The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1881-03-17
lnrEnrlNENlM


.INHNN NNA fAH HsAN NitN
called forth s0mc Mr sFS0Ea re-
aestous, vhirh - I g. m thel
Winston Signal IS pleased % charac
iorz- IS imp1rtineut' Our refer
ence TO Us apparent eagemcss Of
Ministers OF the Gospel in general g.
convert theoau1 emue 2 scoundrel who /
hal taken lle lie OF his fellow and |
at him for Heaven and immortal
glory. Il especially displeasing 70
his bigatci parson,which causes him
20 swell up with yiftuous indigna-
lion. and prompts The charge that we
are thrust.ng a sneer ct ministers Of
religion The charge VIC think isl
unjust, and we apprehend that ]. I.
G would have more trouble TO prove
that Tx a8iitors ofthis paper are scot
fers ut religion, than we would have
to prove that religious fanatacism"
prompted many people in this coun
try 10 attended q hanging In truth
We entertaina very high respect for
the calling Of the ministry, but we do
not regard them o. infallible, nor do
We conceive that they are a privileged
class, wholly exempt from criticism,
They may do wrong, they DO DO
WRONG in many things, and this We
presume even the immaculate j. 1. g.
/ viii not conuoyert In our mind
the extraordinary interest manifested
iby the clergy in the salvation Of the
villain who has been adjudged by lhC
flaws Of God and man as unworthy to
live. is injurious to society, aud dis
credilable to the church. When
rascal commits D crime, which de-
mands. the severest penalty Of the
Iiaw, the ministry as rule participate
10 the feeling Of popular indignation
and the universal verdict is, he ough'
to be hung. The criminal is inear-
oeraled in Jail, where he frequently
/ lies for months and sometimes ioi
years, without arousing any specia
interest IN the minds Of the religious
/ world. But finally the hour Of tria
arrives, the jury is empannelled, lh'
witnesses testify the counsel argu'
the case, thejudge delivers bis charge
a verdict Of equity" is returned
the sentence Of the court is pro-
nounced, and the death penalty af-
fixed. Strsightway the whole re
ligous community, usually led on by
! the preachers, works itself up 70 .
fever OF excitementoYer "the lost ant
ruined condition" Of this particular
sinner ana his conversion is mad,
The special object Of prayers and ex
1 hortations, lengthy and stirring TIL,
omnibus shadows OF the scaGold il
the gloomy distance aids conviction
!. repentance follows as a consequence
and the work Of the attending divinl
/ to tit the outlaw for the society O
saints and angels in Heaven, after h
has been declared by the law Of Coo
| Himself uniitto be a member of aoci
ETY. on this depraved earth, is through
the influence Of his powerful auxil
iiayy--the hangman--mede compare
lively easy. The next and las
scene is Che. mournul march to TIN
scaGold, which the condemned crimi
nal attended by bis spiritual advise
mounts With firm tread, and in cain
clear voice proceeds to detail to th
Gaping multitude assembled, hov
his sins bad been forgiven, and ho,
lc0nddent be was, aud is that be /
going straight 70 glory4 concluding
with @8ieet me in Heaven Tn,
pious man Of God closes with a fer
vent prayer, in which the hope is ex
pressed--in substance if not in word
That an humble christian will, in
few minutes, be dangling at the erl
of the rope suspended to the bean
above the heads OF the praying min
lister and bis contrite charge. Tn
trap is then sprung, and if the asser
lions Of the victim, ard the actions
always, and often the expressed con
yictions 81 he minister are to be bo
Iieyed, Earth has lost a dan. erou
criminal, and Heaven has gained
saint
The above is truthful bu
/ inpsrfeet delinealion Of ninety min
out Of every hundred public execu
ton in this country Disclaimin.
any intention Of "lhrnsting our i'm.
pertineneen atthe ministry, or.snaar
Ing" at religion. we conscientiouslr
believe such conduct on the part o
the ministry, is calculated 10 do So
oielg gtieyous wrong and bring th0
theology lhat teaches and tolerates It
in'9 contempt The murderer promp
FED By The lessons taught him 81
his espiritual advisory proclaiml
bis redemption and salvation, and
The preacher aids by bis preserc,
and bis language on the fatal trap
to enforce the conviction ofits truth,
thereby doing more for the cause Of
iniide ity than the writings Of Paine
and Voltaire Or The eloquent lectures
Bob Ingersoll ever did or ever viii
at5ain But our rampant critic saws
sIfhe the MEssEsaEa editor) mean
t. make the Impression that Che MIN
isIEns, who attend criminals in their
last honrs- nrfrrvr that eueh .-t...s