The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-11-12
Mr.. BOOKSELLERS RENEFAc-
TON

lister, through your columns, my Wig
Iorous protest, as a loyal citizen of the
splendid new south, against the most
Irecent attempt of Bishop W. A. Can
idler to fan into flame the rapidly dy-
ling embers of sectional and partisan
hatred. as published in the Journal Of
last Monday.
And. at the same time, I wish to
commend most highly the thoughtful
reply which emanated from a member
Iof this spiritually beIated bishops own
Idenominational household as publish
led in Tuesdays Journal, and to thank
this brother for so courageously BRAY
ing the penalties of ''lese majesty
and voicing the sentiments of null
Ititude of southerners, who it is safe
Ito assume. hold as dear to their hearts
the good name and the continued pros
Iperity Of Dixie as does this dignitary
jof the great Methodist church.
I have been a somewhat frequent
lreader of the bishops contributions
to the public press and regret to be
Iobliged to testify that this is not his
first offense in this particular direc-
ton. Nor is his violation of sectional
ethics and social good manners to be
considered in this instance because he
has chosen to employ the narrow, big
oted. prejudiced, 'picayunish" editor
jial which he quotes from the New Or
leans Picayune, as the medium of his
unreasonable and un-Christian cen
sure of the motives and intentions of
man who evidently desires to be of
service to humanity, for whoever in
dorses the evil word or deed of anothr
er becomes himself a partaker of the
unhappy fruit thereof.
AS l have from time to time been
surprised and saddened by these pu-
Grille, petulent, pessimistic Outbursts
Iof this unreconstructed ecclesiastiC,
have felt that it is high time that the
great church whose splendid spirit of
fraternity and progress he so griev-
Iously misrepresents should unitedly
Insist that he begin a course of sug-
lgestive therapeutics which would in
duce him to exchange jeremiah for
the second Isaiah as the prophet of
his inspiration or. better still. to sit at
the feet of the Nazarene and catch
his spirit of love. forgiveness, recon
Citation. faith and optimism. For it
is to be greatly depIOred that the high
iOficial position of this writer lends to
! his utterances a sense of weight and
/ authority. in many minds, out of all
proportion to their wisdom and logic,
/ thus constituting them a reaCtiOnary
force Of sufficient gravity to warrant
the serious attention of all who are
anxious that our glorious southland
shall live up to her happy reputation
of hospitality, fraternity and progress.
The war is over, and only the ech-
oes of its horrors remain to warn us
of the utter futility Of such barbar-
Gus and medieval methods for the set
Element of disputes which must al
ways ultimately come to the arbitra-
] ton of dispassionate deliberatiOn and
sane judgment The God Of battles
has decreed that we shall be, hence
forth. one nation. not two jealous and
warning peoples. Any disability or
shortcoming which handicaps any
particular section of our extended do
main becomes, therefore, a national
affair and. an occasion for national
p solicitation. We are members, one
iof another" and certainly one mem
Der may not suffer without all the
family being involved in the disas-
tier.
3 1t is not fair, it is not charitable, it
70 is not sensible for the bishop to con-
, tinually impugn the motives OF va
irious citizens Of our united country
b. whose patriotism and humanity impel
r them toward efforts 10 equallZe Inc
blessings Of health. education and
, happiness among all of the children
p of the nation which our fathers plant
. ed along the shores of the Atlantic,
r from the palmettoes of Florida to the
X pines of Maine, and | feel that l am
} not overstepping the bounds of pro-
5 priety and courtesy in herewith reg
+ istering my protest and my rebuke.
And. despite the disparity in our ages,
shall even make so bold as to re-
mind the good bishop of the solemn
warnings of all history concerning
the absolute certainty and implacabil-
lily Of that nemesis which ever waits
+ those who attempt to clog the wheels