Year: 1859

MR. EDITOR: Being IN the habit OF frequently
attending Church. have been surprised Of late to
hear preachers admitting the existence of class


Of men whom they designate as In6dels. Unit
within the last few years. had been left to form
my opinion from the dixt of orthodoxy should
have concluded that not more than two Infdels
+ perhaps, had ever disgraced the world by the
expression of anh-Biblical opinions. The names


of one of these has been ephoneously chris


tiQnized into "Tom" Paine. The other was
E Voltaire. Within the past month | have heard
5 a long sermon devoted to the denunciation
and vituperation of this class of men, and
even within the week bave heard from the pulpit


the most Christian abuse wholesaled upon them.


Now, as Infdels are coming to be recognized as a
cl9ss of men, and as furthermore this is country
boasting of the right Of thought and freedom of


the press, claim the right through your paper to
speak word in defense of this much abused class


of men, l say much abused because in the pop


uiar manner of sermonizing they are represented


as men void of honor, destitute of morality, being


capable of and possessing prociVties for the per-


petration of all sorts of crimes, and to conclude


the TRADE, that they are registered at least as


low as Zero in the scale of sense and learning.


Now, it has been my lot to know many men who


were Infdels, if those men are infdes who deny


that the Bible is the word of God, and instead of


knowing them to be a reflection Of the picture


framed by men paid to abuse them, have found


them just the reverse. As class Of people


know them as good citizens honest men, men
20 tha;r fo frin do nd


true to their trusts | have never known one who


had not what we call good natural sense, and


have known the fewest number who were not well


educated, As class of men, they are remarkable


for their good sense and education. cursory
examination will satisfy the most sceptical that


Infdety exists in direct ratio to learning and


intelligence. l have heard great many of the
arguments of In6des, and they are of the most
plausible kind. In vain have l for years attended
Church to hear these arguments answered, and
have heard them answered-by wholesale abuse
and denuncaton- by the most empty defamation
and not over rhetorical gesticulation Now, abuse
is q poor argument and he who resorts to it is in
need Of testimony. 1t is said that in a hopeless
and hollow law suit, an English barristor had his
brief at the day Of trial handed to him with this
note: "To case; but take u chancc Of decision in
our favor by personal abuse of the opposite coun-
sell" This manner of settling the arguments of
Inidcls by men whose trade it is to abuse them,
is daily employed at the present tinge Now l !
think we haN had enough Of this sort of argument
People who feel no particular interest either way,
ora hpcnnino disrrsfed with n anil "a 10 Il; nb
time that orthodoxy were casting about for the
necessary testimony to make out a case. want
to see these Infdes' arguments answered log
ically and reasonably instead of in that "Whang
doodle" and abusive manner heretofore pursued.
Why don't orthodoxy compare doctrines with
them? Why don't she invite discussions? If II
were one of those preachers who dsclaim so vio-
ently against In6des and their doctrines, should
undoubtedly get one to come to my Church and
argue with me, so that might convince my con-
gregation how easy it was to vanquish him by
completely refuting his arguments. What great
thing this would be for the Church Convince
the people that these Infdes ure wrong-let
them hear both sides of the question-and then
there will be no need of preaching six weeks to
convert a neighborhood, and fail to convert as
much as the one fftieth part of it at that By
this means, another large class Of people would be
C inverted. mean the sceptics. This class COM
prlses all those persons who belong to no Church,
and, if men are to be judged by their actions, at
least three fourths of those who do.


Not long ago, heard preacher in this town
speak of Infdels in this manner: "Au honest
lnfdel, if there be such thing" &c. Now, SO far
as Yazoo City is concerned, l know personally at
least twenty-five Infdels, and have every reason
to believe there are five times that number. Those
whom know are among the educated, intelligent
and influential men of the town. As general
rule, an lnfdel does notprocaim his opinions from
the house tops, for the very reason that History
has too we'll assured him of II prosecutions that
would follow for the love of God Not that he


is afraid no@ of being the culprit in an auto de te,
or OF being burnt, but he knew too well that
no less systematic plan of persecution would
follow, by bis being ''spotted" by the Church Just
as suspicious character in large cities is "spot-
ted" by members of the police. He would be
pointed at, his character traduced his "rood
name torn away from him, and if not despoiled
of his 'bread" at least every means is taken to
prevent his getting it. If he asks on office at the
hands of the people, be has to oppose, besides a
political party, members of all Churches, of all
creeds and denominations. If he be profession
oil man, potent influences from the same sources
rise up to meet him, and in fact, no matter what
he may be, he is literally "hunted down"


Preachers generally do Infdels the honor, as
they consider it, to say that they (the Infdels do
not believe what they profess. But when we see
a man processing that which he knows must iniure
him, need we doubt the honesty Of his belief
There is large class of persons who while they
belong to no Church, and profess no religion, vet
stick.e strongly for Church doctrines, dogmas and
opinions, and who, at the same time, live in open
and daily violation las do a vast majority of
members of the church, of the most important
tenets of the very religion they pretend to uphold
What now, in the name of common sense, is a
looker-on to think of these men? What would we
Of n mar uha 10 al