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THE COUNTRYMAN.
BY J. A. TURNER.
—“brevity is the soul of wit”
$3 A YEAR.
YOL. YI.
TURNWOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA., TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1863.
NO. 1.
Communion.
The Christian Index contains the fol
lowing paragraph :
“A writer in one of our exchanges says,
‘During a discussion on the administration
of the Lord’s supper, among the chaplains
of a corps of the Army of Northern Vir
ginia, an Episcopalian of the High (and
Dry) church school, expressed the opinion
that under the circumstances no Christian
man would refuse to meet Christians of eve
ry name around the table of their common
redemption ! A Baptist responded that as
‘ charity ’ and ‘ catholicity ’ seemed to be
the ruling spirit of the meeting, he felt in
clined to propose that he should himself
appoint a communion season in this regi
ment, and that his Episcopal brother should
attend,and receive the elements at his hands!
This was a requirement of mutual conces
sion ; for High Churchism confers author
ity to administer the ordinance, and dis
pense the elements, only on ministers who
have been couseciated by bishops, as suc
cessors of the apostles. The proposition
was not accepted ; a significant smile ran
round the assembly of chaplains, and the
subject was dismissed.”
The Episcopalian was guilty of as much
folly as the Baptist, and the Baptist of as
much nonsense as the Episcopalian. One
believes you have no right to go the Lord’s
table unless you have been soused under
the water, by a priest who has himself
been soused by another priest, and the
sousings must perchance be in regular suc
cession clear up to John the Baptist. The
other believes you can’t commune unless
a priest rubs his hand over your head, and
that priest must have had his head rubbed
by another priest whose head has been
rubbed, and so on, clear up to St. Petei,
who must have done the first rubbing. We
think it would take all the water that the
Baptists make so much fuss about, and all
• the rubbing that the Episcopalians make
so much fuss about, to wash away the sin
of thrusting so many barriers of mere for
mality between man and his Maker. We
have the water denomination, and the rub
bing denomination, and, now, if we had
a soap denomination, the symbols of the
three might possibly cleanse the guilt of
those who substitute the form for the spirit
of Christianity.
It is very stupid for an Episcopalian
who does not feel justified in receiving the
Lord’s supper from a minister “out of the
regular succession,” to find fault with a
Baptist on account of close communion ;
for he is as much of a close communionist
as the Baptist is. And it is very stupid
for a Baptist who does not believe in being
“ baptized ” by one who has not himself
been “baptized,” to find fault v'ith an Epis
copalian for believing in. “Apostolic succes
sion.” One believes in “Apostolic succes
sion ’’ just as much as the other. The on
ly difference between them is, that one be
lieves that that “succession” has come
through water, and the other that it has
como through somebody’s hands. We be
lieve we would prefer the water : for that
does get clear and pure sometimes : but all
ocean’s waves couldn’t wash the stain of
murder and blood off of some of the hands
through which it is alleged “Apostolic suc
cession ” has come down to us—particular
ly those of Cranmer, the English Protes
tant head of Episcopacy. The running
stream of water can be made pure and un
defiled : but the stream of “Apostolic suc
cession ” that flows through the hands of
Henry VIII.’s corrupt courtiers, minions,
and murderers—never!
There is another point we make. Here
was a set of chaplains, receiving pay (for
they don’t work without pay—rightly—)
sent to the army, or who went to the army
to administer the comforts and consolations
of religion to the soldiers. One of two
things is clear : either their “ High-church-
ism’’and their “baptism” were of some
importance, or of no importance.
1. —If they were of any importance to
the salvation of the soldiers’ souls, they
ought to have settled down upon what
was necessary for the poor soldiers’ salva
tion before they went into the army, or
else they ought not to have pretended to
act in conjunction. If only one thing was
necessary, they should have agreed which,
that was, and have taught it. If both
were necessary, they should have taught
them conjointly, or divided the labors and
let one teach “ High-churchism ” and the
other “ baptism.”
2. —But if these things wero of no im
portance, jointly nor severally, then the
chaplains should not have thrust them up
on the army, nor engaged in the very
amiable and chaplain-like task of seeing
which could get up a “significant smile ”
at the expense of the other. Their object
should have been, not to ridicule and sneer
at each other, but rightly to 'divide the
word of truth. But their hearers might
very properly have said, “ First determine
among yourselves what the truth is, and
then we \vill hear you.” If the object of
the chaplains appear to be to see which
can get the grin on the other, they need
not be surprised to see “ a significant smile
pass round the assembly ” of “worldlings”
at the expense of both, and the “ subject
dismissed,” as unworthy the consideration
which the pugnacious parsons bestow upon
it.
Physiological Facts.
“The following physiological facts were
translated from a French scientific journal:
The average height of man and woman,
at birth, is 16 inches. In each of the 12
years after birth, one twelfth is added to
the stature each year. Between the age of
12 and 20 the growth of the body is slow
er ; and it is still further diminished after
tins, up to 25, the period of a maximum
growth.
In old age, the height of the body dim
inishes on the average about 3 inches. The
height of a woman varies less than that of
a man m different countries. The aver
age weight of a male infant is about 7 lbs.;
of a female, about 6J lbs! The weight of
an infant decreases a few days after its
birth, till it is a week old. At the end of
the first year, the child is 3 times as heavy
as when it is born. At the age of 7 years,
it is twice as heavy as when a year old.
The average weight of both sexes at 12 is
nearly the same ; after that period, females
will be found to weigh less than males.—
The average weight of men is 130 lbs., and
of women 112 lbs. In the case of individ
uals of both sexes, under 4 feet, 4 inches,
females are somewhat heavier than men,
and vice versa. Men attain their maxi
mum weight at about 40, and women at or
near 50. At 60, both sexes usually com
mence losing weight, so that the average
weight of old persons, men and women, is
nearly the same as at 19.”
White Vinegar.—“Put into a cask a
mixture composed of five gallons of water,
two gallons of whiskey, and a quart of yeast,
stirring in two pounds of powdered char
coal- Place it where it will ferment prop
erly, leaving the bung loose till the ferment
ation is over, but coveriug the hole slightly
to keep out the dust and insects. At the
end of four months diaw it off, and you
will have a fine vinegar as clear and color
less, as water.”
