Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-01-21
LETTER FROM SCHWARTZ
PARKER, Jan. IL, 1880.


and - perhaps advice. The latter
may not be well taken, but | claim |
am not accountable therefor. And
first, l have large complaint to offer,
viz. that my antagonist, critic, or
whatever he may style himself, an
swers through medium which, as lar
as / can learn, does not circulate In
this "neck o. woods" consequently l
do not get his communication perhaps
for weeks after it is published, and
then only by sending through the
mails for it. Again, now "honest
John that stole the dog" has not he
changed his nom de plume on me-
am Of the opinion that both articles
came from the same fountain head. In
the last over the signature of "P.
Stem," he grows more than eloquent;
he gets sublime i'm the words which
he puts in my mouth, in that lecture
on "Acorns." It reminds me of one
of two things: either the first attempt
of an over-confdent beginner, or his
the expiring effort of past greatness
vet imagining that composition is
harangueing assembled wisdom. He
scars to an unprecedented height, but
flies too long as well as too high, and
the consequence is he suffers the fate
of all over-infated balloons-he col
lapses just at the point where we
might reasonably expect something
the thing "peters out" fattens, falls
dead and stale as sour beer. There is
only one step from the sublime to the
ridiculous. In his attempt to reach
the former he reached the latter, and
in good shape too. Next time he
should not soar so high; get so far
out spread SO large, until he sees
where be will land. at is always best
not 10 have more washing on hands
than we have line to hang it on" So
much for his Demosthenic attempts at
oratory; now for retrospcction.
He charges my "fying artillery"
with wounding friends instead of foes,
&C., in the Sabbath School obituary"
that it was not neglect of friends that
caused the death of the school. Let
me say to him he is just as far "off the
belt" on that statement as in any other
he has made. That notice was pre-
concerted, and the effect in inserting it
has. at least, been partly attained, yet
only partly When drew out of him
the reluctant confession that Mrs.
Adam Black and the Superintendent of
the school were its friends, | partly, at
least, succeeded but there are or were
a few others. Why did he not give
their names also? Honor to whom
honor is due; they too should come in
for their share. The minister in charge,
Rev. Lawrence, also worked faithfully
for the school, but what benefit were
the efforts of few willing ones against
the unwilling ones? l did not say
that the school died of neglect from its
friends, but "from neglect Of those
acho should hare been ITS friends"
and / rciterate the charge in full. Why
was "P. Stem" only an occasional
visitant," and then only an "observery"
Why was he not regular attendant
aud acorkers Where, too, were the
dozens of heads Of families, young men
and women, boys and girls, as well as
children, that should have been regu-
lar attendants and workers, instead of
observers or visitors only, perhaps ?
Where were their Sabbaths spent
while these workers were laboring in
the face of discouragements, disap-
pointments. absence Of "well wishers"
and occasional visitors ?" Can he,
in common with others l have pointed
out, say what the Master said of one
who too was complained of: "She did
what she could !" or has he and they
buried their talent in a napkin lest it
bear fruit and "others gather where
they have not strewed ?" That school,
nor no other one, will die of neglect
from real and true friends, but simu-
lated and pretended friends are a curse
to any one. Will "P. Stem" gather
up bis friends and neigbbors and make
as bold stand, as laborious an effort,
and as hearty an appeal to the public
in behalf of the coming generation, as
he has in my favor? Will he throw
his whole and undivided influence in
his vicinity for and to the training of
youth in the way in which they should
go? He has talent; will he direct it
in the way it should go and thereby
gain other talents by setting good
example to others; by pointing out the
shoals on which others have stranded
and wrecked themselves; by inducing
others also to take an active part in
these matters; by giving time and
money in support of religious inAu-
ences, remembering that he is only
steward-in-charge, that whatever means
he has or may command are only
loaned, for which an account must be
rendered strictly and faithfully. And
not only him, but others, are too much
occasional observers" and only "well
wishers" of those whose efforts are
blended with their means for the prop
agation of religious influences in our
midst. Too often they are to be seen
idly lounging away the time when,
were they one-fourth as diligent in
seeking ways to work as they are
ways to spend their unoccupied time,
our country would to-day present
different spectacle than that of idlers,
gossipers and visitors spending "such
set times as He has appointed in His
word" aimlessly, listlessly, and with
out any good results, but in laying the
foundation and sowing the seeds of
vice, immortality, RIGHTEOUSNESS and
crime. Will he and they do this? If
they will, then the object for which l
have hastily written will be, at least,
partly accomplished. SCHWARTZ.
TRULY QUEER CAsE-Mrs j. E.
Ingraham informs us of a queer case