The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-07-27
The Scriptures on Free Passes.

The following correspondence between
the Superintendent of an asylum for the
feeble minded in Illinois and we'll
known railroad superintendent touches
up the pass question:
DEAR SIR-You sent me few DAYS since
a half-fare permit, which please fully per:
nit me to thank you for. Half-fare per-
mits are usually sent to preachers, and
perhaps you have mistaken my calling
At all events, us you have classified me
with the preachers Though am not one),
l will take the liberty of quoting Scrip
ture to you, and of drawing such conclu-
sions from said Scri ptures as seem applica-
| bic to our relations to each other.
If my authorities are inapplicable, and
my conclusions unsound, please remem-
Der that the Principal of an asylum for
feeble minded children is trying to preach,
because an individual named Strong
has insinuated that he is preacher.
respectfully call your attention to the
following passages of Scripture:
Exodus, 6, 1o-''With strong hand shall
let them 60"
Judges, "A, 4"out of the strong came
II Chronicles, 16, 9-"strong in behalf of
them"
(Ialf in this case means, not the half I
now have, but the other half of permit so
that shall have a full pass for the year.
Psalms 81, 81" He hath showed me his
kindness in a strong"
l Kings, 2, 2" Be strong and show myself
| a man."
Sam, 4, 1o-(Wm.) "B(c) Strong and
quit yourself like man."
1 Cor, 4, 1o-"Wc are weak but yc arc
Jeremiah, Is, 14-"I will make thee to
pass.'
Ezekiel, 20, 81 will cause thee to
pass"
Ezekiel, 81, 2-"And caused me to pass"
Joshua, %, 49," Then pass over"
Special comment is unnecessary.
If the above passages do not find or
reach some responsive chord in your
bosom, otherlanguage will of course utterly
fail to impress you.
A few practical applications, and am
done.
First-What I want, and 1 think you
might send nc, is an annual pass over the
Michigan Central Railroad and Great
Western Gf in your powcr,) because Sam
ucl, jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joshua and Judges
plainly instruct you to do so (as l construc
them)
Sccondly-The aforesaid roads will not
lose anything by it, but probably gain, for
if have this pass it is more than likely
that l shall go East once or twice this
year and take parties with me who will
otherwise go by the Toledo, Wabash Il
Western and the Lake Shore, if they are
deviatcd from that course to accompany
me.
Thirdly and lastly Gin order that I may,
as Mr.. Moody recommended to the preach
ORG Nf J1lJI Lnl nj, ,Irtxr
minutes in my discourse and lose some
would suggest that desire to operate upon
Michigan, to sec if 1 cannot stimulate
them to build an asylum for idiots. l
have succeeded in getting the Legislature
of Illinois to give $lS5,OOO for new
building for its asylum; and as this is in
process of construction, l would like to
visit the charitable institutions in Miclli-
gan, Canada and the East, to see what
should be done to make ours what it
ought to be. l cannot go unless | get
passes.
You probably can, if you will, get me
the aforesaid, but if you do not, in the
hereafter, when you are seeking free
| pass to the better world, look out that
| somebody don't send you Il halfway per-
nit and land you considerably short of
your desire. pardon mc.)
THE REPLY.
DEAR SIR: My absence from the city
| last week prevented a prompt answer to
yours of the 4th inst. 1t is an old expert
ence that the Scripture can be made to
| sustain any doctrine or dogma if it can be
ingeniously applied, but confess that I
was astOnished at such an array of texts
upon which to base claim for travel over
our road, and the more so because in send
ing you the half-fare permit | thought
was complying strictly with the most lib
eral offers of transportation to be found in
the Bible.
Early in the history of the Jews we find
the account of their emigration from
Egypt, and certainly going in such num-
bers they would be entitled to as low a
rate of fare as could be consistently asked
by or granted to any one; yet in the 18th
verse OF the Both chapter of Exodus find
the following: This they shall give
every one that passeth half If this
does not cover the case, l do not know
where to look for authorities.
In one of your citations you refcrec
what you are pleased to cali the "othel
half of the permit which sent you.
fear that it would be of little service, since
our conductors, better versed in mathe
MATES than theology, would be sure tt
collect full fare from any one travelling or
! two half-fare permits.
But to convince you that l look to Holy
Writ as authority for declining free pass
es, permit me to quote few precepts OF
the subject Of passenger Transportation
which l find in its pages, beginning will
such as seem especially addressed to the
passenger:
I. Kings, 20, 39-''Thou shalt pay.''
II. Kings, 4, s; II Samuel, LIS 7-"G<
and pay"
| Ecclesiastes, 5, 4-'Defer not to pay.'
Exodus, q, 1S-"He shall pay.'
Exodus, q, 36-''He shall surely pay"
Numbers, 70, 1S-''Thou shalt not pass.
With the following from the third vers'
of the first chapter of Jonah, showing tina
passes were no easier to obtain then thai
now: $50 he paid the fare and went,
setting an example still worthy of imita
ton.
In addition to these preccpts to the pas
senger, find the following injunctions K
the railroad manager:
Judges, S, 2S-" Suffer not man to pass.
Nahum, 1, Is" The wicked shall no NOR
Isaiah, 81, 10" None shall ever pass"
| Matthew, "A, "a, 8; Mark, 10, "" I'M
generation shall not pass" and the follow
ing from the prophet jeremiah, 81, AZ
"Though they roar, yet shall they no
pass"
Perhaps after this array of Scriptur
authority l shall not be justified in send
| ing the annual desired, yet | find my sym
pathies stronger than my theology, and SO
having overwhelmed you with my cita
tons, and convinced you that concord
ance is an article as we'll known in Chi