The daily gazette., 1878-04-25
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
For the Gazette.

] 4 vi hiN ohSRhpi'
Mr.. EDITOR In your editorial of the
23d about the preachers meeting, and Mr..
Stevenson's resolution, excluding the re-
porters of the press, and some other
things you mentioned you have been
led to believe what was not SO. In the
| first place, Mr.. Stevenson's resolution
does not exclude the reporters, but re-
quires them To have their reports correct
ed by the officers of said meeting, before
they publish them because they were
seldom, if ever correct, and that is why
you were misinformed. You say: awe
feel confident that no good will result to
the Church or to morality from such dis
cussions, as we are led to believe has
taken place at these meetings." ! have
in reply to this to say have been at
tending the meetings for many years
and | have never seen any exhibition of
passion you speak of; far from it, and
again you fear that true piety Will suffer,
from violence of temper. Here you are
wonderfully at fault for want of proper
information. There was no violence of
temper shown there at any time and
again you speak about some of the clergy
at Barnums show. For my part l
don't know how preacher of the Cos
pei feels while setting in circus looking
at the performance in such a sink OF
iniquity as that place must be. And, you
say if you "thought it a sin to go to Bar
NUNS show you would not go" Well,
you and your Master for it. For my part
l think. it is a sin. for any Christian to
attend such places of worldly amuse-
ments and If he has got in his heart what
the Christian religion will afford him, he
Will not want to go to such places.
And as we believe the clergy is respon-
sible for the morals of the people, it is
far from being a fit place for them. When
you open the door to the circus, then
comes theatre and dance houses, lager
beer saloons and whiskey shops, and
all other places of vices that are of the
world. And again you refer to the re-
straints of our discipline. Thank God, it
forbids all these places as vicious, and
hope onr preachers will see to it, that
our discipline is enforced. You say it re-
quires plainness of dress and the avoid
ance ofjewelry and fashionable bonnets.
Here you are mt fault again, for our
women don't wear bonnets, they have
gone out of fashion years ago.
1t is true that they wear something on
the top of their heads, or rather on the
back part therof, but there is no name
for it that | know of. They are foolish
something that the milliners furnish our
women in the place of bonnets.
The Methodists did not wear gold
rings and bracelets and crosses when |
joined them. The only way L can ac-
count for that is the want of true piety
in some of our members. Our 45th rule
forbids supert1uity of dress and exhorts
the apostolic precept, not to adorn them
selves with gold or costly array. And
| fear our preachers fail to preach abo ut
it as much as they should. Well, sup.
pose our preachers are silent and even
admire the roses as you say, must we
open the gates, enter the circus, and 9th.
or places of worldly amusement and
vice? No, no. Some of our people have
been going astray and it is time to draw
the reins a little tighter, and not to loos-
! on up for the benefit of circus-goers and
because some of our silly women and
men adorn themselves foolishly with
bracelets and gold chains, sc. Now, in
conclusion, am very glad that you say
that the Methodist church is ga grand or
ganization-the purest and most pious Of all
| pr0testdnt,snl, and we should do anything
to help her ministers" The weekly meet
ings of the preachers are correct and
their object is to do good; but the
trouble has been in the reporters in Civ.
ing their own opinions in the place OF
what was there said. And it was often
lar from being correct; and if you would
require of your reporters to have their
reports corrected according to the reso-
luton adopted, there would be no
trouble or fears of what is said or done
in the Preachers Meetings.
A METHoDIsT