New-York tribune., 1876-02-15
4 REdCE or BACKSLIDERS.

Mr.. Hammond, the revivalist has been most
unfortunate in pair of his Harrisburg neo-
phytes-W illiam Dunlap, converted bar
tender and Harry Tons, converted actor.
Mr.. Dunlap forged an order for clothing, and
then made addresses in the ill-gOttcn yalmcnt.
Mr.. Tons forged the name of Mr. Hammond
himself to check and thus feoniously OBJ
taincd $50 from Il bank. Great things were
expected OF Nr. Tons, who was accustomed to
tell long and varied experience, and 10 repre-
sent that after SO much bad conduct. to say
nothing of bad acting his experience OF religion
was little short OF the specially MIRACULOUS
Perhaps greater miracle would have been
Mr.. Tons'S endurance to the end Both gen
tlemcn are now like Paul and Silas in one
respect-thty are both in jail We are far
from regarding this dreadful downfall rs at
Ill dscrcditablc TO Mr. Hammond. The coun-
try is full Of recent "conycits.' The re-
yivalsr of the Winter have been numerous; I;
the religious feeling everywhere has been re-
marhable thousands have made a profession
of repentance, and only time can show low
MANY were in earnest, or had good reason for
believing themselves to be regcncratcd. This
il convenient world for breaking down in,
nor Is hfNINidif lhllul' ''i'h'h ~ WV
church 3. A man in Wall-st., for instance,
may have a frst-rate reputation for CONNER
cial honesty; hi, word better if anything than
his bond his name may he Synonymous with
-olycncy, and gild the edges of any
paper upon the back of which 1t Is
written: h:s association may lend solidity
40 bank directions. dignity 10 boards, credit 10
corpotntious and even probability To dubious
spccuatiOus orphans trust him and widows
lean upon him, and reporters "interycw" him
when there H. smell of IA crisis IN the air.
Some morning he is missed in the 'customed
street, nor yet beside the curbstonc nor at his
domrilc or any nywherc NJ town II he. Awful
disclosures cnsuc the heap OF his debts Is
like PciOn on pssl. OF his assets like an ant
hill the hoHls Of his creditor, are !"ui and
painful hc has gone To Noya. .Icmbia he has
gone 10 TimbuctOo. lac has gone at amy rate
awav from Ncw-Norh. Do We cease 10 believe
that commercial Integrity is possible Buying,
selling. di.countlng, haricring, trading still 20
or Honesty remains the rule. Otherwise
business would be- impossible.
II Messr,. Moody and Sankcy and Hammond
ask 10 have the mass of their converts judged
in the same way, il is only reasonable. Ger
tain sheep apparently white, may mysteIiousy
change color; il is natural that rogues should
utilize rcyivals: aud the breed Of hypo,ritcs
is perpetual. We do not need statistics to
prove that the great majority OF those pro-
fcs ;ng religion usually prove to be true and
faithful: we III know il from our own OBJ
seryati0n ard cIpcricaoe. /, viii not do to
gcnerazc lamcEiabiy over Il lonesome para
graph IN IL newspaper about some clergy man
who has gone awry, on some professor and
confcssor who has proved To be a looae-t0ngued
liar; and set such tlabby deduction is oftenest
in the months OF garrulous commentators.
One swallow makes for them Summer of
sin; one sporadic ease establishes an cpl
dcmc; while n couple OF scandalous coinci-
dcmces render them pessimists forever.