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THE BAPTIST BANNER.
BY DAYTON, ELLS & CO.
VOLUME IV.
• ©lie gapfet jßiuuur. . I
DEVOTED TO RELIGION AND LITERATURE,
Is published every Saturday, stt Atlanta, Georgia, at the
subscription price of four dollars per year.
DAYTON, ELLS.& CO.,
Proprietors.
A. C. DAYTON. JAS. N. ELLS. S. D NILES
OUR ONE LIFE.
’Tls not for man to trifle! Life la brief,
And ein is here.
Our age is but the falling of a leaf
A dropping tear.
We have no time to sport away the hours,
All must be earnest in a world like ours.
Not many Jives, but only one have we,
One, only one.
How sacred should that one life ever be,
'fhat narrow span!
Day alter day filled up with blessed toil,
Hour after hour still bringing in new spoil e
Our being Is no shadow of this air.
No vacant dream.
No fable of the things that never were,
But only seem.
’Tis full of m aning as of mystery, ,
Though strange and solemn may that meaning be.
Our sorrows are no phantom of the night,
No idle tale;
No cloud that floats along a sky of light
On summer gale.
They are the true realities of earth, .
Friends and companions even from our birth.
O life below ! how brief and poor and sad!
One heavy sigh.
O lite above! how long, how fair and glad !
An endless joy.
O to be done with* daily dying here ;
O to begin the living In yon sphere!
• i
O day of time, how dark ! O sky and earth,
How dull your hue!
O <liiy <>f Christ, how bright! O sky and earth,
Made fair and new ! ,
Come, better ?!den, with thy fresher green ;
Come brighter Salem, gladden all the scene!
[Dr. Donor. 1
I I |
mninmiYj
The quiet little hamlet of Greenvale lifts [
its one white spire between two rugged hills,
in the most puritanic county of . As. j
life flowed on an hundred > ears ago, so flows s
it now. No shrill steam whistle disturbs its
silent pastures, no puffing boilers scatter j
their mists over its pure blue river. As v
the doctor of long ago fed his patients on t
mercury, quenched their thirst with wine of 1
antimony, and strengthened them by draw- t
ing their life’s blood with the lancet, so does t
Dr. Bluepill treat the present dwellers in
the vale. The people themselves re ver- i
entially despise all innovations, whether in s
art or science. They still draw their water i
by a long sweep, with h huge stone attached i
to one end. They till their lands and gath
er their harvests just as their fathers ffid i
before them. Deacon Submiußrown thinks
that mowing-machines, hobse-rakes, and <
corn-shelters, are all devices of the adver- <
sary to overthrow the “Scriptures.’* “When<
man was cussed,’ says he, “ find arth cuss
ed for his sake, man was doomed henceafter
to arn his bread by the sweat of his brow.
Adam and his progenitors had to do it.—
But now,” he asks, “ if all the labor is to be
done by horses, steam, and water-power, I’d
like to know, is man goin’to sweat? And as
to these soen’-machines, why, if Paul could
ha’ foresaw them, I guess he’d a gin the
women folks a little more about bein’ ‘ keep
ers at home.’ Why, they won’t have nothin’
to do soon but gad the streets’ Well, these
things is contrary toScriptur, and ii C hris
tians join with infidels, they’ll soon make
the Bible a fable ; and all for what ? Why,
to save themselves a little work ’ Well,
well, this is a lazy generation, to be sure.”
Lightning-rods, too, were rejected with
holy indignation. “If,” asks one of’the
fathers, “ God chose to s4nd judgments by
fire from heaven, do you think our running
a wire to the chimney top will prevent him?
No, no, such like contrivances are defying
Providence, and ought to be frowned down
by the sons of men who came over in the
Mayflower." Ocean steamers were looked
upon as an experiment, for many years af
ter they became regular mail-carriers; and
when the President was lost, Deacon Sub
mit Brown said, “ 1 told you so ! Sarved
’em right for wantin’ to travel by fire, ’stead
of wind that was made a purpose!”
