Year: 1864

ters who fill them:


Correspondence ofthe New York Observer.


what the south IL willing to do.
Nessrs. Ed,tors Having been a subscri.


Der to your excellent paper for over fifteen


years, / have right to grumblc little.


In your last number you have a most de-


.irable article in its general scope and de-


sigli, under the head Of Union and Peace.


In Speaking Of the position Of the South


however you say, they do not desire peace


without the recognition Of their indcpeud-


ence as a rival, antagonistic, slayeholding


government threading this. the inquiry
at once arose in my mind. How do you


know thisl Has peace been offered to
) them on the terms of simple submission to
t their constitutional obligations. at any time
within two years past? Have they not had
every reason to believe that they could not


have peace, unless they would allow the


North to dictate to them conditions in refer


ence to slavery among themselves? You


may say you may have the authority Of the
| President of the Confederacy for the state


ment. But would you say that the North
do not desire peace without the abolition Of
slavery in every Southern State2 You
would have precisely the same reason for
making this statement.


Iapprehend that the people of both sec.
] j
together they would establish peace with
out infringing upon our national integrity.
The men now unfortunately in power, stand
between the North and the South and pre-
| vent reconciliation.


j There are one or two topics I should be
glad to see discussed in your columns. rela-


ting to the duty Of Christians and Christian
ministers, in the present condition Of our
: national affairs.


1t is assumed by a majority of Christians
a that this war is a judgement of God upon
y Us for the sin Of slavery, instead Of being


the result Of our own wicked passions; and
e that God will not permit the war to cease
Il until this great evil is wiped out have
:. heard ministers preach and pray this doc
Y trine numberless times Now | would like
e to know how these good brethren. good.
y though misguided, have no doubt they
Y are, have found out the will and designs of
| God? Do they think that the Fother Of
If Mercies really delights in the spectacle we
e present to the world, and that the slaughter
If of hundreds of thousands Of youth Is sac
} riice acceptable 10 him?


l, They say that God has benevolent designs
r, in all this carnage, and therefore we must
r submit 10 it in patience. ] do not doubt
g that He will, in some way, know not how,
&c bring good out of these enormous evils, but



Is the wrath Of man TO praise him. but it does


not follow that men should therefore be
Is angry. In my view God does not stand in
Is the way of peace. The war will stop just as
II soon as we stop fighting. We have had a
e number of fats, in Which We have professed
|. to repent Of our national sins. At such
G times il has occurred TO me, do not know
. that it has to others, that possibly the war
: itself was one Of the greatest Of these sins.
b Is it not the duty Of Christians to strive
t. earnestly for peace? agree with you that
t to the Constitution and law. But let Chris
tians place themselves simply on that plat
/ form, and | am persuaded that peace will
, come, and that at no distant period.


I would have Christian ministers inquire
in the light ofrevelation and history, wheth-
] er God ever uses violence as the direct


means Of accomplishing moral reforms?-
/ Christ never authorized his disciples to
propagate the Gospel by the sword. That


IS the chosen instrument of Mohammed,


and the gospel of the Koran. But from the


time when Peter in his hot-headed zeal


sought to save the life of his Master by


shifting the servant of the High Priest with


his sword to the damage Of his right ear, to
II the present time, the Savior has rebuked
violence


have some opportunity to know the ef-


feet which the teachings of the pulpit, and


a large proportion of the religious press for


the last three years, have had on the public


mind, and can assure you that it has been


ANYTHING but salutary. 1t is an everyday
charge that ministers are largely responsible
for our civil war, and when I hear it, cam
not deny it. 1t is my opinion that willy


politicians have used and are still using the


religious element Of the country TO accom-
plsh their own selfish designs; and when it


is no longer available for this purpose, they


will cast it off as a useless thing.


AMICrs.