New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-08
A PLAIN-PRAYING PARSON.

A clergyman certainly has a right to his political
opinions and to the embarrassed expression OF tnen
if he mentions them in his sermons, and SO deber-
atey dives into hot water we may not be able to
commend his taste, but there is no canon against
admIring his courage. The Rev. Mr.. Thorpe is
Chaplain of the Iowa Legislature. Mr.. Thorpe re-
CARDS the "pocy Of Cancellation" as "puerile and
ruinous." We should not have thought OF applying
to 1t such muscular adjectives; but Thorpe has his
own Websters Unabridged, and there is nothing in
the Constitution of the United States which denies
him the right Of selecting his words. Now, the
reverend gentleman, being full of opinions, and dis
commoded by their repression sought relief by put
ting them into his official morning prayer. He
begged the Lord to cure the President of the United
States of the insanity of the feeling which has
shown itself in undue sympathy for section of the
country" and 4" to enable him to see it to be his
duty to heed the sentiment of all the people"-which
is as plain as the petition of the Massachusetts, cler-
gyman who prayed the Lord to make the hearts
of the Anti Masons soft as their heads"
Hcreupon the Hon. Mr. BEedung, of the Iowa
House, brought in roaring resolution censurlng
the prayer and its maker. more foolish thing he
could not have done for the Rev. Dir. Thorpe I'M
mediaely wrote letter full of assertions which no.
body can deny declaring that his prayer was to
God. and not TO members of the Iowa Legislature,
and winding up with the announcement that he
would pray for the Iowa Legislature toiicallyl no
more. As there seventeen other chapiaIns-all
the clergymen in Des Moincs-for they take their
turns in the servlce-no dreadful results VIII i0-
low Mr.. Thorpc's determination, and the other rev
erend persons will be careful We suppose, how they
pray and what they pray for.
Perhaps the most noticeable thing in this affair is
the want of good taste on both sides which it
m 9Th we'd or
dent as he is every Sunday prayed for in the Epis-
copal churches. "Enduc him penteously,' Mr.
Thorpe might have said with heavenly grace"
and the petition might also have been Offered for his
" health and prosperity" Thus praying, he would
have prayed quite as fcryently and cfectuaily But
then why on the other hand, should the Hon. Alex
ander Blcidung get into passion because the Kew.
Mr. Thorpe did not choose to pray in this way lie
might have seen with half an eye that he could not
more greatly please the clergyman than by shooting
a resolution at him. There was not, we venture to
say, happier man in Des Mones than Mr.. Thorpe
was when his long and spicy letter appeared III The
R,giste. 1t unquestionaby his private opinion
that he had the Hon. Alexander the hip when he
sarcasticaly advised the House " to appoint Mr.
Blcidung a committee of one to draft form of
prayer neutral in religion and politics. to be forever
used BY the chapains"
1t might not be uncharitable to conjecture
that the morning service in the State House
at Des Moines has degenerated into a puny
piece of formasm and is anything but the
souls sincere desire Ii SO, our sympathies
are with the sixteen or eighteen pastors
of tho city, who do the duty. 1t would not
surprise us to hear that the Iowa Legislature had
given up prayers altogether not so much because it
is past praying for, from the mpoSsbity of find
ing anybody so gifted in supplicaton as to please
everybody.