The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-02-25

OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
How Goes tho BattIe-Another Churcl
Gone-How the Rev. J.. Hyatt Smith Go
to Congress-Don't Mix Religion ani
Politics-The Difference Between Wo
man Suffrage and the Prize Ring-Hov
the Great Dailies Treat tThem-'tRemem
|. Der the Sabbath Day''-How to Make
Beer-SIeighing Luxuries-Wan Stree,
Stocks, Etc.
New YORK, February 18, 1882.
, EDITOR CHIEF: .
Only a few Sundays ago an eminent
divine in Brooklyn, whose name is q
household word in every quarter of the
land, propounded this question: "Shall
the Lord or the Devil W1n9 At casual
glance, things must have been going to
the bad when such question could be
asked; and the revelations of the present
week show that the old gentleman with
a cloven foot and harpoon-tail is at
least holding his own, and, in fact, is
making heavy inroads on the fortified
camp of the saints in this goodly city.
A rivalry exists between the two great
cities on the opposite side Of the East
River. New York has Wall street, the
Stock Exchange, Trinity Church, Jay
Gould, and a number of other curiosities.
Brooklyn has Henry Ward Beecher, Coney
Island, one end of the "big BRIDGE the
whole of Brother Talmage, and num-
ber of other things equally interesting
and curious. One thing NeR1ork freely
acknowledges, and that is, when they
want to hear real frst-class, gilt-edge
preaching, they have to come to Brook
lyn; consequently Brooklyn is satisfied
that whatever those fellows on the other
side of the river do on the six profane
| days of the week, when it comes to the
final settling on the seventh they've got
'em. One would naturally suppose-in
such state Of affairs and on such q.
battle -grsund-that the devil would
fight shy, but blush while / record it.
In the last week he has got possession of
one of the finest Baptist churches in
Brooklyn, and, in short time, it will be
transformed into an Academy of Music,
which is a high-sounding title for a
variety show.
The history of the Lee Avenue Baptist
Church is not without moral. Itsmain
support, in a spiritual sense, was one J.
Hyatt Smith, sensational preacher,
who never let an opportunity pass to put
J. Hyatt Smith before the public. If
there was any talking to be done on any
subject-from astronomy to skoe-mak-
ing-he was ever and always on hand.
He was great gun at political meetings,
and always maintaining the right of tho
"cloth" to take hand in political
fight. He did not believe in close COM
mrnion, and, in his church, he herrifed
Orthodox by inviting all protesting
Christians of every denomination to sit
around and rartai1e at tie Lords table.
The election of 1881 divided parties
pretty evenly in the "City of Churches;',
and, just previous to election, serious
schism took place III tbs Republican
camp. The Republican party very fool
ishly put forth an egotistical little fellow
named Chittenden for Congress, whose
solo recommendation was his money.
This disgusted the respectable portion
of the party, ard they Immediately cast
around for a candidate to beat "Little
Chit" as they called him. There was
one man in Brooklyn who was never
backward in coming forward whenever
his country called, and that man was the
Rev. J. Hyatt Smith. A coalition was
soon made with the Democrats. The
Rev. J. Hyatt Smith became an "inde-
pendent" candidate, and "Little Chit"
was elected to stay at home, while the
Rev. ). Hyatt Smith was sent to Con-
gress; but Eever was there q better
illustration of that good old text, "a
man cannot serve two masters" AS
soon as the Rev. J. Hyatt Smith went to
Washington dry-rct entered into his
church. It was in vain that he left
Washington every Saturday night that
he might deal out the bread of life to the
Lee avenue lambs on Sunday. When
the Rev. j. Fl. S. left the gospel fer poll
tics the devil entered into possession of
his pulpit, and, in short time after,
the creditors swooped down on it. Mort
gage aftec mortgage was fore-closed; its
doors were shut; it's pews are empty; its
choir is voiceless; it's altar silent; and,
in forty days hence, gentlemen in burnt
cork will be kicking mp their heels to
the thruming of the banjo, and the
shueking off the corn, and ladies in
attennated skirts, which are more in
tended for display than concealment,
will give us illustrations of the human
form divine, reminding one of the story
of our first parents in their state of
primeval innocence, when our dear old
Mother Eve didn't know the difference
between an apple and huckleberry.
"Sating has certainly gained pint" as
Mrs. Partington would say, in Brooklyn
that is, if the Lord looks after the
churches, and the devil takes care of the