Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-01

shall come, will speak our shame.
A correspondent writes to the. Chi
cago Times concerning David Swing,
the Fourth Presby,erisns and the
Outsiders, as follows:
The Presbyterians have lost Prof.
Swing, and Chicago will probably lose
him. he will doubtless depart, and
his hearers will be sorry to miss him,
especially those who do not belong to
his congregation.
why do you let him go?" Is
asked Of the Fourth presbvterians.
1--WE must choose between our min
lister and our church-membership, an
swered the Fourth Ps. Thereupon
the questioner, who hath not that
precious church membership, and
would not take it as gift, is fam to
beat hasty retreat to hide the feel
ings of dersion which this answer
awakens. What! lose such man for
such reason? Exchange such serm-
oas for such church! Give up a
great fruit for cast-oF husk too con-
tracted to contain it? Sacrifice
David Swing for a what's-his- name
Patton?
Presbyteriauism, Congregationalism,
and all the other-named and long
winded isms must go down some day,
they are moribund already, but to
make them live the longer, Gle the
harder, and be the less intolerable
while on earth, such men as David
Swing are the only means given under
heaven.
Perhaps we, who have outgrown
them, should rejoice when they show
that folly which portends and hastens
dissolution Quem deus cult perdere,
pr.as dementus-but We are not pro-
selyters. Perhaps it is true that an
omniscient Being created Adam as an
experiment,-made failure, and was
greatly surprised, disappointed and
provoked at the fall, damned the
whole world up and down for few
thousand years, and tlen set about
plan for partly repairing Fills mistake,
chat was, on the whole, the most alb
surd scheme ever concocted. At any
rate if the ismists want to believe ali
this, let them believe it, in God name
and be-happy.
But, friends, you can find new
church; or make one, for that matter
Churches are only human devices after
all, and feeble ones at that. But
man such as you are parting with-ask
yourselves who will find or make such
one for you when he is gone. THE
king can make lord. but only God
can make gentleman.
"Well, to tell you the truth, we're
about tired of sensational preaching.
Here these outsiders come in crowds.
till our pe~s and our aisles, and fairly
shove us out Of our own doors, and
never pay cent. It's fact, and
strange fact, that our collections, OUT
side our own people, don't average ten
cents ahead from the strangers we en-
tertain."
Aye! there's the rub! That fact is
truly very strange indeed! You out
slders must know very we'll that each
OF the Fourth Ps. themselves mnst pay
something like five dollars Sunday
for the privilege of hearing Prof.
Swing, and letting you hear him. So
when you, Mr.. Outsider, Mrs. Out
slider, and the little Outsiders, and the
Outsiders friends. push into those
pleasant pews in that pretty North
side church, what do you put into the
contribution box when it comes around?
Honestly, now! $40? No. SIS? No 81 {?
Hardly, Fifty cents, each, twenty-five
cents, dime, nickel, nothing at all!
Now you've about hit the mark.
1t you visitors to the Fourth p, so
glad to place yourselves under David's
wing, had borne, on the average. say
not your share of the cost of the
privilege, but fifth part Of your
share, paid even half dollar each
for the pleasant good you always got
the great professor would never |
have been driven off so easily. A
contribution box netting two hnn-
dred dollars a Sunday would have
wonderfully smoothed over the rough
points of doctrine.
Prof. Swing has great influence
with his people, but he doesn't seem
to be able to make them, one and all,
martyr missionaries for
the conversation of the heather. es-
pecially such mean heather as you, SO
little worthy of salvation! Some old
debates were on the ques-
ton A. to whether or no 10, 600 dis
souls can dance at once on
tine point of needle. Evidently
they could-souls of the size of yours.
and without elbowing each other
aither.
Well, you may have the satisfaction
L. l. n . I