The parson of Greenvale knows how the
world wags, for ho goes every second or
third year to the modern Athens, three
hundred miles away ; but his business is
religion, and he keeps his own counsels on
all other subjects. Ihe ’Squire, also, and
the doctor, take secular papers; but as
they arc heretics in religion, their word
cannot b« trusted on worldly matters.
Some little time ago the ’Squire, a gen
erous man and worthy neighbor, died, and
his estate, the finest (n the region, was sold.
Great was the excitein* nt at the store and
the hearthstone, when it was known that “a
man from some*hers, w horn nobody knew,
was the purchaser, and was coming there to
live right among them ! And w>r*e than
all that, he was going to bring men with
him to prove the tradition that the tend was
rich in iron!’’ • •
Deacon Brown shook the snow troin his
manv-caped overcoat, hung Hon
customed peg. With an ominous face, he
took his seat in a circle gathered rftound the
•park ling fir* on hi» Sx»d haxrth. Silence
reigned, while every eye was Union him.
« Well, Deacon,” ventured Jqh>el Broad
acre. The worthy old man nev<r moved
A BSMSIOTO AO
I his eyes from the dancing flame, but only
I groaned aloud.
“ What is it, Submit ?” asked his help
meet, when, having knit into the middle of
Jier needle, she fixed them into her ball, and
prepared herself to hear the news with
which her liege-lord had returned freighted.
But she received no answer. At length the
old man’s little son, the Benjamin of his
family, nothing daunted by his solemn
manner, asked, “ Well, father, what do they
say about Mr. Lord ? Is he a clever man V
Has he got any boys ?”
Young Ben’s voice had the desired effect
of loosing the old man’s tongue. After
another deep groan he said, “Nobody will
say not hin’ evil of him, his men speak well
of him, bnt they arn their bread by him.
The Doctor says he’ll be an honor to
Greenvale, but he’s no judge, for he’s a
man of the world. But I’ve found out he’s ,
a bigot!”
“A. bigot! What’s that, father ?” asked I
Ben, with eyes dilated.
The old man was not in a mood to com
municate information. “ Bigot!” he retort
ed ; poor encouragement for me to pay fifty
cents for a dictionary and send you three
months to the ’cademy, if you ain’t larnt
.that much, Ben.”
“ You Ynean his religion,” suggested
neighbor Jaheil.
“ Yes, if there is any religion in bigotry,”
replied the Deacon. “If there’s anything
I hate, it’s a bigot. They’re always so eon
sated, and hang on so tight to their own
opinions.”
“ What does he call himself?” asked the J
old ntan’s meek-eyed daughter.
“A Baptist, child.” thundered out her'
father. “There ain’t any on ’em for fifty
miles round here, nor no other outlandish
religions. I had hoped to live in peace and
enjoy my own conscience the few remainin’,
days o’ my pilgrimage.” And the Deacon ’
put on the face of a persecuted martyr.
“ La, father, he won’t interfere with you ; 1
you may believeancl worship as you please,”
said Martha, encouragingly.
“ No, no, Matty, there’ll be no more .
peace here, after a rich man comes here
witlTnotioas of his own. These Baptizes
are as sot to their views as the sun in the
heavens ; and such awful views, too ! Why, 1
they think nobody’s right but themselves,
and want, all to b’lieve as they do.”
“ We all think ourselves right, father,”
replied Martha, “or we’d soon change our
sentiments; and if we see but one right
way, we ought tn desire everybody to walk
in it.”
