St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-12-13
For the Caledonian.
Francis Murphy's Metropolitan Cam
paign.
BY REV. H. F. AUSTIN.

BY REV. H. F. AUSTIN.
Editor Of The CaledOnian:
Your New York correspondent in his
communication of November %, gives
your readers really unfavorable rep
presentation of the Murphy movement
for temperance reform in that city. Did
l not personally know Francis Murphy
both as Christian man and as a man
ager of temperance campaigns in other
towns and cities than New York and
had no other reliable sources of in
formation than the communications of
your city correspondent; had | never
been personal cO-labOrer with Mr..
Murphy and his well known assistants
in the temperance work, | might possi
bly with others unacquainted with the
facts and fruits of his labOrs in other
places, silently though sorrowfully Civ
ell him up as Il senseless fanatic and a
sad failure. But believing him to be Il
man of sincere piety and knowing him
to be one of the most eloquent, thrilling
and effective platform speakers in
America ready reader of human ma
ture, large hearted man of the most
generous impulses and impassioned ut
terances, while he is man of keen
perceptions, quick wit, logical cOnclu-
sions and withal, possessed of strong
practical common sense, | feel it is due
him and the cause of temperance and
truth that some words favorable to him
and his work should be written for
your readers.
Know not the real name, nation,
age, sex ''color or previous condition"
of your city correspondent; but one
thing to my mind is clear: .'Radix" had
not signed the Murphy temperance
pledge, with Malice toward none, with
charity for ALL" and donned the badge
of blue and thus openly shown his total
abstinence sympathies and sentiments
at the writing of that letter. 1t is one
thing to form conclusions and write re-
ports from street gossip and sneers of
whisky subsidized secular ''dailies" and
whisky dealers; but it is quite another
thing to go into honest, hard temper
ance work with heart and soul in the
effort to rescue the perishing if by any
means the worker might save some. 1t
is one thing for a cool, calculating, crit
ical church member to estimate the
ability and adaptation of an earnest
evangelist and the fruits of revival
effort from the censures he hears be-
hind his counter from his worldly GUS
toners or as he sits in the back pew in
the seat of the scorner: but it is quite
another thing for him to judge the
workman and the work on his knees
praying for penitents at the altar or in
the inquiry room as he earnestly seeks
to lead souls to the Saviour.
Let us judge Francis Murphy fairly
and his work by facts and not by fan
cies. 1 am glad your city correspon-
dent gives Mr.. Murphy credit of being
.'earnest" in his work. Earnestness is
always an essential element in Il sue
cessful reformer. Radix says: ''Like
most of the modem popular speakers
in the cause of morality and religion,
the Moodys, Hammonds, Kimballs, etc.,
Murphy is ''high pressure worker"
Good for Murphy The fact is Glow
pressure workers" never have and never
will do much to reform this wicked
world. The great Reformer wants his
workmen ''hot"-at ,"high pressure"
pitch in their zeal for his cause. The
''luke-warm" he will spue out. "What-
soever thy hand findeth to do do it
with thy might" is a good working
motto for Murphy, Radix, and all other
great reformers in religion, morals or
manners.
Paul and his assistants were 'high
pressure" workers in preaching the gos-
pei to the perishing Gentiles. And
their "high pressure" style and system
did not please the pharisaical Jews OF
Thessalonica whose charge to the city
fathers against the agitatOrs was: These
that have turned the world upside down
have come hither also. And that's
what's the matter with Murphy in the
Metropolis With such workers as
Moody, Hammond, Kimball etc., says
Radix, ''he seems to believe that re-
form, spiritual and moral, is a thing to
be accomplished in moment" Good
for Murphy, again. He makes the gos-
pei of Christ the platform and power
of temperance reform and total absti
nence. He believes in the ''prayer ot
faith" and depends on the faith of the
church and the consequent cooperation
of the Holy Spirit. He urges the in
ebriate not to trust in his own resOlu-
tion and strength in seeking to reform
but to repent and now believe on the