網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

ation for the episcopal office and for
the person in whom it is embodied,
is more ingrained than hers, and
who has been from his childhood
acquainted with the free and care-
less manners of this bishop-insists
that his wife-whom we suspect to
have been born and educated out of
the atmosphere of Trinity church, if
not under some of the 'blue law' in-
fluences of New England-has mis-
understood the matter. According
ly in the evening, he does not hesi-
tate to put his wife again by the side
of the Bishop, in the carriage, while
he himself and a nephew of his are
on the front seat. He does not
dream that any impropriety can be
committed in his presence; even
though his face is the other way,
and he is occupied with the man-
agement of the horse. Yet during
that short ride, with the husband in
the carriage, the Bishop, supposing,
doubtless, that the familiarities of
the morning had given no mortal
offense, renewed his insults, and
carried them to a degree of indigni-
ty which can not be described. In
this case, the conduct of the husband,
immediately afterwards, was
manly and as worthy of his Chris-
tian profession, as could have been
expected. Though he said nothing
to the Bishop himself-though he
did not tell him, as in a similar case
he would have told any minister
who stood upon the footing of parity
with him, to go out of the house,
and never to darken those doors
again, with his hateful presence-
though he even took him in his car-
riage and conveyed him civilly to
the place of his next appointment-friendliness and respect.
he lost no time before taking advice,
confidentially, of men whose advice
was not given without prayer. The
consequence was that after a little
consultation, the Bishop was waited
upon by three or four eminent cler-
gymen, to whom the secret had
been communicated, and at a second
interview, in the presence of the
offended husband, one of those cler-
Vol. III.

gymen-an excellent and venerable
man, more honored out of the Epis
copal church than in it-betrayed
his Presbyterian tendencies by giv-
ing the right reverend culprit a
good round admonition. After this,
as the Bishop, at the second inter-
view, had shed some tears, and had
made acknowledgments and prom-
ises which were understood, by some
at least of those present, as including
a distinct confession of the facts,-
it was agreed by the company, at
their parting from each other in the
street, that the best way was to let
the matter drop and say no more
about it. But what is most striking
in the sequel is, that this young cler-
gyman, with his perfect knowledge
of that bishop's baseness,-knowl-
edge so painfully acquired, dare not
let it be suspected, that he is not as
much the Bishop's friend as ever.
The Bishop, it might be thought, is in
his power. No, he is in the Bish-

39

op's power.
Let it be known that
he is not the Bishop's friend, and his
prospects of advancement in his
profession are blasted. Therefore,
it is that he humbles himself to in-
vite the Bishop to dine at his house,
in the presence of several clerical
guests, with that insulted wife of his
presiding at the table. The honor
of having the Bishop at his table is a
matter too important to him, in his
profession, to be foregone. There-
fore it is that he humbles himself to
apologize for taking the Protestant
Churchman, lest it should be report.
ed to the Bishop to his disadvantage.
Therefore it is that he takes pains
to speak of the Bishop in terms of

Take now these illustrations of the position, which a bishop holds in the religious sensibilities of Episcopalians, and of the power which he thus has over his clergy, and carry them back to the point which we were last considering, the difficulty of bringing ecclesiastical discipline to bear upon a bishop when delinquent. This whole case, from its

beginning to where it now stands, is a prolonged illustration of that point. Who can wonder that the witnesses, when each instance of delinquency was supposed by those cognizant of it, to be a solitary one, were afraid to have the insults they had suffered brought to light? What woman of whatever degree of respectability, and however supported by friends, would not have been crushed into infamy, if she had appeared against this bishop as a single witness to a solitary specification of misconduct. How hardly have these four escap ed, with all the support which the testimony of each receives from that of the others. How have they been abused, not only by the counsel for the respondent, for that was all in course, a regular business transaction; not only by the pamphleteers and newspaper writers, in the interest of the now suspended prelate; but by the bishops of the Onderdonk party, speaking in their judicial capacity. Those bishops may be ignorant on other subjects, but on one point, no plea of ignorance can be set up in their behalf. They know well enough, without being remind ed of it, the power of an acknowledged bishop over a true churchman, or a true church-woman. They know well enough that the religious. and reverent admiration in which a devout Episcopalian holds the person of the bishop, and the dependence of an Episcopalian clergyman upon his bishop for advancement in his profession, are abundantly sufficient to account for all in the conduct of these witnesses, that might else seem unaccountable. And yet they abuse these witnesses without stint, for acting in a manner, in which if they had not acted, they would not have been Episcopalians. Bishop Whittingham's behavior in this respect, is particularly open to condemnation. His sneer at the

lady "whose nice organs detected the fumes of liquor" in the breath of Bishop Onderdonk, together with the accompanying insinuation, that a person of such nice organs would imagine' thick talking where there was none, is bad enough; but it hardly begins to be a sample of the gross insults which he heaps upon these unfortunate ladies. It seems as if he were determined to make them an example, in terrorem, of the temerity of bearing witness, in any case, against a bishop, before a court of bishops. The man who can take advantage of his position to treat such women in such a way, deserves no respectful treatment from men.