“Why, Matty, is that you apologizing for
such folks? Why you was brought up as
well as your forefathers in the standin’ or-1
der, and ought to know that nobody is ex- 1
cuAable for not bein' brought up the same.—
Why, don’t you know they used to banish I
’em and imprison ’em to make ’em shut up ’
preaching puy thing (hat warn’t truth 1 That
wasn't right —I don’t justify the ignorance;
of them times. We ought to love our ene- 1
mies; but I’ll tell you, if I had my way I
wouldn’t sell any property to'’em, nor hire
’em to work nor have any deal in’s w ith’em
nohow; I’d bring ’em to terms. You ap-.
pologize for bigots, Matty ; but your poor
old father has stood strong on a p’int ’o
principle. When 1 was so drove with work
to do, I refused to take any help that;
would’nt come in to prayers. So no Cath
olics would live with me, and I lost a good
deal of hay that year ; but it was for con- ;
science sake! When I was a school-com
mittee, (!) I turned off a young woman
’cause she was u ’Piacopalian, and a young
feller that wanted the winter school, ’cause
I had heered that he was a Methodis’, and
would say ‘ Ame.ii,‘ w hen other folks was '
talkin’ in meetin.' They was all such
bigots!”
“ But, father,” said Martha, “ these peo
ple have consciences, and try to judge tor
themselves. IF? should think hard—if la '
boring in Catholic families—to be forced ,
to pray to the Virgin, and cross ourselves'
with holy water.”
“ Because we are right, child : but don't;
you see these are all wiong?”
The good girl forebore any further argu- j
ment, seeing it wa* of no avail.
Ben asked if the newcomers had any!
boys.
Boys? Yes, they’ve got a dozen, uigh|
about, and as they won’t be allowed to come j
to our meetin’ and Sunday School, they il
rove the streets and ruin our boys.”
“Perhaps he will let ’em come if we I
treat ’em civilly,” suggested an old man in
the corner.
“No he won’t,' replied Deacon.
“ The Baptizes are such bigots! Why, they
{don't believe our minister's a Christian, be
cahse he hain't been baptized their way.—
♦ They won’t baptize any but grown folks,;
' and yet they don’t believe any can enter
i i heaven till they’ve gone through the water,
i Now, vou see, that shuts the door to all in
» tents and little children. They believe
they’re all lost—tho' they’re slow to own it.
s Think ot that, mother, our poor little twins
that have been gone to dust these twenty
b five | ears, and your little Mary and Susan,
e Jehiel< ain’t it a horrid doctrine?”
•< "O, father drar,’ •said Martha, “you
. j mast be mistaken. They believe” — ,
I- j • “ Martha, shouted the old man, “ they’re
i I all bigots, and I don’t want to kfiow what
ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 1863.
HIS BANNER OVER US IS LOVE.
they believe. I hope hone of ydu will lis
ten to his arguments; the only safety is in
not knowin’’em. I shall soon be gone,”
continued the oppressed veteran, “ but stan’
by the faith, you that are young. I’ve sot
under my own vine and fig tree till I’m
most threescore and ten, w ith none to mo-!
test me or make me afeared ; but it’s all
over now. The very sight of this man, so
sot in his notions, will take all my comfort
away. ’ And the old pilgrim wiped the
great tears from his eyes.
The bigot came. The first Sabbath saw
him, his “ dozen boys, nigh about,” and his
men, at church; and strange to say, he
himself found a seat in good Deacon Brown’s
pew ! They sang from one book, joined in
one prayer, and at close of service actually
shook hands. Mr. Lord was a stranger,
and differed with the people there on so;ne
points; but he was their friend,
and united with them in all their efforts for
I the advancement of the 'cause of Christ.—
I His gentle, winning manner, won the hearts
of his new neighbors, and that while he
firmly stood his ground. His coming was
like the coming of Titus . to old Deacon
Brown, and sweet was the counsel they
took together, as the younger and stronger
led the faltering steps of the old man by
the green pastures and still waters of his
deeper experience. The good brethren at
Greenvale at length received him as a
brother beloved; and Deacon Submit
Brown said in his praise, £ He believes in
the same Ixjrd, the same faith, if not in the
same baptism.” Hp admits now that
; brother Lord is no big<>l. gh a decided
; Baptist, but has never suspected ihaf he
' himself is one.
O wad some power the git'tie gie ns, ,
To see ourselves as others see. uh.
