The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-02
JUDGE TO PARSoN.
tcontinued from Eighth Page.J

scrapping days were over, but never
before was challenged by a parson.
Nor would l dare challenge a paTson,
because l was always taught, and 1
believed, that all parsons wear the
breastplate of righteousness, the hei-
met of salvation, the shield of faith,
the sword of the Spirit and are shod
with the preparation of the Gospel of
Peace" But l was very young then
/ now see my delusion. In fact, you
proved last Sunday night. during your
stump speech, by stripping, that you
don't wear these defenses. You fight
fair, just like any other pugilist. You
fight naked. You fight as a man. You
just step right out of the Parson leave
him behind-in fact throw him on
chair, stand him up in a corner of the
pulpit, or hand him over to a nurse
the idea being. of course, not to be
hampered. and TO lay aside every
weight that doth so easily beset you"
and go it alone. That's right. There
was a Georgian, sixty years ago, who.
in one day, preached a sermon, mar
Tied a couple. made a political speech,
and sentenced a man to be hanged.
But you surpass him, for within half
hour you were a meek and lowly fol-
lower OF Jesus, then a politician, then
q stump speaker, a judge passing sem
tence on me, then a fighting parson,
then a bully.
This is enough to give me Bob
Acres ague. But. it's fight, or run,
and / Will not try to out-run a man of
Protean shapes, a good pious minister
one second, a bully the next, and who
can jump over Bible and pulpit and
chancel without a qualm or a twinge,
TO hight a duel.
Before we shake hands and go at t,
/ wish to assure you of my surprise
last Monday morning. The people of
Martinique were not more astounded
when Mount Pelee blew off its stupid
head lin fact, committed suicide), than
was l when l saw your black scoria
spread over the Morning News, be-
cause. Mount Pelee had erupted before,
but you never had, that is, not around
or over me. 1 have mentioned our
meetings at the grave, at the marriage,
and | spoke of seeing you after you
had knowledge of my judicial sin. You
remember, we met on a car. We held
sweet conference together-like David
and Jonothan or Joab and Abner. You
even confded to me the narrow escape
the legal profession had when you
came near joining it, and then aroused
my deepest sympathy for the church
by telling me ycss at last decided to he
a preacher. The interview was an
abridged, rather repressed, love-
feast. Twas like a little Heaven
below" or whereabouts. We parted, as
! vainly dreamed, good friends. for
you smiled and smiled"-though you
were then loaded TO the molars with the
stream of atra biliousness that rushed,
like the Johnstown food. last Sunday
night. upon me Abner was nor more
astounded by Joab's blade between his
ribs than /, last Monday morning. /
had slept the sleep of the just that
H.
shot away, l was being gibbeted or
cruclf1ed, and in a pulpit, by Dr. Jekyl
and Mr.. Hyde. How can l ever have
faith in man, or smiles, or sleeping vol
canoes "since on night so sweet, such
awful morn could rise"
Parsons Letter Quoted.
Just here l must give a part of your
reply TO my letter. 1t is as amazing
and amusing as your stump speech.
1ou say: The words represent my
deliberate judgment, not as to the mo-
tive of the man, which 1 have no right
TO Judge but as to the moral effect of
such inadequate fines. / beg to say
that while / have censured one act of
your official life, / cherish still a warm
personal regard for you. There was
nothing personal in my animus in what
] said. / am aware that l am not your
judge and that there may be facts
which justify procedures which at first
blush appear unjustifable.
Did ever such dwelling imhecility
follow such a defiant challenge? You
have prostituted your office-defiled
your ermine sir. I say this as a minis
ter of the Gospel. II you don't like it
you can have fight with me as a
man. Come enc, come all, this rock
shall fly. Fom its firm base as soon as
-. 1t now appears that the parson
insulted, or tried to insult. the judge;
that it was not McCorkle, the man,
speaking to Norwood the man: that
Norwood was not guilty of prostituting
and defillng, but the judge did it; and
that While the parson denounced the
judge, McCorkle, the man, said Moth
ing personal or offensive to Norwood,
but, on the contrary, cherishes warm
personal regard for Norwood.
There is an old wise saying, never
strike a fool or a cripple" | do not
call you fool, for that would put Inc
in danger of hell-fre. You say you
are not my judge, but the parson is
Nor am / yours. but while you may be
sound, the parson is a cripple. You
may not know it as you and the par
son are not one-but that high leap
over Bible, pulpit and audience gave
the parson breakdown that will go
with him to the grave.
Now, the situation is this: The par
son denounced the Judge, but you step
out as a man and offer TO take the par
sons responsibility. / can't permit that.
You, as man are my friend. / can't
strike a friend. l won't do it. You
have demonstrated that this is an af-
fair of honor strictly and exclusively
between the parson and the judge, and
they must fight it out. So we will lust
turn them loose, either on the judges
bench or in the parsons pulpit while
You and l act as bottleholders and
, spongers. You referee for the parson-
/, for the Judge And while they
scrap. you and l. as friends. will talk
on. We must see to it there are no
fouls. The Judge always uses the tao
tics of good generals, that is, to strike
the enemy In his weakest point. He
will punch the parson head. We will
let those nonentities. those symbols
the surplce and the ermine-those
shades and shadows lunge thrust, and
punch the air, while we discuss inade-
quate fines the bench, the pulpit, the
social evil. the consent age, and the
failure of married women to multiply
and replenish the earth-the subjects
of your late sermons.
Novel Doctrine in Theology.
But first, 1 must pay you-that is.
your head, a high compliment You are
g genius; and you don't know it. Your
subtle dissection of man into duality
has solved the greatest difficulty man
kind have had TO meet. 1t mitigates,
If not prevents, all suffering 1t abol-
ishes purgatory and the horrors of
hell. You have discovered the art by