The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-06-20

The following letter from the Rev.
r. ]. Wade, pastor OF the First M. e.
church is an interesting chapter to the
controversy originated by one of the
speakers at the Baptist convention in
this city the past week:
Richmond, Indian, June 17.-Rev. ].
F.. Vickert, D. D., Fort Wayne, Ind.
My dear brother: heard you attempt
to speak last night on THE Baptist
Individual and it certainly proved to
be dangerous procedure, as you your
self suggested it might be, to turn
you loose at the close of the conven-
ton, or, IL that is a fair sample, at
any other time. Perhaps you thought
you were far from home, in the midst
of an unintelligent and unreasoning
public, and that your untruthful, ex-
travagant and unchristian statements
would do your cause no harm and in
fact would not be noticed. Or per-
chance the flights of oratory carried
you beyond yourself, you lost the true
perspective, vivid but subservient
imagination played we'll its part, and
you got to, in the language of the
poet seeing things at night" Surely
It 10 far cry from the ringing mes
sages Of the ereat Baptist leaders of
the present day to the sepulchral note
Of Z bygone age to which through
courtesy we listened. feel sorry for
you my brother, but especially for the
local congregation OF Baptists who are
most loyal. true and God fearing and
yet have been placed on the defensive
and many of them greatly chag-
rined as I know personally by your
unkind and unnecessary remarks. l
honor the great aBptist church; the
record OF her achievements Is glorious,
and her mission when rightly inter-
preted Is far from complete. But why
attack other denominations? Why
presume to quote from the discipline of
the Methodist Episcopal church
statement as to close communion
which is not found there at all? have
copies Of number Of editions before
mo and find no such words. Hence
your authority? I have not delved
back into the ante-deluvian days. but
what II you should discover some
words back there somewhere tending
TO lend semblance to your presumed
quotation? This was supposed to be
4 modern message and besides the
great Methodist church believes in
progress.
I and my congregation we're invited
~ guests to the Convention by your
splendid local pastor and his people.
What would you think II were to in
vite you to my home and you accepted
the invitation and then without pro
vocation and without opportunity to
defend yourself would call your
practices heathenish. and you, your
devout father, your sainted mother
and your recently deceased wife and q
host OF friends Criminals? And yet
that il what you did last night. am
not writing on the spur Of the mo-
ment. have slept over It. do not
distort nor ruthlessly tear your words
from their context but / wrote them
down Just when and just as you ut
tered them and showed them to re-
porter who happened to sit by my
side. You said: Il insist that it Is .
crime to practice infant baptism"
righteously resent the insinuatioo, /
overlook the discourtesy, but l never
theloss object to your calling my
friends: my honored father who lives
In your city and who for almost thirty
years has been successfully preaching
the gospel OF the Lord Jesus Christ
and dare say judging from the tone
Of your remarks to have been the
humble servant in Gods hands of win
ming more souls to the Master In one
year than you have in ten: my long
sainted mother who after . remarkab-
~ useful life passed sweetly and tri-
umphaEtly through the pearly gates
into the City OF our God: my beloved
vito who but five weeks ago on q
chariot OF song was transported to the
glorious Beyond leaving three little
motherless but thank God baptized
children to morn as loyal. and true
and loving. and Christian q mother rs
ever lived. whose parting words al
most were concerning the further re-
ligious and spiritual upbringinx Of her
dear little ones and CONCERNING wAose
death venerable minister OF more