A Little too Fast by Uriah Smith

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 16, 1864

A Little too Fast.

By Uriah Smith

BRO. WHITE: Seeing I wrote to you a little over two weeks ago, and two copies of the Review have come to hand since, and not the least notice taken to my communication, either by letter or in the Review, I feel like again calling your attention to the subject, and would say I care not to have the letter published, but would like the article should be; but should it contain anything to conflict with your faith, please find enclosed stamps for its return immediately, as I have a press here now at my disposal for any publication that I want, and would further say if the columns of the Review are closed against us, please send bill immediately, as I shall not consider myself a subscriber, from my notice of this date. I trust I shall meet with common courtesy, if Christian fraternity is denied me.

P. E. ARMSTRONG.

Celesta, Pa.

P. S. The arm of flesh will be found too short to arrest or frustrate the work of God. Our faith in God is about to be committed to the world in so tangible and definite a form that there will be no room for imposture. We have received a second letter from the War Department at Washington, and there is an evident quailing before the truth of God, and we feel the stone is evidently about to smite the image.

P. E. A.

REMARKS.

We are well aware that we are living in a very fast age of the world. Steam and electricity are brought in as mighty agents to hurry events to their accomplishment. But there is such a thing as being in too much of a hurry even for this fast age; and the worst of all is to get into a religious hurry. Only a little over two weeks elapsed, it seems, after our friend wrote us, before he wrote again; and because in that time he had not heard from us, and his article did not appear in the first or second number of the Review received from the date of his letter, he sets it down that "Christian fraternity" at any rate is denied him, and probably "common courtesy."

A few considerations might have saved him from coming to such a rapid conclusion: 1. Unless the route is very direct, and mail facilities abundant, letters from a distance are frequently nearly two weeks in reaching this Office. 2. When matter comes in for publication, either articles or communications, unless there is a special call for such matter, the articles are generally one or two, and sometimes more, weeks in finding a place in the paper. 3. After an article is put into the paper, it will probably take the paper longer to reach the subscriber, than it did his letter to reach us. 4. When a letter is received, either from our friend in Pa., or any one else, the business of the institution is not thereby immediately suspended till decision is passed upon it; but all things go on as usual, and in its proper order it comes under examination, and is disposed of as promptly, and as satisfactorily to the writer, as possible. All these causes of delay should be considered, and all exhausted, before we can justly be accused of any violation of Christian fraternity or common courtesy. And 5. If for what we consider good reasons, we decline to publish all that everybody may send in, we hold that that is no breach of Christianity or courtesy, and that none but the bigot will consider it such. But 6. The article our friend refers to has not been received, which is another item to be sometimes taken into the account, and which certainly in this case leaves little room for complaint.

He further states, "If the columns of the Review are closed against us," &c., he shall not consider himself a subscriber any longer. We can hardly tell whether the Review is closed against him or not, till we know what he has to offer for its columns. But there is a principle involved in the above which we wish to consider. What kind of an idea he has of the obligations we are under to him on account of his subscribing for the Review, we do not know. If, however, he thinks that for two dollars a year we bind ourselves to advertise

for him any and every notion that fanaticism may conceive, or a mistaken religious zeal write out, and send him the paper besides, he altogether mistakes the agreement. Such is not the nature of the contract between publishers and subscribers. And as to publishing everything that is sent in, we have somehow got the idea that the very design of having an editor was that matter for publication might be sifted, that such portions as were indifferent or worthless might be rejected, and only the good, so far as he was able to judge, be allowed to appear. But if he is granted no discretion in this respect, and everything that is sent in is to be published without exception, then what the office of a religious paper needs, is not so much an editor, as a great hopper, into which everything may be thrown and thus ground out into indiscriminate chowder. If it will help the feelings of our friend any in regard to his imaginary rights and privileges, we can state that only about half of what comes to this Office is found suitable for publication.

We cannot close without some allusion to the singular postscript attached to the letter. From anything that has been given we are not able to judge of the position of the writer, his views, or the particular stripe of fanaticism which he is wearing. That he is infested by something of the kind, is sufficiently attested by the mysterious allusion to the War Department of this government, and their quailing before the power of truth. We strongly suspect that some course is being pursued which will bring disgrace upon himself, and reproach upon the cause of truth, provided he is sufficiently identified with it to be mistaken for one of its friends.

His "bill" which he calls for is but little, only 40 cts., which we cancel, and he is at liberty to retire from the list whenever he chooses, and so are all others who are cherishing a similar spirit, or entertaining like ideas of their rights and our obligations.

If any who are inclined to imbibe the fast spirit of this age, shall be induced by this perusal to exercise a little more patience, or any who may think that they have brought us under infinite obligations to them by subscribing for the Review, be led to correct their ideas on this point, the object of the publication of this letter and remarks will be accomplished.