THE RIGHT USE OF BLESSINGS.
TEMPORAL GIFTS,
winh for them canUonsly.
Ask for them suhmi-sively.
Want them contentedly. .
Obtain them honestly.
Accept them humbly.
Manage them prudently.
Employ them lawfully.
Impart them libera’lv,
Increase them virtuously.
Use them subserviently.
Forego hem easily.
Resign them willingly.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS. ■
Prize them inestimably,
Court them earnestly. •
Seek them diligently.
Ponder them frequently,
Wait for them patiently.
Expect them hopefully.
Receive them joyfully”.
Enjoy them thankfully.
Improve them carefully.
Reiam them watchfully.
Plead for them manfully.
Hold them dependently.
Grasp them eternally.
of Impressment-Condition of
our Currency, &e.
Washington, Ga., Aug. 12, 1863.
To the Editor of the Constitutionalist :
Sib;—l have read with interest, not un
mixed with pain, your editorial article of <
yesterday, on “Army Subsistence—lm
pressment.” 1 entirely concur in your enco
miums on our army in the field, and with the
inflexible purpose you announce to support
it there at all hazzards, and I cannot doubt
that we shall agree, generally, on the means
most proper for the accomplishment of such
a result so vital to the public safety. But
having a fixed conviction that this end can
not be attained by the impressment act
passed by the last session of Congress,- as
interpreted at Richmond and enforced in
Georgia, I deem it my duty to give my
reasons for this opinion to the public. I
think you are mistaken in the statement
that the Supreme Court of Georgia has de
cided thi.H act, as administered in Georgia,
to be constitutional. That tribunal certainly
'decided differently at Atlanta, during the
. last month, and 1 am not aware that the
‘question was ever submitted to it untilthat:
term of the Court. But however that may I
I be, the experience of mankind has demon
strated the impossibility of supporting ar
mies by such means, for any considerable
i length of time. In the winter of 1777-8,
!in a great emergency in onr affairs, the Con ■
tineutal Congress vested full powers for the I
j impressment of army supplies, in General
,VS ashington. After a very brief experi
ment of the policy, under the most urgent'
; necessity, he wrote to the President oft
(Congress, that unless some other and better
! means than impressnaer.ts could be found to
i supply his army, it must disband. You
j may find this tetter—written, I think, on ■
j the sth ot Aanuary, I<7S, and containing'
ihe strongest and most convincing reasons
iagainst the poftcy of impressment, even
j when prudently administered—in the fifth
i volume ot Sparks Life of V\ ashington.
I I rom Alexander the Great, down to our
:own times, all successful leaders of armies
‘have found it wise and necessarv,*even in
hostile countries, to pay fair market prio» s .
.• tor all needful army supplies. The usual’
and approved method has been to levy taxes
'forthat purpose upon the whole community,
(according to the methods to which they
■have Been accustomed, and with the money '
'thus raised, to purchase at market prices
• | such necessary supplies. ‘Both the object
; and the effect of the policy were to distriu-1
ute. the burthens of supporting the army
equally, and therefore equitably and justly
even among enemies. Can any govern
ment afford to be less justs to its own citi
zens ? Whenever it makes the attempt it
will finally reap discontent, disappointment
I and ruin. The impressment act rests upon
the fundamental error that the Government
has the right, and that it is sound policy to
impress commodities for the supply of the
army whenever it may determine that the
marjket price of such commodities is too
high.- This principle subverts the very
foundation of justice and private rights, and
ends in simple, naked spoliation —a spolia
tion, too, the more intolerable and unjustifia
ble, because it imposes a large and grossly
unequal share of the public burthens upon
the producers of army supplies to the ease
and favor of all other classes of society.
