p. 133 | An Explanation by C. E. Barnes

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 24, 1878

An Explanation.

By C. E. Barnes

Editor Review and Herald,—In your issue of the 17th inst., you call my name to the attention of your readers by criticising a statement of mine with reference to the size of the A. C. Publication Society of Boston. Will you permit me to say through your paper, as an act of justice to your society and to myself, that I admit the propriety of your correction of my statement, for which I ought to, and hereby do, apologize. I desire also to add, with your permission, that the sentence criticised by you was only incidental, not being a material part of my letter to the Boston Traveler, and was not intended to belittle your society. The letter I wrote hastily, and when I made the statement as to the size of this society, I had in my mind the many factions into which the Adventist body is unhappily divided, that part at least not agreeing with your Sabbath views, and had not your society in my thought at all. You may say I should have considered it. I admit it; but can only say that through sheer inadvertance I failed to do so. I make no excuse other than that, and hence, as above, accept your correction and tender my apology.

Your intimation that my statement was made because I think this society “is about all there is of this world” is quite far removed from the truth, as is also your other suggestion that I do “not recognize the Seventh-day Adventists as belonging to the Adventist body.” My recognition of any body is not of much consequence; but I would say that I do recognize the Seventh-day Adventists as an active, zealous, and intelligent part of the Adventist body, whose work, I believe, in more ways than one, is worthy of high commendation. My fault which you criticise did not grow out of the mean circumstances which you intimate, but simply through inadvertence. I have no complaint to make of your criticism, if you will accept this as a suitable apology, and will relieve me from the unworthy motives suggested by you.

With fellowship for all good works, and charity in all honest differences of opinion, I remain

Respectfully yours, C. E. BARNES.

Boston, Mass., Oct. 17.

NOTE.—The criticism to which Eld. Barnes refers in the foregoing was not designed to call out an apology from him or any other one; but as he has written the frank statement that he has, he is entitled to be heard. We are happy to state that on one point he entirely misapprehends the intent and spirit of our remarks. What we said about “the Hub” and “running into the feeling so prevalent in that vicinity that that is about all there is of this world,” had no reference to Eld. B. personally, nor to the Crisis office in particular, but was written in allusion to the pleasantries so freely indulged in throughout the country in regard to the estimate which Boston society in general puts upon itself. And we can assure him that no statement of the article was set down with any unfriendliness of feeling.—Ed.