The Washington critic., 1890-02-12
ELLIOTT COUE.S.

Edior critic. While you will doubtless
agree with inc that religious controversy fs
futile, and It's conduct In newspapers
seldom cxpedient, yet, you will permit
man who Is targeted and challenged in your
columns to respond. | am used to target
practice at point-blank range. That moves
me not. accept the challenge with alac-
rlty, and only desire the right OF the chal-
lenged TO choice Of weapons. What those
weapons are you may see by the irclosed
letters. which beg to convey TO the rever-
end gentlemen TO whom they arc respect
lively addressed through your bright and
strong columns. ] bring not peace, but
the pen, to q holy crusade to recover the
pure and simple teachings of my Master,
the Christ, from the sepulchre of super
stiton in which foolish and wicked men
have buried His crucifcd body; and de-
mand to be heard, in the name Of our
Mother who art in Heaven, the ever Virgin
Of the world, the fruit of whose womb is
divine love from God to man and human
love from man to man These men demand
Of me my creed. ] refuse to surrender II
to their teeth.
II is too precious TO be given away, too
simple for argument two purely spiritual
to he put into words; it is that spark of the
Div inc, which, as weak and erring man,
yet claim the privilege of cherlshing In my
heart Of hearts as a hidden bond of union
between my soul and her Maker
] am charged with fnging out against
the clergy the keen taunt of moral cow
ardice. used no names and the only
clergyman to whom referred-the Rev. b.
| G. Warren of Deals Island, NTd.--I sup
ported, encouraged and took by the broth
erly hand for his moral courage. But these
| Episcopalian ministers Of the Gospel must
have thought ] meant them. In fact I
never so much as knew that one of them
| existed, and the other | never met but
once, when he was narrowing every humane
instinct by the CHASTITY way he conducted a
funeral over the dead body of one of my
dearest friends, If the cap fits them let them
wear it; if it proves TO them case Of hot
potting, | am not responsible. One of
these gentlemen initiates his Jesus by
"smiling SUPERIOR and waves me aside
with q Phar!saical "holier than thou" A
second follower of his Jesus smiles sarcas-
tically and pokes fun at my religion, like
any other superstitious Sadducee welded 10
his own idols. Jesus! How art Thou cruciiel
again in such samples of the prostitution of
Thy holy spirit during eighteen ceuturles!
Mine be the privilege to echo back the
prayer that fell in agony from lips Divine:
Father forgive them, they know not what
they do!'
Since my keen taunt gives rise to such Of
fense beg to retract it. ] do retract it,,
but solely for the purpose of turning that
taunt into formal charge of criminal cow
ardice on the part of these ordained minis
tiers of the Gospel l did not suppose what
! said would be news to anybody. |
thought that everybody who is anybody II
intellect or in morals knew that the pulpit
is the stronghold of cowardice; the pew the
refuge of the spiritually blind, halt
ard lame; the church the asylum
of ignorance especially Of its Own
history, and the crutch of those who
cannot stand up straight; dogma the device
Of demagogues in disguise. True, none OF
this immortality and superstition is any OF
my business for / have nothing in common
with such knavishness and such foolish
ness. But these gentlemen force upon mt
the business of disallowing them to do mt
an injustice. ] therefore require them tC
restrain their smiles, superior or sarcastic
of unctuous selfsufllciency, while I submit
to their chosen tribunal-TuE CRITIC th
charges Christian mystic brings agains
his very Christ-like critics.
/. Intellectual incompetency to grasp tn,
problems of psychic science which underl
Tot. l,,, a.,
grading superstitions.
2. Moral cowardice in fabricating fables t.
support structure which cannot stand
: moment in the light of human reason, churcI
history and facts of nature; hence, recours
to willful and authorized perversions of tn
truth,
g. Spiritual blindness, born of that spiritua
pride which goeth before a fall. which In
= capactates them from proving anything t.
, hold fast to that which alone is good; hence
faithlessness to the Christ principle, apos
tasy from the pure teachings of Jesus, ant
disobedience to a command which they Pre-
. fess to believe Divine.
h 1t will be understood that / specify thes
4 charges only against the orthodox Protes
I ant clergy-those bungling amateurs /
priest-craft in comparison with the traine
professional inquisitors of the Roma
= hierarchy who at least understand the
n business. What l may possibly have herr
: after TO say of the Roman Emperor Constal
), tines religion" must probably not be sal
: during the lifetime of my mother, who is
member of the Catholic communion, whom
IS love and would not wish to pain. Let
10 then be for the present the religion" il
# vented by Calvin and Henry the VIII. that
arraign in the persons of the defenders
such faith.
@ Very truly yours, ELLIOTT CoUEs.