But we have done. If we were to touch upon all the topics that crowd into the mind, in the consid eration of this complicated and mel ancholy story, it would be necessary for us to publish a volume, instead of an article. We will only say in conclusion, that this case as we understand it, is a caution to be heeded by all those clergymen, of what ever church, or connection, who at this day, and in the face of all the considerations involved in a Chris tian or humane regard for the wel fare of society, insist upon their Christian liberty of using wine as a drink for refreshment. He who, in the position and under the responsi bilities of a Christian minister, will not practice so slight a self-denial as abstinence from intoxicating drinks, for the sake of others whom such an example on his part may peradventure save from present and eternal ruin,-let him beware. The spirit which says in self-regard and self-reliance, I can drink and be safe, let others take care of them selves,' is a spirit which the God of love will smite with his curse. "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

LITERARY NOTICES.

The American Journal of Science and Arts. Conducted by Professor B. SILLIMAN and B. SILLIMAN, Jr. Published Quarterly at New Haven.

QUR Number for January of this year contains a brief account of the origin, progress and plans of this invaluable periodical. The object of this paper is to commend it to the patronage of several classes of citizens-men of learning, men of intelligence, men of wealth-some of whom seem to have no apprehension of the value of the work, except to the cultivators of science. One feeling only repels us from this undertaking a feeling of national pride-which makes us ashamed to confess, even by implication, a deficiency of public interest in a work which contributes, more than any other, to the honor of our country abroad; by showing that there is among us at least, a scientific spirit, which will leave nothing in nature unexplored.

Need we appeal to men of science to men whose education has opened to their easy comprehension almost every page of the Journal? Are they not the natural patrons of the work? Was it not established with a special view to assist them in their respective sciences? Yet, what proportion of the medical profession in these States have ever availed themselves of the advantage? How few, also, comparatively, belonging to the other learned professions, contribute to the interest and support of this Journal? Its chief support comes from this class of society; but a vast majority of the class know as little about the work as any reader of the newspapers. Yet if there is any body of persons who can take the work with solid advantage to themselves, it is

this majority. And when once accustomed to enjoy a quarterly feast over its pages, they will constitute the most reliable body of subscribers.

But men of science are not all for whom the Journal is designed. A serious mistake, though a common one, is, to suppose that works of a scientific character are of use to professional men alone, on the ground that they are intelligible to no others. The Journal is intelligible, to a great extent, to all men of thought. Intelligent persons generally are more nearly on an equality in respect to a capacity of deriving instruction from such works, than they suspect. A professor of astronomy may be as far from appreciating an article on chemistry, as any other well informed reader; and any reader, with a spirit of investigation, can find, in every successive number, much that is within his present comprehension, and still more accessible to his powers of inquiry. In a work embracing so many branches of learning, exclu. ding nothing in science, nothing in art and discovery, nothing in natu ral history, there will be much that one set of readers will pass over, to be read by others more immediately interested in those several subjects. But we must insist, that there is enough intelligible matter in this journal to satisfy the demands of every man of reflection and research. Whether he is a physi cian, an agriculturalist, a mechanic or artist of any description, he will find his reading, in part, serviceable in his own employment. Every volume will be apt to suggest to him some improvement in his own art, some application of science to the business of life, which will repay him many fold for his outlay. He will also see a happy influence

exerted upon his children, early developing their talents and tastes, and leading them to the study of elementary works on those subjects in which the Journal may excite an interest in their minds. No intelligent family can take the work without reaping some of these fruits.

But if the private benefit which a patron of this Journal is likely to receive, were of less value and certainty, the work would still have strong claims upon him as a friend of his country and of mankind. Even if he can truly say, what most intelligent men would be ashamed to say, that he has no taste and no time for such reading, still if he has property for benevolent and honorable purposes, he ought not to suffer a work of so much value to languish for want of patronage. The honor of his country, the development of its resources of knowledge and wealth, the encouragement and cultivation of scientific talent among its youth, should call forth his cheerful aid to sustain a work so essential to their interests. What encouragement was there, before the American Journal of Science came into existence, to prose cute studies in natural science? No suitable place of record could be found. The results of accidental discovery and of careful investigation were either not published, or left to perish in the papers of the day. Since that time, what a change has been effected! How many hundreds of young men of education are now devoting themselves, in every part of the country, to scientific investigations, throwing light on the geology and natural history of the world, and opening avenues to new discoveries in the arts, and to new developments of wealth! The reports of these combined labors enrich the successive numbers of the Journal, and inspire in new minds a spirit of emulation to contribute their share also towards a complete knowledge of the geological and

