The Worthington advance., 1878-11-07
THE PRxss AND THE ckERox

THE 4eGEA&A0 AND 2dE C0C4t0xs
AT the recent session of the Rock
River Conference Of the NJ. E. Church,
held at Mt. Carroll, Illinois, DR.. Fowl
er, Of New York, according to the report
in a Chicago paper, made the following
attack upon the secular press: n :
That the secular papers were all on
the side of the devil, and that out Of
pure hostility to the gospel of Jesus
Christ the secular papers always ell
couraged everybody who attacked that
gospel, with that cheerful indifference
to facts and logic, that is characteristic
OF all saYages, whose minds have no
higher exercise than following q trail
through the wilderness. DR.. Fowler
jumped from this premise to the coll
clueiVn that the interest secular papers
took in minister was al absolute
measure of his orthodoxy. If the Sec
ular papers were friendly to minister,
they being on.the side Of the devil, lie
could hardly ('e anywhere Else. Thus
trial for heresy would be simply All
examination Of files of the newspapers.
Ii they showed that he had been con-
victed OF adultery, or mendacity, or en-
bezzlement, the only conclusion to be
drawn was that he was an eminently
useful minister of the gospel. But il
the newspapers had spoken highly of
his character and abilities, it would he
the duty of his brethern TO depose him
from the ministry without further tes-
timOny. When Dr. Fowler enunciat-
ed his simple device for detecting her
esy he was greeted with applause of the
most vehement aid protracted charac-
ter. The preachers clapped their hands
till they ached, and after taking rest
clapped again. The eyes of nearly all
were fixed on DR.. Thomas, who had 4
front seat. All around the house
could be heard such whispered remarks
as Ibid you notice Thomas?' ''How
red Thomas turnedl' ''That's the
truth.''
This sort of talk may have done for
those dark ages when the clergy ruled
the world and kept it in ignorance in
order that they might maintain their
rule. But it will not do in this age of
newspapers and free thought. This
bigot, DIR. Fowler, no doubt thinks he
can make men believe that what the
newspapers publish against the clergy
is all invented and put forth because
the newspapers are, as he says, ION the
side of the devil" lie would like to
make people believe that when the
newspapers show that a clergyman has
been convicted of "adultery, or men,
dacity, or embezzlement, )" the only con-
clusion to be drawn is that he is an
eminently useful minister Of the gos-
pel."
Let us apply the rule as laid down
Ivy this bigot, Fowler, whose views
were so heartily applauded by the as
sembled bigots Of his own cloth who
'clapped their hands till they ached. -
The list given some time since by a
New York paper of three hundred cler-
gymen in the United States who had
been caught and exposed in improper
conduct, mostly with women, were,
according to Fowler's rule, ''eminent-
ly useful ministers of the gospel" J"
Clendening, who poisoned his wife in
order that he might get another wo-
man, was an ''eminently useful MINIS
ter of the gospel.'' The reverend
wretch, II. H. Hayden, who is now un-
der arrest in Madison, Conn.,, for pois.
oning a young girl whom lie had seduc.
ed, was AL ''eminently useful minister
of the gospel" And 50 on I'D ininit-
tenn
Let the secular press accept the
gauge thrown down so often by the
bigoted clergy. We said long ago in
All article that was widely copied that
the newspapers ought to turn and
n,ncture these clerical wind-bags.
Since they are Fl yhting us, let US fight
them back and quit publishing column
after column of their platitudes to the
exclusion of the truth ~ We find it in
the utterances of Christ and OF the bes:
men of this and all ages. Let us ex
pose the sins, the ignorance, the stupid
bigotry of the clergy and the errors
in what they preach. by this means,
we can check their power for evil an,,
help to bring in the true gospel 2nt
the true church.
On the other hand, let us continue
to encourage those ministers who ad
vocate propress and growth in religion
as in everything else, and WHO are toe
true to believe one thing and pre:.cl
another; who love the living souls o.
men more than the dead creeds of thu
churches, and who believe that thu
Sabbath, the church. and other institm
lions were made for man and not tl,a
man was made for the Sabbath, thu
church and the priesthood.
Our good friend, of the Worthingto,
ADVANCE has been trying for Ions
time to find a Creep hole into the Dem
ocratic camp, feeling that that part,
needed an organ, and lacking the cour
age to come out square-tOed. So lie ii
first embraced Spiritualism, rs an ini
tiatory step, then gradually approacllt<
greenDackiSm, as Il second step, and b.
next fall, ut fartlIest will he well-ed
ucated democrat. and can swallow Til
den, Hendricks, aud the rest of til,
Democratic crowd. Go in.-Windon
Reporter.
Huntington, with all thy faults, W,
love thee stiIl,'' or words to that effect
But you are unfair in your treatment
of most of your brother editors. Yo,
know that if you had the "sand j,
you," if you did not ''lack the courage, ,
you would stand where the ADVANCE
does to-day. We have steadily pro
claimed and made the ADVANCE an il,
dependent paper, with all our predelec
tions and antecedents in favor of TIN
Republican party. esaid in our iss,u
Of week before last that as between tn
two old parties we very much prefer
red the Republican. But We believ
the financial policy of that grand oil