The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-07-24
DuR, ,sHED EVERY WEDNESDAY.
THE PULPIT AND PRESS.

OlC S!lSS IldkIei.
THE PULPIT AND PRESS.
Our readers Will recall the
article in the last issue OF The
Times in which we commented
upon the effort of the three
white ministers Of this place to
get the merchants of the town to
close their stores earlier or Sat
urday nights. It seems from
what we gather from Jhese gen,
tlemen they do not relish, ana
rather take umbrage at what we
said, and construe our attltooe
as antagonistic to them, that our
comments were in the vein OF
ridicule. a reflection upon thelr
ability, and irreverance Tor
sacred things. We regret ex
ceedingly these gentlemen have
placed such a construction upon
our comments, and beg to assure
them they are mistaken.
Our long editorial record will
vouchsafe our being incapable of
purposely offending the minis
try; among the dearest friends
we have are Christian ministers
of all denominations, and that
we have in the past. and always
will cooperate with the ministry
in any movement for the general
welfare Of the community, but IN
the matter Of earlier store
closing, we do not see where the
general welfare is effected one
way or another, and it is a mat
ter of Indifference to US. The
question of right or wrong is not
involved, it is solely aquestlon OF
business policy for the individ-
ual to settle.
The purpose of the article,
which seems to have given Of
fense, was not to antagonize the
ministers, nor was it to encour-
age or endorse those who re-
fused to close their stores,
neither was it intended as an
endorsement of those who eX-
pressed a willingness to close,
but it was to stress the point
that those who spoke out frank
ly and declined to close their
stores should not be condemned
and abused, because 1t is their
legal and moral right to decline,
whether their declining to JOIN
with the majority is a good pol
icy,is a matter fer them alone to
decide, but to our mind, they are
within their legal and moral
rights, and any irritating sug-
gestions is a wrong spirit and
can only make them the more
unyielding.
Nc one questions the motives
prompting these ministers, they
have in view what they regard a
humane purpose, and from which
they hope to reap good results,
but in their zeal for what they
regard helpful movement they
should not lose sight Of the fact
that all men do not think alike
and even ministers are like other
human beings, and are frequent
ly found to disagree upon ques-
tons of policy; therefore, when
people reason differently from
them, and there is different OF
opinion frankly expressed, It
should not bring on any sensl-
tiveness, and be construed as
antagonism, nor should it be
construed as a reflection upon
their ability or character, and
further, when in the course Of
comments made one injects a
little facetiousness there is abso-
lutely no justification in con-
STRUNG it as ridicule of the pul-
pit, and especially so, when it is
known that the writer has a rev
eranc forthings sacred emanating
from whatever faith or creed.
We regret that our ministerial
friends have placed a construc
ton upon the article referred to
totally at variance with the
writer's intention, and We beg
to assure them they misjudge US
and we further assure them that
whenever there is a movement
started in this community,
whether by the ministry or
others which appeals to our
Judgment as being for the gen.
eral good, and especially for the
moral uplifting of the commun-
ity, it Will have our most hearty
cooperation.