Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-04-02
Your Inspection is all We Ask

ing a revival, Evangelist Rev. w. J.
Ham,, collected from the homes all OF
the books written by Evangelist Rev.
Charles T. Russell, and had them pub
licly burned in front of the church
midst songs of praise and great rejoic-
ing!.a Think of a 10th century clergy
man claiming to be a preacher of right
eousness and religious liberty having
the audacity to return to the methods
of the dark ages by burning religious
books that disagree with his way OF
thinking in order to muzzle investiga-
ton that might lead to a better under
standing of the Bible and expose a few
of u slender interpretations of a
darker past! The Brother may in
flame the minds of the ignorant and il
literate by his subtle and %unchristian
methods of coercing, but the combined
intelligence of all the thinking chris
tians in the Old North State will re-
ject this medieval religious bigotry
Brother Hams narrowness can only
be attributed to misinformation or re-
l1gious fanaticism, and is an insult to
Free speech, Free press and Free
thought; especially in this day of re-
ligious enlightenment. No doubt
Brother Ham is sincere, and it is not
for us to condemn his slenderness-as
aforesaid the fashion is changing
which Bro. Ham has thus far failed to
accept.
During the Inquisition when pulpits
were used by those other than the
faithful the churches were fumfgated
after services as a preventive versus
the heresy of the other fellow, which
reminds us of a little incident that
ceme under our observation in Ashe-.
vile, N. c., in July 1913 while the.
"Russellites" were in convention there.
The clergy of that city refused to al
low the "Russellites" the use of their
Baptisteries for immersion for fear of
catching 'Russellism." Even the Y. M.
&c A. refused them their swimming
pool, Notwithstanding the fact that the
Asheville Y. M. G. A. is a charitable
benevolent Institution erected for the
benefit Of the public # seems thai
both the Y. M. @. A. and clergy over
looked the anticeptical-fumigative in
gradients of their brethren back in the
dark ages. All denominations lin
Asheville hold that immersion of some
Kind is essential to salvation, and at
the same time shut the door of saliva
tion in the faces of the "RusselIites"
by refusing them the use of their Bap-
tisteries as a means Of washing their
sins away-saying by their refusal
We had rather see the "Russellites"
go to hell, thanrbe saved, if it takes the
use of our Baptisteries to save them
The Bible says: Repent and be bap-
tized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ unto the remission OF
your sins" (Acts 2:38)-But don't go
" NHOV1lAS, IN. ", W get DdptlZ6Q II
o happen to be a "RusseIlite, unless
you are willing to go out to the French
Broad river! But don't misunde-
rstand us, as we do not mean tozspeak
unkindly of these brethren and would
not for one moment challenge their
sincerity ad believe that many of them
are pure ~consecrated christians, but
we can't help but notice their slender
ness. No doubt they will yet fall IN
line with the rapid change of religious
fashions, and perhaps by the time the
seRussellites" return to Asheville to
held another convention the clergy and
Y. M. C. A. will be ready to repudiate
their past slenderness. We feel sure
they will when they reach the one last
big convention ''The General Assembly
of the Church of the irstborn whose
names are enrolled in heaven Heb.
1929
. This reminds US of the twenty-1rst
chapter of Revelation that says nat
even this old earth is to don q new
fashion. It is going to put on 4 new
dress by the name Of the NEW
M - 1