New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-29
MAILING FALSEHOOD.
THE RELIGIOUS METHOD OF ARGUNENTA-
rTInN

Congregational churches IN New-England, comes
TO the defence of the Rev. James Freeman Clarke III
the following elegant elevated andexhaustve criti-
osm printed in its editorial columns May 10,
1873:
It is Just possible that Gail Hamilton, in stirring up
the Rev. James Freeman Clarke by her abusive on
slaught entitled Pig-rOn In the Pulpit upon DIS lae
passenger; certainly will do should he feel n-
Cned to take the trouble 70 reply TO her assanIP by
the way. the true inwardneSs or these remaIkaPS el
airy productions Of this remarkable female VIII become
u Snc I o t5sst her dsfinSIisbed soma
torial friend pays THE TRIBUNE Tor publishing them
The first part of this argument is irresistible.
The testimony in rebuttal which the Rev.
James Freeman Clarke may produce l shall
endeavor to meet as becomes man, but
reason itself is impotent before the things which
Br Clarke could say if he felt inclined to take the
trouble to do so! Neither energy fortitude IAN
conquer the fate which disappearing astronomi-
cally-at the centre of perpetual observation
The second part Of the argument is less automatic
in statement, less conclusive in reasoning, and
cannot therefore be promptly disposed OF. Adj
hitting the distinguished Senatorial fact, its bear
ing upon the Interpretation of the prophecy is not
instantly apparent to the irrelgiOus mind; and /
am sure L shall be pardOned it, like the acorn when
somewhat unusually accosted by the pebble,
Felt for awhile perplexed 20 know
How TO answer a thing so low
Desiring however first to establish the fact in the
interests of morality and religion, addressed the
following questions to The CORD egaiOpaljst May 81
marking the note For publication"
Quoting the paragraph, said
81 desire you TO state:
II The name OF the person or persons who compose
those circles and who are your authority Tor the Ium9r
ant II true that 1t Is your duty 10 puOilSH 1t H..
'2 The name Of the town or towns IN which those
Until You do this you are responsible for the creation
as well as for the publication and circulation OF the
rumOr."
Neither my questions nor the desired answers APP
peared in the succeeding COHgr6gaiOHaIist whose
columns were too heavily loaded down with articles
headed " Save my Soul Observance Of the Sab
BATH " CongregatOnalism in Virginia" " God will
Mind" " Do we Need Devil - and similar unc-
tuous reading to be encountered with such light
weight this but personal letter was written to
me saying-May %
"In reply to yours just received beg to say that
we did not originate the which you refer; but
having found current in literary circles III Boston ana
though cannot at this moment be sure in which Of
them memorandum was made-we referred TO II
as already to degree public property 1t would give US
great plefsuren we were led INTO err0T-to make ton
good authority any needed correction
This letter was encouraging but not satisfactory
It gave a hitch in the right directon-only hitch
but still in the right direction. 1t gave to the
rumor local habitatiou-two of them indeed-but
10 name 1t narrowed the scope Of inquiry among
Literary circles TO Boston and New-York; but
while thus reducing a religious editor to his lowest
terms as the Tell Tale of Two Cities, it also
gathered into hls Suuday-school the whole news
paper press of our great Republic. However, this
partial success encouraged me to turn the crank
again. in hope of finally grinding out from our
Congregational organ the definite and responsible
name Of its authorities. therefore addressed
The CopgyegafoRalist another letter. May %:
'Wil You be good enough to give the names OF the
persons composing the literary circles Boston and IN
Sew-York N which YOU found the 'rumOr to which |
have called your attention current
Wili you be good enough to give me the name Of one
responsible person IN these literary circles IN Boston,
and m New-York who viii stand sponsor for having
"Wiii You be good enough to give me the Of
paper, daily weekly, religious secular, among al
your exchanges that entertained the rumor before you
published it, May 10; ls7S.'
To this letter came the following answer, whose
franSness and manliness must commend themselves
to the most casual reader:
'In our issue Of May Is, we referred TO rumor in
regard yourself and stated That II true that rumOr
"You addressed tie 21st. asking, for substance,
I'VE replied by saving, for substance, that we had
that rum0r from persons IN literary ccts both ~ Bos-
and NewYork, and that we had further seen il in
the newspaper pressthough not having preserved the
paper could not then identity the particular Journal
TumOr If desired competent assurance OF its false
you have replied under date OF the 24'h, demanding
categOcty the names Of the persons aud OF the paper
1--WE respectfully decline to answer further.
eve assume the entire responsibility Of having stated
o. that this was rumOr and 81 that If true, II viii
solve the problem referredto.
eve further repeat: o. the assurance that II did not
originate with Us; and ~ our Willingness II u be IN
correct to advise our readers on competent assurance
that such is the fact
1t will be observed that The CoRgregttonal8f is
most forward, generous specific, and statistic,
in conveying to me information which l already
possessed and which l did not ask but is abso-
lutely dumb regarding the information which / did
ask and which it was imperative upon The Copgre-
nationalist to give, if it would divcst itself Of the
character of false and original slanderer.
Kermit me, in the interest of the Christian
Church to call attention 10 the fact that this
religious newspaper, III the same issue IN which It
announces and indorses the sentiment that " All
odium, and excitement, and alarmism, and misrep-
resentation are hostile to the true liberty and intel
Iectua progress of the Church" catches up indoTses
as from circles likely to be wel-informed," and
circulates what processes to be only Tumor" and
which is a "rumor" discreditabe TO The NEW
York TRIBUNE TO some unnamed Senator and to
myself and which is intended to destroy the moral
effect and is likely, so far 1t have any influence,
to diminish the pecuniary value Of my papers
This rumor The Congrogati3Ralgt circulaes without
giving any authority. 1t is merely anonymous
scandal. Called upon to furnish its authority this
religious newspaper refuses to give any; but IN
desperate attempt to relieve itself from the dshOnOT
OF having puDllsheu an uhauJhOIhou anu oCdhu"l-
GUS story it declares that it found the story al
ready published in some of our exchanges, and
therefore already to a degree public property
Called upon TO give the name Of one Of these eX-
changes" il is unable TO do so. 1t has forgotten
them all. It's memory was just strong enough to re-
member and to publish scandaous and injurious
statement but too feeble TO retain the name Of its
authority for that statement.
lam forced to disbeeve-and I am justified in
asserting my disbeef-that The C0Rgregaii0aGIist