The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-07-28
DEBATING SOCIETIES
THAT'S WHAT THE EPISCOPA-
LIAM SAID OF THE BAP-
lists AND METHODISTS.
is SAID TO Be A pRoSELYTER.

Prominent Citizens Sign a Letter Civ
ing Specifications of the Charges
Against the Episcopal Minister Who
Was Refused the Court House to
Preach INA Letter From a Friend
of the Rector Says That Rev. Mr..
Jones Has Been Badly Insulted.
BAKERsvnLE, N. O., July "a.
To the Editor of the News and Observer.
In a recent issue of your paper appears
a full column editorial under the head
of Uncomfortable Doctrine" in which
you, writing from information, you no
doubt thought reliable, but which for
sooth was wholly unfounded, in fact,
stamp the impression upon the public
mind that Baptists and Methodists of
Mitchell county, with a spirit of preiu-
dice, intolerance and prescription which
would have done justice to the Middle
Ages, have, contrary to all law and pre-
cedent, formed monopolistic trust, the
avowed purpose of which is to prevent
the dissemination of Episcopalian doc
trine and the exercise of religious rites
by that sect in this county. Now, if the
intimations made in that article are true,
then the Methodists and Baptists of this
community deserve to be classed with
the thugs of India, the fanatics Of an
Gent Poland, and the of Court Inquisition
of the Middle Ages But what are the
facts Let them be stated to candid
public.
We have in this Bakersville,
the scene Of this alleged Intolerance
three churches, representing the M. E.
Church, N. E. Church South, and Mis-
sionary Baptist Church. They have
been established for many years, and are
the dominant churches of this county,
and have been from the earliest settle
ment of the community. Now, what
has been their attitude toward rival de-
nominations, and especially toward the
compliments, the Episcopalians?
Several years ago that sect, which has
a bare handful Of adherents here, but no
church house in which to worship, sent
a preacher to this place to pTomulgate
their faith. Now, what did our ''intole
rant Methodists and Baptists" do2 Act
ing from Christian impulses, they opened
wide to him the doors of their churches,
Iattended his services, took him to their
homes, and gave him their best fare
without money and without price, and
extended to him every other Christian
courtesy that liberal and pious people
could offer. This was their course to-
ward the Episcopal Church until few
weeks ago, when, under the sheer force
of abuse and calumny, they were com
PEELED to place themselves on the de-
fensive.
Last spring the Episcopal church sent
Rev. Minor Jones, of Vale Crucis, here
as the exponent of their tenets. He had
scarcely set his feet upon our streets
when he was taken in hand by our Meth
odists and Baptists, taken to their
homes and the best fare served to him
without thought of difference of sect or
creed. Not only so, but their churches
were thrown wide open to him, and
pews, lights and sexton service all given
gratis. Our people went indiscrimi-
nately to hear his preaching. but the
Rev. gentleman had not long been the
recipient of this Christian charity until
he began to heap upon them such abuse,
charges Of heresy and false doctrine,
wholesale criticism and everlasting con-
domination that they were driven to the
necessity of asking him to quit their
churches, Whereupon he repaired to the
court house.
Now that the justification of our peo-
pie in their course may be clearly mani
fest to the world, We desire to name
some of the charges heaped upon our
people by this reverend gentleman.
He said that the Baptist and Metho-
dist churches were only debating socie-
ties, and social clubs. That they were
worshipers of Wesley, Williams and 9TH
ers, and not of the true God. That their
faith was not sufficiently eficacious to
save a. soul; and if one of them should
be saved at all, it would be by virtue of
what little Episcopallan doctrine he had
in his church, and by virtue of what al
lowance the Lord would make for his
consummate ignorance; or that he would
sneak into the kingdom of heaven like a
dog with his tail wagging between his
legs. That such is the ignorance and
depravity of our Methodist and Baptist
leaders that hell would not only have to
be enlarged for them, but, new hell
would have to be instituted to be ade-
quate to the demands of their deprayity.
He said that the man who said that
Christ was immersed, told as big a lie
as pole cat would if he should say he
smelled sweet. That the doctrine
preached by our ministers was lies base
as hell.
After depicting King Henry VIII as a
base, vile, and shameless liber-
tine, he said he was a
gentlemen compared to our leaders. He
went to the home of dying Methodist
lady who confessed her complete readi-
ness for death, and was in an ecstatic
rapture of heavenly anticipations, and
to dissuade her from her mOorings, and
tried to proselyte her to his faith. In the
presence of our wives and daughters he
has preached sermons in fits of anger and
RACES of passion. Not content with all
this he has sin gled out two amongour best
men and women, and by insinuation and
innuendo, charged them with base i'm
morality. He has characterized our
ministers as ''hypocrites, liars, ""cow-
ards, "wretches, "renegades," and the
like.
Touching the court house episode we
want to say that this, too, has been but
in an improper and false light. The
court house of Mitchell county is in
dilapidate condition and is unsafe for
large audiences. The County Com
missioners have from time to time
ordered the sheriff to close it
a-.n;,o+ tto v,,bIio ap6 uha, no