The policy not only inflicts great injus
tice and injury on. this class of citizens, but
the whole country, by thus discouraging
productions indispensable to the safety and
existence of the State itself. I am not aware
that any attempt has been made to fix the
prices by law or stationary machinery,
in England,'since the time of Edward 11,
about five hundred and fifty years ago.—
The result of this attempt was then so dis
astrous to society, and the folly of this and
kindred measures have been so often and
so convincingly demonstrated since that
time, that I really supposed, until our Con
gress passed the measure under considera
tion, that this exploded error was destined
no more to vex and harrass the human race,
at least wherever the English tongtte was
spoken. But,*alas !it seems to be decreed
by Providence that one generation shall
derive but small profit from the experience,
the sufferings, or the wisdom of its prede
cessors. Two very respectable, and I have
no doubt very honest gentlemen of this
State, acting under the authority of this law
have fixed the price of wheat in Georgia
at four dollars ppr bushel, payable in Con
federate Treasury Notes. This price is to
stand as a maximum until theic further
pleasure is made known. This is about one
half of the market price of that commodity
'in this Btate. To meet this state of things,
the Confederate officers charged with this
branch of the public service, have given
notice that they will seize upon all wheat
which may be sold to any other person but
a consumer at a higher price than four dol
lars, and appropriate it to >the public ser
vice.
The resplt of this arbitrary and illegal
policy, so tar, has been, that there being no
free bargaining between producer and pur
chaser, no wheat (or a very small quantity)
| has been sold, and flour has risen in our
large market towns to from fifty toseventy
dollars per barrel. This price of flour has
naturally raised the price of wheat in the
interior—thus defeating the very object
these astute officials had in view. Wheat
is a commodity which is incapable of mo-
I nopoly in this country. The means of its
production are open to all, and sufficient for
all, who prefer to make bread 'rather than
Jbuy it. Those engaged in its production
are too numerous, too widely scattered
over the country, with too great a variety
of conditions and wants, to make motiopoly
possible: therefore it may be merely left
to those natural laws which regulate prices;
and under these cnoditions it may be safely
assumed that its market price is the true,
certain, and only infallible test of “just
compensation” to its owners. If this be
true, whosoever seizes wheat for less than
that market price—no matter under what
pretence, or under what authority or color
of authority—violates justice and the con
stitution of the Confederate States, robs
labor of its rights, and inflicts a deep wound
upon society. Now is there the slightest
necessity for the commission of these crimes'?
The whole people prefer to sell this as well
as all other comodities to their Government
rather than to any other purchaser. Do
the Confederate officers pretend that the
people will not sell to them as cheaply as
to other purchasers ? No ! The sugges
tion is an insult to the people! Are not
the men in the army the fathers, husbands, I
brothers, sons, and friends of the people at
home? Are they not fighting in the de- j
i fence of our lives, liberties, property, and •
country, as well as their own? All know
and feel and appreciate these great facts,
and every loyal heart at home has made
, and is still ready to make every sacrifice
[ which affection and patriotism can demand,
to sustain the army and to uphold the
cause of the country. But the people do
not believe that they are supporting wisely I
and well the army or the cause of liberty •
and independence, by upholding an act of'
Congress which subverts equality an<J jus
tice, victates alike the rights of the soldier
and citizen, and the organic law of the land.
They prefer an equal and just and wise
sy stem for supporting the army and the
Government, to an unequal unjust and un- i
wise one. They desire that the necessary
and proper means for these purposes be rais- i
ed by fair and equal taxation U{k»n all class-.
es of citizens according to their ability to '
pay,and thafthe money thus raised shall be
(•honestly applied to the public service, and
, expended in th© purchase of army supplies
in open market. There is a growing habit
i among inconpetent public servants to drag
TERMS— Four Dollars a-year.
f “ the poor soldier” on the stage to conceal,
/ or to divert public attention from their own
- want of capacity or fidelity. It lies in the
-way of my argument to expose this trick
t in the present instance. This vicious sys
b tem works as cruel injustice to the soldier
as any other citizen of the country. A very
; large, number of the soldiers are farmers—
► a majority of the army being of that class
; —there are but few exempts among them.
Let us see how this act affects them.
