CHRISTIAN EFFORT IN HISTORY.

Evening Star, Issue 12625, 3 October 1905, Page 2

CHRISTIAN EFFORT IN HISTORY.

TO 188 BDITOa. ~ir—The letter in .vour Friday's usuc claims to ba a reply to my previous letter oa Labor and tha Church." " Justice truches on only one pcirrt in too letter, and whilst suggesting that I should be lynched for writing in such a strain, practically coufiims tha trrth of my original statements. In my previous letter I stated " the strongest cr-poaitionthe reformers met with came from elurgymen vlio maintained that tha traflic in human lifo wag sanctioned by Scripture." "Justice" admiU the truth of this by statin- "No doubt there were clergymen who stoutly defanded the traffic from platform • i«l pulpit'; but, of coarse, like many other writers, he. takes up the position that, whilst I hrUiiruuHty should be credited with all the •jM'id, it should not be debited with the evils \'c■■ Church has wrought. "Justice" further H.i-uits that "be is awiux that the Church in t,. ono days was not always on the side of i.'-'1,1." I am pleased my critic reeogniHes tJU and ho will therefore be prepared to :;diiiit 1 hat the men who opposed the Church v. Li'.». it, was wrong are men to be admired, ai.il :hcso ore tha men he would, no doubt, t tny class as "infidels." But to return to 1 iio question of slavery in America. In the s.ii-i: of admissions made by "Justine," there i' not much need for farther eomxuent on tiie subject. "Justice" does not dispute my iurther statemjnt that many of the workers i.i the cause of freedom were not attached to, and in some cases opposed to, tibe Church. If be recognises this as correct, b»w does he reconcile it with the contention that Christianity was the sole cause of the freeing of the glares. J have not suggested, and do not intend to suggest, that then were not Christian workers in the causa of freedom —I (•->uld name many more than " Justice" has done—but I do say that we find them fightiiut sido by side with men opposed to the Church in the common caose of humanity and freedom. Let " Justice" be reasonable, and admit that tha "spirit of Christianity" has not been the sole cause in the uplifting o? humanity. 1 can assure "JFirstioe" that History is not unknown to me, but there are other works dealing more fully with the question from the point of view under discussion. Remaburg, in his book 'The Bible,' states: "The Fugitive Slave Law derived its authority from the New Testament. Pan! had established a precedent in returning a fugitive slave to his master." He deals largely with the influence Bibleteaching had on the question of slavery in America, and gives several quotations from surmooa preached on the subject, but spaco forbids going fully into same, and I will merely give two instances. The Rev. Ales. Campbell stated: "There is not one verse in the Bible prohibiting slavery, but many regulating H, It is not, therefore, we conclude, immoral." The Eev. Crawder, Methodist minister, of Virginia, stated: ""Slavery is not only countenanced, permitted, and regulated by the Bible, but it was positively instituted, by God Himself. 9 I could quote many other instances, but perhaps " Justjfce " w£H read the book for himself. Kenan has also written thai it is surprising that the Kble does not by one word prohibit slavery. Li conclusion, let mo state that t have not endeavored to chum for rationalism tha credit of the emancipation of the negroes; such a claim would be quite as tzrreasonahla as that made on behalf of Christianity. But I do deny thai we hove Christianity akme to thank for all U» reforms and advances wbieh hays been brought about during the past century. I am prapared to grant the Church and Christfanrty full credit to* what she has done, but J also give credit to the many who, whilst opposed to tha Church and Christianity, have, sacrificed their lives for the sake of humanity. Honor to whom honor is due should he the motto of a person signing himself "Justice." Perhaps if u Justice " has a little time to spare, he will reply to the otijejr points contained in my previous tetter, and which have all a bearing on the subject ' Christian Effort in Hrstanr.'—l am, etc., H.BL October 2.