The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-19
ISLANDERS
The SOUTH.
So Says Advocate of the Rev.
DR.. Parkhurst.
1T MAKES q HOT REPLY
Richmond Paper Says New York Min
lister Should Be Arraigned Before
His Presbytery as Reviler
ofHis Brethren.

Under the caption "A Perverted Pulpit"
the Christian Advocate OF this week
takes DR.. Charles H. Parkhurst of New
York, severely to task and declares that
he is nothing II not sensational The Ad-
vocate warmly defends the South against
recent utterance by the Northern minis
ter. which utterance the Richmond paper
stigmatizes as Islander .'a-s unwarranted
in fact as 1t is un-christian in spirit.
The remark to which the Advocate
takes exceptions was made by Dr.. Park
hurst In recent sermon. Speaking Of
conditions In the South, he said: Even at
this day. SO long after emancipation and
the constitutional amendment that fol-
lowed. there Is in many parts OF the
South a condition OF veritable slavery
Although we claim to be q, civilized peo-
pie. there is a degree Of barbarism in
certain parts OF the South. and although
we send out missionaries to Christianize
other lands. there are communities in
the South as un-Christinn as any part
Of heathendom'
a WARM REPLY.
In reply to this ridiculous statement
L
in part:
The pulpit Is supposed to be the expo
nent OF truth, especially, II not exclu-
sivey. of Gospel truth. At least. we have
a right to expect that all Its utterancc5
will be fair Just and charitable. To
make the sacred desk the vehicle OF SLAM
cdr and abuse Is a shameful prostitution
OF its high and holy office.
Rev. DR.. Charles H. Parkhurst. OF
New York. is nothing unless he is sensa-
uonal Some years ago he made himself
notorious by his campaign against the
dives dram shops and gambling heIls OF
the metropolitan city. Against that we
have nothing to say though some of the
methods he employed were open to OBJ
jections. At times he has introduced poll
tics into his Sunday miristrations, and
denounced those who differed from him in
the bitterest and most vituperatye terms
that the English vocabulary could supply.
In a recent sermon he gave utterance
to a Islander against the South as unwar-
ranted in fact as It is un-Christian In
spirit.
EXPLANATION DEMANDED.
"There happened to be present that
morning gentleman from Arkansas.
who, visiting New York, had strolled into
DR.. Parkhurst's church, expecting, no
doubt, to hear the Gospel. but was treated
instead to this diatribe against his own
gave him stone; instead OF fish, a
scorpion. At the close of the service he
| sought an interview with the doctor and
politely demanded the grounds of his
statement. We need scarcely say that
they were not Forthcoming. He was thus
convicted OF gratifying his prejudices at
the expense Of the truth.
Where Is that rorton Of the South
that is as benlghtcd and barbarous as
any portion Of pagaLism? Dir. Parkhurst
cannot put his fingar u on 1t. The fact
is, there Is a more decided and conserva-
tive religious sentiment 1T the South than
at the North. a purer Gospel Is preached,
and the people, in proportion-to the popu-
lation, attend more generally upon the
ministry of the Word. DR.. Parkhurst
evidently took no pains to ascertain the
facts before he made this sWeeplns
charge against the much-abused SOUL =.
He spoke TAT random, and deserves to DO
arraigned before his Presbytery as a re-
vier Of his brethren"