The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-11-18
Chapter III ON IFS
Addressed by { J 10 ".

Ts the Editor Of the BULLETIN:
Now, brother, If understand the Eng
llsh language sufficiently to enable me to
to receive and convey ideas when correct
ly expressed in the language, persist,
with the flrmness OF the broad and immo.
vsble foundations OF the Rocky noun
tains, in declaring that not only un-
derstands but understood, not only com,
prehsnds but comprehended at once, the
entire idea, purpose and seape OF tho a.
trail beams shed forth from your deathless
mind in It's late efforts to shine through
the columns OF the Cairo BULLETIN.
And, iii" he did not love you brotherly
well, he would feel little fretted at the
"soft-solder" and o.sarcasm, THE
mingled wine and gall which trickle all
through your address to DR.. Reynolds
and himself. But he Is az patient as heis
stubborn, and gentle as he lie firm; warm.
hearted as he is plain spoken; and he be-
lieyes thoroughly in some of David
Crocket's sayings, and unreservedly in
all the saying OF the Sacred Scriptures;
and, therefore, it would be an impossi>
BILE thing for him to feel unkind toward
his brother, stars, or refrain from trying
to turn him away from the solf-light that
delights him to the light which cane
down from Heaven, and of which Paul
reasoned in the presence Of the royal
Governor Festus. and King Agrippa,
when he declared to them that IL trans
cended the brightness of the sun. Now,
brother stars, your light is but the light
OF a man, and ST" the Bible be tho word
OF God, then your light Is no guide to
your feet. 1t does not nor cannot pene-
trate the abysmal depth of darkness and
ruin over which you unwlttingly tread
with the unseening zeal Of an unseeing
leader, reckoning your fellows to follow
where you yourself cannot see. O, bro
ther! be not angered when poor ( } begs
you to lift your eyes from the dismal and
rayless light Of human kind, and place
them upon the lnefiible light OF the ex-
press imagine of God himself, even that
light that came down from Heaven to
tighten the places which sat in darkness.
Now, hay ing parenthetIcally said thus
much with the kindest feelings and in,
tentions in the hope that it may be bless
sed In doing my brother stars lasting
good, { J must needs examine the starry
objections Of his brother stars. Paren.
thesis will admit that the objections raised
by MN, are temporarily christian, though
hailing from man that publicly pro-
claims that he himself Is non.C Christian,
that Ia '1f" the elements Of inconsistency
entitle them to any Christian fellowship,
Now mark me brother stars, | do not at
this juncture say that you yourself are
inconsistent. but I distinctly assert that
the so.ealled objections which you raise
to DR.. Reynolds consistency, and me.
thed of conducting his rsasonlngs on
rlghteousness, temperance, and judgment
to come, are as objections totally inconsi,t.
ant. Now mark me, my good brother,
tor 1t may puzzle you considerably to
take in the whole idea "ir' you are mat.
tentlve, (excuse me for my old school,
master way Of urging your attention, for
mean It earnestly and kindly,) for in
my ambling and rambling about the sub.
iect to make point, which "lt' should
happen to do, and you heedlessly oyer.
looked 1t, or did not observe it, because
Of the length Of my sentences, you might
again commit the soleclsm Of pralsing
me for not answering your so-called OBJ
jections. What! man, would you com.
pei me to do the impossible; you who are
so In love with temperance q { }
to hurl to dumb-bells Of logic about the
venerable temples Of your objections
where ancestory Is old as the DEVILS leap
into ParadiseY You amaze me; why: q
{ J was never meant to play the glad.
iator In the arena Of logic. IL always
has been, and now is. and hope 1t always
will be, Its humble Office to explain to tho
uniformed, the neophyte. and the mat.
tentivs. Now parenthetically will
state this iact-tlnt your objections As
you call them are not so truly objections
as they are complaints. You complain
that DR.. Reynolds has written temper
ance pledge which you think that no
christian can consistently sign or take,