Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-12

lie States some objections to the Report
as Published.

He states some objections to the Report
ns Published.
Eahor Gazetta d,JOp,Hal: In the interests of
fairness, ! ask space for a statement.
When began recently a series of sunday
evening lectures in my church, ! asked
that they be reported, because intelligent
and well-cousidered reports of public adj
dresses are among the most effective means
of disseminating opinions. With your
papers report Of the first of my lectures
was well pleased. II was intelligent and
fair. And ! do not bclieyethat the man
acement of THE GAZETTE in publishing
its report of my second lecture, delivered
last sunday evening had any intention of
inisrepresenting me before the public.
This report is. however, so obviously mis-
leading, that it is the wish of many friends
who heard the lecture, not less than it is
my own wish. that ask permission of you
to make some correction,
First there is the obvious desire to make
huge sensation of u very ordinary lee
ture. If Il reporter, by using the familiar
methods of startling headlines and rhetori-
cal sky-ruekets, in such nhraseology as
the [ nitarian cat-o' nine tails can ere
ate out of very commonplace incident
an alarming situation, it seems to be
largely a question of his judgment and
taste But you will agree with me that
legitimate journalism undoubtedly recog-
Mics limit Of reportorial imaginative
ness. A reporters function, IL would
seem, is to inform the public, as accurately
US he can, of what has really been said,
and not to exaggerate certain portions OF
an address. while entirely suppressng
more important portions which he could
not set forth with sufficient picturesque
Hess.
II would not be difficult, if time allowed,
To point out in this report, passages which,
by 4 slight change of language, make me
say something quito other than what
said. For example, the point of my criti-
csm OF the spree incident Is entirely
missed. Its object was the state of mind
of a man who tances that God is of such
kind rs to be willing to let several hun
drel persons drown, but saves them, not
out Of principle, but because somebody
prays to Him to do sO If | entertained
such a conception of God, | said | could
not respect Him. From this il will be seen.
that ! criticised, not the prayer, but the
foul imagination, that it was the means of
affecting the Deity, where hundreds of
| lives were at stake. am made to say that
81 am happy to be in cloud-land." What
| actually said was, that | cannot live in
| cloud-lund, because the laws Of my mind
compel me to look the facts Of life squarely
| i'll the face.
But the most serious objection to the re-
! port is that it gives scarcely u hint of the
! positive portion of my lecture in which
| was stated, in the most explicit manner,
| the existence OF God and the eternal love.
| used language of this kind: "Io me God
| is the most real, the most transcendently
| vital fact in the world. 1t satisfies all the
needs Of my intellect and of my heart. 1t
explains and harnuni2es everything. Ii
| lights up the far past and shows me the
| divine power and wisdom working steadily
in evolving higher forms out of lower,
good out OF evil. 1t co-ordinates all the
mighty forces of the present into sublime
unity, showing me the same eternal good
ness, directing the progress of humanity
towards the 'far-off divine event to which
the whole creation moves. 1t lights uE
the future with golden splendor, revealing
the paradise which mythology has placed
in manknu's infancy, as the goal to which
it is progressing. | quoted, as expressing
my own belief, these verses of Unitarian
poet"
one thought have, my ample creed,
SO deep 1t Is and broaa
And equal 10 my every need;
II is the thought oi God.
j ask not far before to see.
But tRke in trust my road:
Lie, death and immortality,
Are in my thought of God.
I think it especially regrettable, Mr.
Editor, that the report omits almost Ell
tirely this affirmative portion of my lee
ture, since, had it been given, it woult
have obviated the impression that hac
made wanton attack upon the beliefs o
the majority Of my feilow-C Christians
without even offering to point out to M!
hearers "a better way Your reader.
would then have seen that my criticism
We're directed, not at the belief in God
which is to me the most precious thing ii
the world, but at certain mistaken forms
OF that belief, a. hold them to be.
entirely acquit the estimable gentleman
who made this report Of an intentional
Misrepresentation Of my statements. I'u
! think that his work has been inConsiier
ateiy done, more Under the influence oil
his feelings than of his judgment.
Very respectfully.
WILLIAM II. JOHNSON,
Minister of the Unitarian Church.
W1LMINGroN, January 10TH 1898.