The sun., 1897-11-29
Parkhurst's vilinoation Of platt.

The Rev. CHARLES II. PARKHURsT takes
the first opportunity, after his return from
abroad, to free his mind Of its accumulated
wrath against the Hon. THOMAS G. PLATT.
In an interview printed In Saturdays
Evening Post he repeats, what he says
he said five years ago, that he would
rather fight five CRoKERs than one
PLATT. "PLATT has been for years
the most dangerous enemy we have had of
American ideas, American institutions, and
American welfare" "I consider CROKER a
baby beside PLArr." "PLArT's pretensions
to decency are only equalled by his con-
tempt for It," In DIR. PARKHURsT's opin-
ion Mr. PLATT is "a gleaming.eyed SER
pent," who has given us back "the corrupt
gang from whom we hoped we had parted
forever" and whenever there shall be a
failure or wrong or corruption on the part
of the new Government" it will be charge
able " directly home to the ballots cast for
Gen. TRACY"
After reading this hysterical outbreak
we can we'll believe that DIR. PARKHURsTs
shattered nerves sorely needed, as he says
they did, a long rest, when he went abroad
last June, and that he deceives himself
when he thinks that they have recovered
their tone. A still longer vacation is nec-
essary in order to enable him to take sane
view of things.
But what a revelation of mental and
moral character is involved In DR.. PARK
HURsT's confession, that, from the time he
left this country, last June, until about six
weeks ago, he completely banished from
his mind everything relating to New York!
~ did not know" he says, "what was
going on, and l did not want to know,
having requested that no newspapers be
sent me-" Compared with the restoration
of his own precious health, the welfare of
100000 of his fellow citizens was of no
account
This concentration Of thought upon ones
self, and the subordinaton of everything
else to ones own comfort and to the graft
tlcation Of ones own prejudices, is, after
all, popularity not monopolized by DR..
PARKHURsT. His rage against every man
who does not agree with him, his
efforts to make all his fellow citizens
comply with his ideas of morality, and
to force them by pains and penalties
to order their conduct according to the rules
he lays down, is the characteristic of the
whole tribe of Mugwumps of which he has
long been a conspicuous member. Clergy.
men, especially, are liable to this men.
tai disease. The Rev. DIR. RAINS
FORD, last winter, talked about the
BRADLEY MARTIN ball in a way that
very nearly melted the roughs of the
city to acts of violence upon the guests
who attended the entertainment. Bishop
4
by workingmen, because of the monotony
of their lives, and writes to one of
the worst of the yellow journals of
this city against the political party
of which he disapproves. Father DU-
CEY breaches socialist sermons. DIR. Nc
GLYNN advocates the doctrines of HENRY
GEORGE, and a number of other clerical
gentlemen take every favorable opportunity
of denouncing the way in which political
and social affairs are managed They do
this, not in the rational, temperate way in
which every citizen has the right to ex-
! press his opinions, but with heat and
| violence which verges upon insanity.
| Contrasted with these egotistical and
crazy enthusiasts, with what n mellow ra.
dance shines the memory of the late Rev.
DIR. GEORGE H. HoUGHToN! Here was a
clergyman who never tiinched from the ex.
preston of his convictions, either in word
or in deed, when his duty called him to dc
it, but who, at the same time, never rushed
into print with them. Nor did he turn
aside from his legitimate occupation to
lecture people upon matters with which he
was not conversant. If we had more
HoUGHToNs and fewer PARKHURsTs and
his kind, the Church would be more re-
spected than it is.