Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-12-01
Adncaster f,,telllgerlrer.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, DEC. 1, 1890

WEDNESDAY EVENING, DEC. 1. 1890.
Our Trouble with the Churches.
Seemingly it would be very agreeable
-sometimes-for the preachers, if their
churches could be located where there
are no newspapers though on other oc-
casions it is quite otherwise. 1t is per-
haps because of the irrepressible con-
aict between things spiritual and tempo
raj, that the newspapers and preachers
cannot always pull evenly together in
that which should be the mission of both
and of all men-to make the world bet
ter for their labor. Acknowledging the
deepest desire to follow the truest
path of journalistic endeavOr, and
feeling sure that this path should run
parallel with that pursued by our rever-
end contemporaries, it does nevertheless
most frequently happen that it don't.
Whereupon, covering ourselves with
ashes and burying ourselves in medita-
ton. we conclude that it is all the fault
of oar unregenerate spirit and feeble in
telligence, and we repent; and do it
again. For we don't know any better.
The arguments addressed to us to show
our fault, don't reach down into our un-
derstanding. Taking them on faith,
each new occasion has new argument
and fresh humiliation. We still live
in hope that some day we will get up to
a proper comprehension, and know when
and what it is fitting to speak of the
preachers and the churches. TO think
tl:at we should he involved in q differ
ence with two big church pastors at
one time, as We seem to be at present, is
truly discouraging and that, when we
thought We were doing what was just
lovely.
Our very dear friend, DR.. Mitchell,
was the last one from whom we thought
we would hear Il reproach that we re-
ported tie proceedings of his congrega.
tional meeting {; for the doctor is an in
telligent man, who appreciates the news
for editors. No doubt it is true that we
ought not to have reported that council,
since the doctor says SO but who would
ever have thought that. of all church
meetings, this was not just the
one that the churck people would
like to hear about, since it was
intended to br Il meeting of the
whole congregation, to which unfOrtu-
natcly orlya very few could get. So the
INTELLIGENCEH came to the relief of
the absent and undertook to tell them
what had been said and done. Maybe
we did not get it down exactly right but
our reporter VOWS that he was rs near to
the true tale as the doctor himself got
when he undertook to recount the pro-
ceilings to the people assembled to.
ge:her at the adjourned meeting. Some
little excuse must he made for the amia-
BILE reporter WHO undertook to. take down
the sentiments of the brethren, Patter.
son, Wiley and others who expressed
their opinions on tile first occasion, owing
to the somewhat excited character of
their words and gesticulations for Oul
reporter is Il very gentle creature
and he had never attended 4 PreSby'
terian church before and wasn't ex
actly used to the methods and man
ners of the sanhedrim. But he seemed
TO enjoy the occasion very mucl
and begged us to let him report the pro
ceedings of the adjourned meeting
which. having faith in him, we rashly
promised to do not knowing then that
it would not he agreeable to DR.. Mitchell
and that this was Il private meeting OF
the church hut only thinking of Oul
duty TO our readers in the church and
out of il who like to hear the news and
reprcach It's il we do not give it to them
SO that e'hopc DIR. Mitchell will for
give lis vet this one time fol
our report of the adjourned cOun
Gil. We know he would not have
us break our promise and tell a lie and
really We could not disappoint the young
man to whom We had passed our word
And we did not like to think, either
that our paper would disappoint, this
evening, all those Presbytcrians who
were not ut the meeting last night, but
who would he ;thrist to know what
had been done and who would he relying
on the INTELLIGENCEE, which hitherto
has kept them posted. You sec there
were only about 4 hundred at the meet
ing which, of course, is Il very small
portion of the membership Of So big a
church as the Presbyterian. On the
whole we hope we will he forgiven
and We ventarc to record what was
said 10y our beloved Judge Patterson.
and dear Doctor Peacock and our lively
friend Wiley, and the accomplished pas
tor, and all the rest. Why! to think
that the judge should resign the elder
ship which he has adorned SO many years
and the world not know exactly how he
did it Such thing can never be in
this town while we publish a newspaper
in it.
1t was !: very pleasant meeting too.
There was nothing discreditable happen.
ed. Nobody shook his fist at anybody, and
no one called upon the music to stop its
graceless tunes. Maybe there was nc
organ playing, the floor music being
sufficiently entertaining, with its low,
soft, sweet melody, in which no harsh
and sbilant sound was heard
,for off There MAS nothing i'm il to