Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1915-01-07
UNCLE TOMS LETTER


To the News and especially to
Aunt Belle. l propose that we quit
giving our opinions and beliefs con-
corning christianity and religion. II
is very unpleasant to express ones
ideas and beliefs on religious subjects
and have some old fellow butting in.
| calling you a skeptic and a liar and
everything calculated to stir up and
annoy and vex you, and then plead in
nocent of intending any offense to
ones feelings. l want as little to DO
with such people as possible. l be-
| lieve while you and / could give our
opinions and beliefs relative to certain
things and never create bit of fric-
ton between us, it seems there is an
old man up there at Dunlap who must
put his lip into the matter at all haz-
ards and at any cost. I've ignored
him because don't care to fool with
any man wise above what Is written
and who knows more than all the
translators of the Bible. Our transla-
tors might have all been fools and
we're not competent to do what King
James desired, but the translation has
been accepted by the English speaking
people as correct in the main. l don't
want him to use my name in any let
ter be may write / have no contro-
versy with him, and as such forbid
any use of my nom de plume or name
by him. I nope this is plain SO he can
understand that 1 allow him no liber-
ty to use my nom de plume. This is
my right, and l claim it.
Well, "Aunt Belle" nothing would
suit me better than to ascertain your
idea on a -purgatorial state between
death and the judgement | believe
there is an intermediary state for the
soul. IL David has not entered into
the heavens, where is be. I've heard
the priests of the Catholic church
criticised for believing in purgatory,
but so fur I've heard no one present
any proof that the doctine was false. l
am inclined to agree with the Cathol-
les and if it is not asking too much
would like for some able, intelligent
Catholic to give me their reasons for
believing in purgatory.
The 4th Sunday in December lis
tened to man preach on the subject
of taking from or adding to the Holy
Scriptures. The very first thing he
did was to attack infant baptism He
didn't talk long until l saw that he
didn't have any real idea OF infant
baptism and why people christened or
baptized their children at all. l went
home with him for dinner. | asked
him why he didn't jump on bis church |
for the way they were neglecting their
children. I said, "You people are
raising a whole lot of nice looking
girls and boys and for five miles cir
Gle, you don't think enough of them
to provide Sunday school and a
prayer meeting. Lots of you don
even send your children to a day
school, let alone have them baptized,
thus obiigating yourselves to train ana
bring them up in the nurture and ad-
monition of the Lord Such church
sets ut naught the commands OF both
the old and now testament, and no
wonder every ambitious boy and girl
wants to leave the old farm and 60
where the people are progressive en-
Dugh to provide for the young from
their infancy mp He preached total
1epravity, and l reckon he believed
Il or he would not have cut the child
rem out and denied them admission in
10 the church by baptism. Here in
this community there are scores OF
children neglected with no one to aid
and help them to have any social re-
creations of any kind. 1t would pay
;hese old moss backed farmers to get
,ome wide awake progressive family
% move into this community and fur
lish them home and all theland they
,ould tend on condition they build up
| Sunday school and prayer meeting
or the young people. Today is the
irst Sunday in January, and there is
10 meeting anywhere for miles. Still
here are nice church buildings as
my where, but nothing is doing.
Well, the legislature met Monday.
As both sides protested SO much love
or the old Confederate vets, l hope
he really INDECENT will be provided
or. They ought to get a soldiers
Jay, SO they will not be forced to al
most beg for home and place to I
tay the few remaining days they have
lere onssearth. Some have very good
ZONES on which they are living and