New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-11

ears Lf6 ulutOus WIN thCh ili6hth"
"orgies and then you take me prisoner only
"for singing All Hail the Power" The
Judge was evidently posed and when Mr.
Clemmers referred to the noise made with per-
feet impunity by brass bands, the Court hadn't
a word to say, except to direct the Rev. Mr..
Clemmers to be discharged. Street psalmody
was triumphant and the enthusiastic gentle
man no doubt went on vOcalizing' more sonor-
ously than ever.
The great mistake in such instances, 1t APP
pears to us, is usually made by the police.
We never knew an enthusiast full of the no.
ton that to preach the gospel effectually he
must disturb the peace, to be silenced by ar
rests and fines and imprisonments. He energies
from incarceration fresher and louder than
ever, and fuller than ever of unmanageable
zeal. He is always ready to be taken into
custody. He always has the last word with
the Judge. His argument in favor of Liberty
of speech is always unanswerable, and the more
he is "persecutedo tho surer he is that he is
right. More than this, lie usually secures the
sympathy of a considerable portion of the
public. Men care nothing for his doctrines,
and neither do they admire his tunes; they
have an idea that he is just a little of
lunatic but they do not like to see
him shut up (in two senses) by the constable.
The very moment before he is hurried away
they may have been stoning him or getting
ready to stone him. As he disappears there
may be about him flavor OF understandable
eggs, while the malOdOrOus albumen runs
down his beard and the skirts of his second
hand black coat. At this critical point his
enemies begin to rclent, and it is impressed
upon their softcning hearts that really the
eccentric old fellow intended no harm. After
all he was their preacher, and they were his
congregation. SO crowd will be awaiting
him when he is unincarcerated, and he will
remount his barrel, or box, or other place OF
vantage, more vehement and verbose and
yOcifer0us than ever.
If experience be of any value, tho world
should have found out by this time the folly
of attempting To silence enthusiasts in any
way, except by decapitation combustion or
Neutrality-suspicious. which have properly
fallen into dsuse. Nobody is compelled to
hear clamOrous person preach or sing, and
the sensible way, when anything distasteful of
that kind is going on, is TO walk out Of ear
shot. Besides it is astonishing how soon the
most lcathcry-lungcd nusances will ablte
themselves when they are let alone. They
talk on because part of the world pleases to
listen, and they tllk ever because the other
part doesn't please but gets into passion
with the performance. We are considering the
matter generally and with no intention Of
the Rev. Mr.. ClG1nmeIS, who,
possibly, may be as sensible az he is tuneful.
At any rate, we are so Tar with him that
we do not think it is good policy
to interfere with his highway ministrations.
There may be- those who think multiplicity
of religious sccts advantageous; but those who
think differently should understand that for
ninety aud nine of the little urimpOrtant
denominations into which the smaller portion
of professors has been divided, we are in
dcbtcd to interference and persecution" a
man who suffers simply because he pleases to
preach, Will soon have following, no matter
how absurd may be the doctrines which he
announces So when the Rev. Mr.. Clemmers
defended himself by quoting the Constitution
Of the United States, and the Judge discharged
him, We are told that there "were loud cheers,
with stamping OF feet OF course there were
and when he has been arrested often enough
he may have Il meeting-house of his own. with
branches III all the adjoining villages.