The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-20
For the Central Presbyterian
Rome and "the Ethics of Con-
troversy."
PETERSBURG, VA. Oct. Is. 1880

ufsI Ilue Vne editorial OF Or. ~ COnnell
in his issue of the 18th ult., in which he
tries to break the force of my quotations
from Father Muller" by casting asper-
slons upon my personal character, l was
OF course, very indignant; but / had en-
tirely overlooked the significance of one
passage in his diatribe, and subsequent
reference to that has assured me that
ought to change all my feelings of indie-
nation into those of pure compassion
The passage to which refer is as follows:
81 do not seek controversy. / did not
seek this one, but when it is forced upon
me, will combat it with all those feel.
ings of disgust which every peace-loving
man entertains for it" He does not here
tell us by whom the controversy was
forced upon him; not certainly by me, for
as he admits in his first sentence, I only
extended him hearty welcome" after
he entered upon it; not by Rufus" for
he says Rufus was able to fight his own
battles. There is one alternative more
He belongs to an order in which the su-
perior clergy have almost unlimited pow.
er over their interiors This ghostly au-
thority of his church has been brought to
bear, and so this controversy has been
forced upon him. He has entered the
arena not as volunteer but as a "c con.
script" l have always felt great pity
for the poor conscript, forced to " combat
in a cause for which he has no heart
and l feel a great pity for this Editor
with a controversy forced upon him in
which the truth is all on his opponents
side, and in which the weapons he is OBJ
hged to use are such as very properly in
spire him with all those feelings of dis
gust" to which he refers. I should think
that any gentleman would be filled with
supreme disgust who had to conform him
self to the ethics of controversy" which
governed him in that letter from which
the above quotation is made. But it is
not onl y this controversy to which he is
so averse. His language implies that all
controversy is distasteful to him, and that
he only engages in it when it is forced
upon him; and now, considering that his
columns are every week more completely
crowded with controversy than those Of
any other journal have ever seen, what
an infinite amount of disgust he must ex-
perience. And what happy faculty he
has of concealing it. For he writes as if
he gloried in controversy. He contro-
yerts everything from vagary of Ward
Beecher to the dignifed sitting of Pan
Presbyterian Council. The very name of
Protestant is to him like the red flag to
the Infatuated bull in the Spanish Arena,
or the bloody shirt to the average Repub-
lican politician. And to think that all
this controversy is forced upon" him
him "peace-loving man" who cannot
combat it" except with such feelings
of disgust. What tremendous power
that must be that forces all this contro.
versy upon him. I beg my readers, if in
any of the revelations which I shall now
make of the misrepresentation and cal
umnies of his articles, they find their in
dignation rising they will visit it upon
the hierarchy which puts him under such
pressure; and have only compassion for
the conscript who fights because the con-
troversy is forced upon him.
[ will not attempt to follow him
through all the misrepresentation which
his article contains. I will refer to only
one or two to give my readers an idea Of
the kind of work this unfortunate man is
forced to do.
The Ethics of Controversy.
And first as to the "lesson on the ethics
of controversy, in which he accuses me
of Disgusting the drift of whole para.
graph" In DR.. O'Connell's first article,
in which he came to the defence of Cru
fus, he said, speaking of me, He goes
on to read Rufus lesson on the ethics
and good manners of controversy which
may be summed up as follows: A man
may SANDER anothers most sacred con-
victions and yet be both Christian and
a gentleman; but if the slandered party
call the SANDER by the right name, he is
neither Christian nor a gentleman
Precious morality and precious good
manners indeed. After this novel lesson
in the ethics of controversy the Doctor
seeks vent for his pent up spirit in the
old SANDERS, etc"
Now you will notice that the lesson
which he here declares to be novel, is the
lesson which in the first part of the quo
tation he says that had been reading to
Rufus" and the clause beginning Il A
man may SANDER" ETC., is not the lesson
| read, but Dr. O'Connell's s117ansi,,q up
Of 1t. He does not give the lesson that I
read, and that he declared to be novel
but only his own summary of it. But
would you believe that in this last article