material structure, the minerals, the natural productions, both animal and vegetable, of this continent. The American Journal of Science and Arts has produced this promising movement, and sustains it. We owe to it, more than to any other cause, our scientific reputation abroad, such as it is; and we are dependent upon it, or an equivalent work, for future progress. Let not, therefore, our men of fortune be behind our men of letters, in placing this Journal in their libraries, and establishing it on the basis of a liberal patronage. How extensively it is patronized, we have no other information than what is contained in the statement of Prof. Silliman in our last number, except what we infer from the too prevalent taste of the community for easy reading, and distaste for every thing that tasks the thinking faculty. We are sure, however, if the claims of the work on us as AMERICANS were well understood, it would have a far wider circulation. Not only men of science, but men of general intelligence, and men of wealth, who gather libraries for the use of their visitors, would have a shelf for this repository of western science and art.

The Bibliotheca Sacra and Theological Review. Conducted by B. B. EDWARDS and E. A. PARK, Professors at Andover. Published by Allen, Morrill & Wardwell, Andover, and by Wiley & Putnam, New York and London.

WE called the attention of our readers to this periodical at the time it was removed from New York to Andover, and placed under the care of the present editors. We wished then, what we have since had no opportunity to accomplish, to make it the basis of some considerations relating to the intrinsic and compar ative value of such works, and their strong claim on the fostering pat

ronage of Christian ministers and learned laymen. What we now attempt is much less than the subject deserves, owing to the narrow limits to which we are confined.

A professional man must keep up with his profession. He will sink in standing and influence in the community, and especially among his professional associates, if he allows himself to remain in ignorance of new discoveries and improvements, and adheres to exploded theories, false interpretations, erroneous sentiments, refuted arguments, with the self-complacency and assurance of an ostrich with her head in the grass. This is emphatically true of ministers of the Gospel. It is easy to detect, on a single Sabbath, whether the preacher is contentedly plodding his way in ignorance of the sacred exegesis and dogmatics of his own times. Since it has been discovered that selah in the Psalms, whatever it may signify, is nothing more grave than a musical point, it is quite ridiculous, even to a Sunday school child, to hear the reverend pastor, when reading the Psalms, repeat, with solemn and grave emphasis, the mysterious SELAH. And to the man of learning, who keeps pace with the advance of biblical knowledge, the rejected interpretations of former times reiterated from the pulpit, sound as painfully, if not so ludicrously, as the above example. It is also at a great sacrifice of power, that a Christian teacher neglects to acquaint himself with the new things which the learned are continually bringing forth from the treasury of the Bible. He is thoroughly furnished to his work, in proportion as he clearly apprehends sacred truth, in parts and as a system. His ignorance weakens him intrinsically, as well as relatively, by sinking him in public estimation. But where shall he apply for those new treasures of truth, but to the standard theological periodicals? He can neither purchase

nor read every new work in the va rious departments of his profession. But his theological Quarterly brings him the views contained in these volumes, and much original matter from the editors and correspond. ents, with the express design of putting him in possession, in the briefest manner, of every new suggestion that may fairly claim his consideration. It is not confined to any single branch of sacred science, but spreads abroad among the ministers of Christ, at short intervals, every thing new in dogmatics, in hermeneutics, in ecclesiastical history, in pastoral duty, which seems to the editors worthy of notice.

We have much more to say in recommendation of theological quarterlies, taking the one before us for a specimen, as the richest repositories of sound discussion to be found in our language. Other books are generally the productions of single. minds on a single subject. They are put forth on the author's sole responsibility, and usually without minute criticism and authoritative correction, by a competent hand. In a quarterly you will find the same topics treated of in a smaller compass, but with greater compactness, and equal fullness, at least with equal satisfaction to the reader. The author of the article is not alone responsible for the truth of its historical statements, for the soundness of its exegetical principles, for the correctness of its positions, sentiments and reasoning. The editors stand between him and the public. His views and method must have their approbation. This certainly is no feeble safeguard to the community against the publication of crude notions, of supersti tious whims, of wild speculations, of false statistics, such as disfigure the pages of many an author. Such a censorship of the press is of inesti. mable value. We have, therefore, in our country, few works in bibli cal criticism and interpretation, in

« 上一頁繼續 »