■ A soldier in the army, by the care, at
tention and industry of his wife and chil
dren, (too young for military service)
makes one hundred and sixty'one bushels of
wheat; fifty bushels, under the law, is re
served for his family; he pays eleven bush
els, (omitting fractions) to the gatherer, and
puts the remaining one hundred bushels
upon the market, and is offered for it eight
dollars per bushel by one who wishes to
buy, in order to sell again. In steps the
Government officer and says to the purchas
er, “ I will seize that wheat and pay you but
four dollars per bushel for it, if you dare
to buy it at the market price.” What is
the effect of this proceeding upon the poor
soldier ? He has already paid his taxes,
(one tenth of the gross produce of the la
bor of his wife and children,) and is now
deprived of an additional four hundred dol
lars taken for the public use, over and above
his just proportion of the public burthens.
The benefit of these four hundred dollars
neither inures to him nor his comrades in
the army, for their rations of bread are not
increased a single ounce by the mode in
which the Government collects it. He was
ready and willing to sell his wheat to the
Government at the market price rather than
to any other person. The benefit neither
inures to him nor the Government, but re
lieves from that amount of taxation all oth
er tax payers, including those much abused
scapegoats —the speculators and extortion-
. ers.
The case of this soldier is the case of
• thousands and tens of thousands of other
■ soldiers who grow wheat, and the example
> demonstrates that these pretended friends
of the soldier, while, they praise, stijl plun
, der him in common with his class. I have
already pointed out the remedy, to-wit: —
i Equal taxation and fair purchases in open
: market. He that holds that the armies of
; the Republic can only be sustained by im
pressment, may as well make up his mind
to a speedy and disastrous close of the war.
I know it is not true, and I know that noth
1 ing but the obstinate folly of our rulers
• could continue this system for a single day
longer. The difficulty in supplying the ar
my wit;k bread consists neither in scarcity
nor high prices. We have an abundance of
corn —I use the word in its largest sense,
i including wheat, maize, oats, Ac., Ac., —and
it is cheap, cheap relatively and positively;
positively, because a bushel of corn can be
bought for less money in Georgia at this
time than at any other time within the last
quarter of a century; relatively, because
this is equally true of its exchangeable val
ue for all other commodities of general
consumption, foreign or domestic —one do)
lar will buy a bushel of wheat in any part
of the State where it is usually grown, and
any commodity which can be readily ex
changed for one dollar will buy it also; but
it takes eight or ten Confederate dollars to
perform this exchange —to buy one hun
dred cents in our standard money. And
here lies the great mystery, if mystery it
be, in the price of wheat and all commodi
ties —the depreciation of the currency.—
The stern truth ought to be spoken—we
cannot avoid dangers by shutting our eyes
to them. Let us look them fully in the
face—grapple with them—conquer them.
The task is now only difficult, not impossi
ble ; we have departed from sound princi
ples, we must return to them promptly, or
prepare to see our currency go out as that
of our fathers did in 1780, in the darkest
hour of their revolutionary struggle.
Lest this paper becomes too long, I w ill
defer the consideration of this part of my
subject untiLanother time.
R. TOOMBS.
Church Sittings.
The new free ehurch of St. Timothy,
i Liverpool, England, is, as an experiment,
! to be partially seated with chairs. The rea
sons assigned are, that “they effectually shut
out all possibility, as well as idea, of private
ownership of seats in the house of prayer,”
, that they set off to greater advantage the
internal architecture of the church, econo
mises space, protect from close contact,
and can be provided at one-third of the cost
lof benches, and kept in repair with less
■ expense.
The Snow Prayer.—“ Mother,” said a
little girl who had just come in from the
new-fallen snow, “ The snow is such a pure,
pure whitey that I could not help saying in
: my heart again and again, that little verse,
“ Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Oh, that is a sweet prayer. <Often, dear
‘ child, go alone and look to Jesus, who died
jto wash us from our sins, and say, “ W ash
me, wash me.”
He that can please nobody, is not so
much to be pitied as he than nobody can
please.
NUMBER 41.
