The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-23
NEwBERN, May 9Th, rs.

Mr.. EDITOR That was a happy
hit of Mrs. ~Spencer's at us all for
crowding our minds into No. rs, when
we ought to expand them, and | could
not help wishing | could send her ar
ticle to every man and woman in our
State outsiders always bring the
charge of "being behind the times"
against North Carolina. lou hear it
as soon as you cross the line both ways,
and too often it is true. Reverence
for what our grand-mothers b~equeath-
ed us is very well and very proper, if
we don't, as Mrs. Spencer says, cramp
our minds in order to prove our re
spect for past errors, which the light
of the present age shows to be such.
When Franklin first induced King
George, of England, to have lightning
rods put on his palace, there was a
great hue and cry that they were but
the device of a rebel to draw the cleo
trio fluid down for the destruction of
the King and his court and quite as
sensible a clamor is often raised in
these days against things simply be-
cause they are new. But in nothing
do we so persistently cramp our intel
lect as in our religious beliefs, n |
have thought more than once Of Mrs.
Spencer's No. rs, while reading a con-
troversy, in our city papers, between
Rev. Mr.. Vass, of the Presbyterian
church, and a correspondent who
signs himself or herself "Charity,"
growing out of a lecture on ROmanism.
delivered during the late session of
Orange Presbytery by the Rev. H. b.
Pratt, who had resided for twelve
years in South America. | heard the
lecture, and could see nothing unchar-
liable in its spirit. | do not think any
educated Catholic would have been
wounded, though he might have been
amused by some of the u~tterances.
There was nothing either disrespect-
full or unkind in his remarks he said
piety took a peculiarly beautiful form
in Catholics, and that many Of them
were well versed in the Scripture, and
could quote it pertinently yet, at the
same time, he told us hat the Bible
was denied to the laity. He spoke of
the doctrine Of transubstantiation, and
represented it fairly, as he did that Of
intercession of Saints !; but when he
o,n, tn tIn unrchin of tho Ntrrip NO
reminded me of the sailor in Peter
Simple. who said the Spaniards called
the fou, decker, which Nelson en-
gagged with at the battle of Trafalgar,
the Holy Trinity because they count
ed the Virgin as of them-and
greater than the other three" In
speaking of the Priests and their
power, he said IF you ask me if
they are generally bad men? l say,
emphatically, NO" Personally they
are not bad men. They only devote
their whole powers to sustaining a bad
system and a corrupt church. He was
a Presbyterian minister lecturing in a
Presbyterian church, and representing
Roman Catholicism to his hearers. as
pressive and gentlemanly way. 1t
was only to be regretted that he had
crowded a mind fit for No. los into
No. rs, by taking the belief of igno.
amt Catholics as the faith of the
church itself. | spent many wears
among just such people as he de.
scribed, Spanish American, and know
he did not %overdIaw the picture wher
he said that many of them worshipped
the images of the Saints and the Vir.
gin with downright idolatry, but then
that is not the teaching of theil
church, any more thar it is the teach
ing of the Episcopal church, as has
been represented by the ignorant. tina,
the Holy Ghost comes out of the end,
of the Bishops finger, when he Law:
his hand in confirmation on the head.
of the candidates. Ny Mexican wash.
er woman once came to me to get fifty
cents extra, because she would have
no CledI water next week, to dc f.
CdpitdnO's shirt, unless Sonora woulf
help her pay for prayers. to avert the
impending calamity of the San Pedr,
creek being drunk dry by the camel.
that the United States government hac
just imported for propagation in New
Mexico. l had a Scotch housekeepe,
at the time, the bluest of Presbyteri.
ans, who was Mortified at the ''benight
ed ignorance of the heathen." We
the very next week l was reused il
the middle of the night by an earnes
call from this woman to hand her tn,
Bible she had left on my bureau t.
put under her head and keep the
witches off A truly niOus and con