The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-20

formed of the invitations and assurances.
He made no public apology or expression
of regret in connection with the lecture.
If he could not alter his lecture he could
at least have given notice of its sectarian
character, and allowed any who did not
wish to hear it the opportunity to retire.
He went on and made the lecture, thus
exhibiting such "ethics of controversy"
as it would seem hard even fer DR..
O'Connell to defend
Suppose l had been announced to make
lecture in Mozart Hall in Richmond for
charitable purpose, and the Roman
Catholic clergy and prominent Catholic
citizens of Richmond invited to seats on
the stage with me under assurances that
there would be nothing sectarian-and
tickets carried by Protestants into the
business houses of Catholics and sold to
them under the same impression, and 1
had found myself surrounded by an au-
dience, the majority of whom were Cath
olics, and under these circumstances had
made lecture, the design of which was
to show that the Reformation was neces-
STATED by the corruptions of the Church
of Rome, and that these corruptions still
continue to such an extent that the Pro-
testant Church is the only one that can
meet the wants of human nature, what an
outcry we should have had from the edi-
tor of the Catholic Visitor
| If had gone to Richmond and found
an audience gathered under these impress
sions and with these assurances, I would
have seen my right arm severed from my
body before 1 would have taken advan-
tage of their courtesy as Bishop Keane
did to make partisan lecture l would
have declined to lecture at all, or lectured
extempore on some suitable theme
Which was the Wolfe
But what we are most concerned with
now is not what Bishop Keane did, but
what 1 did. I was the man, saws DR..
OConnell who on that occasion "stirred
up trouble" and "engendered religious
hatred" Well, what did 1 do? Did l
fly into the columns of the public press
and denounce Bishop Keane? Did pla-
card him in the streets? Not at all. The
next Sabbath night in my own pulpit,
when none but my own people were sup
posed to be present, quietly called their
attention to the fact that they had been
sold-that the sell was a clever one. and
so clever that l had almost been en-
trapped by. it myself-and told them that
[ called their attention to it not to en-
kindle any anger towards those who had
| sold them, (for no true man ever gets
mad at SELF but to put them on their
guard In the future against the wiles of
our Jesuit neighbors, so that when next
the clever spider said, "Will you walk
into my parlor, the Protestant fly might
be wary enough to keep on the outside.
This was all did. A reporter of the
Associated Press was in the audience
without my knowledge. He sent off that
night highly exaggerated telegraphic
statement, and thus the whole matter
came, without any intention on my part,
to the ear of the general public. NY
readers will zee then how l stirred up
trouble and engendered religious hatred. -
l was the malicious lamb that muddled
the stream when the devout and pious
wolf came to drink. And although, like
my prototype in the fable, I was down
stream, and the waters were muddled be-
fore had anything to do with them, vet
what matters that when l was the mali
cious lamb and he the gentle WOLFF
Small chance, as old Esop says, have
they under such circumstances. "whose
only weapons are innocence and reason. 3"
That DIR. O'Connell has felt forced"
by the pressure upon him to come out in
the calm review of all the circumstances
of this case and throw the whole blame
of it on me, indicates that the line of
policy pursued in reference to this lee
ture of Bishop Keane, meets his approba-
lion, or that Of those who are forcing this
controversy upon him. In either case
there is lesson for our Protestant peo-
pie here. Let them know that wherever
Bishop Keane goes, and under whatever
circumstances he lectures, he will not in
so far as DR.. O'Connell can speak for him,
be restrained by any obligations of court
esy from traducing the character of the
Reformers, and incorporating the aims
and principles of the Reformation. and
that if any Protestant minister objects to
this course, however legitimateiy and
quietly in the line of pastoral duty he
may urge his objection, he is to be de-
nounced as stirring up strife, and engen-
dering religious hatred. If these are the
ethics of controversy" by which Bishop
Keane is to be guided, IL is to be hoped
that our Protestant people will give him
a wide berth as he passes through the
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