The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-09-27

|
herself drunk with the blood of the
saints. ]. H. SMITH.
For the Central Presbyterian
DIR. Dabney VS.. The Supreme
Court of the United States.
MeSSrs. EoitorS,-Dr. Dabney (under
his initials R. L. D. has an intensely
characteristic piece in your issue of Sep
TENDER 18th, to which 1 ask leave to
make a reply. To him and "Old Car
lyle l leave the enjoyment of the "cheap
and easy" but somewhat vulgar epithets
he is pleased to use. But l do not in
tend to rest content under his charge
that l have sought to neutralize his argu-
ments by "insinuating" that he is " too
lll-tempered to see straight" No such
lnslnuation" is made or suggested in
my former article. Indeed there is no
'nsln1tatio'' in tof any kind. 1t deals
entirely IN affirmation of facts, and asser-
ton of fair differences from them. There
is not in it the slightest hint that he ever
was or ever is ill-tempered. Was it the
work of conscience that suggested that
word "ill-tempered" to him? Then let
conscience have her perfect work, and
probably he will feel better towards " fra
ternal relations"
He is evidently in somewhat exalted
state of self complacency as to his late
long article or "essay" as he prefers to
call it,, Indeed his self-content on this
subject seems so serene and perfect that
| feel some regret at being obliged mot
to disturb it, for that would be hardly
possible, but) seriously to call in question
the sufficiency of his grounds for ranking
that essay" so high. He tells us of the
nnanswerable arguments of my (meaning
his) essay" and of "' its irresistible force"
and declares>that nothing is "more COM
forting to him" than the fact that the
only point in it supposed to be vulnerable
is this monstrous Walnut Street church
decision" [ am sorry to be one of the
instruments of waking him up from this
sweet dream, but perhaps it will do him
good at last, and if so, all of his friends
(and l am sincerely one of them) will re-
joice. But he seems not to have adverted
to the fact that in my article, after COM
menting on the Walnut Street church
case, and of his erroneous view of it, this
statement Immediately follows: "This
grave error in the long article is only one
of many" In fact, my article as origi-
nally written contained series CT stric-
lures upon and arguments against many
other views set forth in his essay" But,
because of its length and for other salts
factory reasons, it was, in its final form,
restricted to the remarks on the assault
made in his "essay" on the Supreme
Court decision.
Yet, surely, he ought not to be ignor-
ant of the fact that, on many points be-
sides this, his long article has been
weighed in the balances and found
wanting" In your own editorials, Messrs.
Editors, you have freely, though very
mildly, questioned its soundness, in gen
eral and in particular and it is certain
that in an article in the Christian Oh
server week or two ago, Rev. DIR. D. o.
Davies, of Kentucky, made successful
assault upon its central position, viz the
notion that the establishment of fraternal
relations by exchanging delegates, his
torically and logically implies unity and
harmony of doctrine and ecclesiastical
order between the churches SO communi-
eating with each other. On this central
position all the other forces arrayed in
that long essay" rested for support and
conference, and that central position be-
ing overthrown, the dependent forces
are scattered to the four winds.
Now, his position as to that Walnut
Street church case was one Of those de-
pendent forces, and on it he had en-
trenched himself quite strongly, at least
fsevere epithets and animadversion could
give strength. considered it an impor-
taht point in his line of battle against
fraternal relations" and l believed it
weak and assailable, and, being thorough
y in favor of fraternal relations, hest
tated not a moment in assaulting this
point. Moreover, desired that the truth
should be known as to this decision OF
the Supreme Judicial Tribunal Of our
land. These reasons ought to be sufi-
cient answer to "R. L. DIS" enquiry
What sort Of inward impulse it is that