Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-02-23
Judged By his own Words.

Judged by his own Words.
During the past six weeks we have
had occasion to express our disappro-
baton of the methods employed IN the
so called revival which has been going
on in our midst. For a time we have
avoided saying anything, thinking that
if any good was to come of such relig-
ious rowdyism we would hold our peace.
But the provocation was great, and our
convictions too strong. However in all
we have said we have avoided personal
tiles, for it has always been our policy
in any discussion, to deal with the sub
ject in hand and not indulge in personal
filings. 1t seems that our expression Of
opinion does not please the followers
of Mr.. Wolfe. We did not expect it
would. But that the evangelist him.
self should 'get his dutch up'-to use
one of his own Pennsylvania express
sions-because one of his sermons was
sent out. in black and white. carefully
reported, in the columns of the HERALD
was of course an unexpected manifesto
ton, that hes should occupyhis last evening
in the pulpit, when he should have been
admonishing and cheering his disciples,
in angry sneers against the editor,
seemed little out of taste. It was no
doubt righteous anger" that set him
actually hopping as though he stood on
top of hot stove, and that caused him
TO break out now and again, as if nm
able to contain himself while he was
trying to PROFOUND his way of
studying the bible. And all this because
one of his sermons had been printed!
What higher compliment can news
paper pay man than to print what he
says? Ii a man says things he would
not like to see in print he gets mad,
but public teacher, minister, has no
right to say what can not be printed.
If Mr.. Wolfe said things that were meat
and drink TO the people who heard him,
it was desirable certainly to enlarge the
audience and give outsiders the priYil-
ego of listening to his wise words. We
published the sermon on secret societies
because we had heard such wholesale
denial of the sayings attributed to him,
that it seemed best to take what he said
as it fell from his lips and 50 be sure of
making no misStatements. You cannot
prove anything against man by YER
bal report, SO with great care his SER
mon was taken down, written out and
published. If any are inclined to think
that it was to coarse to be printed, we
would simply remind them that it is to
hear this man say just such things and
far worse, that every night for the past
six weeks, the church has been crowded.
Parents have sent their little children.
their young lady daughters and their
young boys. and people who would not
tolerate an indecency in public speak
er in the pubic hall, have listened in
the church, in the name Of religion to
slch vulgarity rs would have shocked
a South Sea Islander The effect of
this upon the community has been per-.
nicious aud the results Of it are far
reaching The man who comes into q
community and so corrupts the moral
tone. that the edge is taken offth mod
esty of the boys and girls; that things
before considered unfit topics for dis
cussion are talked of freely and I'M
blushingly by men and women, girls
and boys if not together, at any rate in
groups of their own sex; that the whole
town should be filled with the reports of
the scandalous things the minister has
said, and the very air somehow tainted
with the unwholesome emanations; the
man who comes into q community for
this, we say, had much better have
been courteously di -uis5ed after the
first sample sermon. Il Is no small
thing that impure things shou,d have
been said in the presence Of children
too young to understand the meaning
but that vulgar insinuations and low
thoughts should be- spoken in the pres.
ence of those whom it may fatally cor
rupt, is criminal. 1t is terrible COM
mentary on the discourses that have
been given here for the past six weeks
that of all the matter discussed, tn
things remembered are those which had
better never have been heard We car
not think so meanly of human nature,
as to believe that the fault lies here,
that there has been much that was in
spring, elevating and ennobling offered
and only the vile accepted and remem-
bered. We believe that the human
heart is hungry for things pure and
good, and that the high souled man who
came here to offer spiritual truth, hon
cstly, fearlessly, TO our spiritual aspira-
tions would fud that his message was
at least given courteous hearing, and
that the fruits of his labors would be
felt hereafter IN moral elevation OF the
whole community, though not all who
heard him should believe. "a man
cannot speak but he judges himself"
The words which he utters, the doctrines
he urges, paint clearly his own por-
trait whether he will or no. The por-
trait that the evangelist Wolfe has
painted of himself in his sermons, is not
pleasing one, but it is the man.
The visible results of the revivalist's
teachings so far, have not gloritied the
preacher. His admirers are ready to
call names and fight in his defence, to
deny that what was taken down, as it