The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-12-11

the distinguished clergyman additiona
facts. That this visit was not success
ful will be known by any one who will
read the following paragraph from sale
Sun, of New York. Said the Brooklyn
preacher:
Il appreciate the desire for further
details in this matter, but l purposely
avoided locating the event, and the
reasons that actuated me then impe
me now to keep the affair from the pub
lie. Such an event is terrible thing fol
the family and friends of the man who
was punished, and it was ont of consider.
alton for them that l omitted to state
where the scheme was laid. That it is
strictly true, however, l have conclusive
evidence. l forget just how it was
brought to my attention. | heard it re-
ported by somebody, or got my first in
formation from private letter, cannot
say which, but am inclined to think it
was the latter. But no matter l
asked trusted friend Of mine to inves-
tigate for me, and he did so. Some
correspondence ensued, which he turned
over to me, and from it am assured
that the affair did actually and exactly
take place as describe it. l have the
correspondence still, but think 1 had
better keep it to myself"
Now, in this vow of silence, DR.. Tai
mage did not act wisely. 1t seems not
little inappropriate that minister of
the gospel should have taken sides with
the family and against the Deity. The
public burning-up of blasphe mer would
seem to indicate that the Lord desired
to express his disapprOval of the grow
ing profanity, but if Mr.. Talmage may
thus conceal from the anxious public
the definite facts in this case, the
aim Of Providence would seem wholly
frustrated by the taciturDity of Mr..
Talmage, and there will devolve upon
this Providence the necessity of setting
fire to some other man, aud to some
man as far away as possible from the
concealing power of the Brooklyn orator.
The mazes of casuistry are long and
dark, but it seems clear that in conceal
ing the name and place of this incident,
DR.. Talmage becomes in some manner
an accessory after the fact, or guilty of
SuppresSis reri, guilty of what might be
called sympathetic profanity.
Nor is this the whole measure of the
DeGtor's culpahility. He has thus cast
slur upon the Bible, upon which his
closed hand falls so often with the two
fold power of energy and admiration.
In that case of lying recorded in the
Acts the names of the offenders are
given, and mendacious persons in all
times are alarmed upon the mere men
tion of Ananias and Sapphira. So the
false missionary was alluded to by
name, and we all know it was Jonah.
In the Bible there is no saying, "It was
terrible thing for man to be entombed
for three days in the abdomen of
whale, and l would rather not pain his
friends by giving names" 1t was re-
served for the nineteenth century and
Brooklyn and our own beloved Talmage
to accuse the Bible of needless person
ality and desire to wouni the feelings
of relatives.
Should Brother Talmage see these
comments he must not assume that any
person in the whole West doubts the
essential parts of the story about the
man and the fire and the oath. We
have all heard of 'hot oaths" and tex
plosive oaths'' and oaths like "blue
streak" and are willing to believe that
where there has long been so much
smoke there might at last come some
fire, but there is a longing for particulars
of time and place and person. Some di-
vines ascribe the event to the early
part of our century some locate the
scene in Indiana in 1887, in the wet
season in March, and say that the pro-
family came from too much rain and
not from tco little. Eewildered by
these variations, many thousands of
thoughtful people in the valley of the
Mississippi, persons who would love to
relate this awful tale to profane citi-
zens as opportunity might offer, hope
that Brother Talmage will not remain a
partisan for the relatives, but will come
out on the Lords side and give his
support to what seems thus far thwart-
ed plan of Providence. Evening Journal.
H-