Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-11-02
Friday, November 2. 1906.
The SYNOD OF VIRGINIA.


The SYNOD OF VIRGINIA.
Stanton has had the pleasure and
enjoyed the profit during the week
Just past OF entertaining the Synod of
Virginia, one of the most distinguish
ed bodies of clergymen and laymen ever
assembled IN the State. This city
as we'll as county, is the home of the
Presbyterian church. The Scotch
Irish who settled here brought with
them it's principles unsullied, fresh in
deed from the soil where reformation
sprung and grew under the cultivation
of such minds as Calvin and John Knox,
and have kept it in it's purity ever
since. Here they built their churches,
and here the simplicity of their wor-
ship has remained and will remain
forever. The county of Augusta was
early laid off into Presbyterian COM
munities, and spoken of and written
about as such. There are the ''Old Stone
Church." Hebron, Thinking Spring,
Bethel, Horeb, Messy Greek, and
Union, SO we'll known, SO much part
of the county that DO other name has
dared entrencb upon their province or
dispute their proprietary rights. Be
fore the savage had ceased his incur.
slons into the Valley, the "Old stone
church" was being piled stone upon
top of stone, and the doughty deter
mlnation of those who had planted
their feet here to stay and cotempera-
neously, if not first and foremost their
faith, and a little later of course
their religious shrines, was evinced
by fortifying that church, the
plan of which fort may be seen
plainly today, though all save the
foundation upon which it stood has
been removed. Those who profess that
faith will always find a welcome here,
not that there is not welcome for all
Christian denominations, but because
here Presbyterianism is entrenched,
rockribbed indeed in congenial soil,
in responsive community, amid peO.
pie who have drunk it in, as with their
mothers milk, who have lived under
its teachings, been married by its min
listers, died sustained in their faith by
it's doctrines, and have been buried
with its ceremonies.
THE CALF ORNIANS AND THE laps,
A good deal of noise has been made
about J apan g hurt feelings on hearing
that Japanese children are barred
from the public schools. or rather
Jim CrOwed" out of white school
houses in California. This has raised
a great constitutional question we
hear. When the negroes were sub
jected to the Jim Crow laws in South
ern States, not only were constitu.
tional questions raised, but many other
questions, and with them many voices.
Some years ago, if we forget not, a
certain Dennis Kearney. a loudmouth.
ed politician, made some speeches on
the sand lots" of San Francisco
against Chinese, and the fear of losing
California to the Republicans caused
the Chinese exclusion act. Other Den
misses are arising and they want all ce
lestials, in fact all oriental people.
barred from California. They only ask
this much just now, but they would
demand much more if they could, in
deed their object is to bar all people
who will work. and then never work
themselves, but get paid for their time
all the same but never put in the time
The Chinese exclusion act was q
most contemplate political act of a
most contemplate party. 1t has put
the United States in hole from which
II can never crawl decently. Had Chi
Ma been a warlike nation like Japan,
determined that her subjects should
have the same treatment as subjects
OF other nations, there would have
been trouble over that act, and lots of
it. No wonder she had Boxers whe re-
sented this treatment. No wonder Chi.
ma declined to have our religion and
creeds taught to her people. when we
refused her people, much LEES her
priests, admission to our territory.
The subjects of Japan will never be
excluded without trouble. None of
them or very few, may ever come,
prefering to 60 elsewhere, but when
they do come they will receive Just as
decent treatment as English. or Ger
mans, or French, or Italians.
But that Sand Lot oratory is going
on in California now and the Republi-
can party is getting ready to knuckle
to it, unless Mr.. Roosevelt puts his
foot squarely down. They are getting
ready for another slaughter of CELESTE
ais out there. 1t is wrong to resent
crimes on women in Atlanta, but right
to kill inOffensive Cinnamon in San
Francisco. Now, however, the Japan.
ese out there are becoming distasteful
also, and possibly they will kill them,
so sure as this happens, or so sure as
Japanese exclusion strikes in deep in |
Congress, just so sure are We going to
have trouble, and our beloved Philip.
pine Islands will cost us more to hold
taan it has cost us to acquire them, if |
indeed we can hold them at all. We
will find what Russia found, that
at home may be easy, but |
carrying soldiers across the Pacific in |
the face of desperate and terrible
Japanese navy will be like cracking
hickory nuts after our teeth have been
1t is strange that Califor-
MANS seek to involve US in this trou-