
our cOuntry's Southern MethOdismn
would glsdly rid its ancient slave
grounds Of all MethOdism except that
inspired by its own peculiar madness,
a madness prolific of rebellion. How
strange it Is (but no, it's naturaD that
Southern Methodistn advocates no
much delight in applying epithets 10
others which seems To make such
others as sectional aa themselves. j
have met Mr.. +. G. Reeves father Oh
several occasions, and know him not
only TO be most exemplary and de-
cided member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church." but a man of
large, liberal, and conscientious heart
My information ia, that Mr., Reeves
mother, and brothers and sisters are
just sch decided MethodIsts a. his
father. All were born in Tennessee.
Are they Northern Methodists ?"
Mr.. II. can just as truthfUlly designate
them " Roman Catholics" as " North
ern" Methodists-more 30, for there
are Roman Catholics in the South,
North, East and West, but no "North-
ern Methodistsh anywhere.
If Mr.. II. desires long days In the
land, he had better honor, somewhat
more, his father and mother.
QLD-FAGHIORED METHODIsT,