{"id":1250,"date":"2010-04-29T08:52:42","date_gmt":"2010-04-29T15:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2012-06-18T12:04:58","modified_gmt":"2012-06-18T12:04:58","slug":"dick-and-i-chapter-5-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/1250\/dick-and-i-chapter-5-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Dick and I, Chapter 5, 19th Century Unpublished Book by S. B. McKenney"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dick<\/a>
Dick and I by Samuel Bartow McKenney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This manuscript was written before 1881 by Samuel Bartow McKenney. In the transcription I’ve not changed spellings or punctuation unless I absolutely must for coherence. There were no periods in the manuscript and I have added those. My thanks to Allan McKenney for sending this along.<\/em><\/p>\n

Chapter V<\/strong><\/p>\n

——–In religion
\nWhat damned error, but some sober brow
\nWill bless it, and approve it with a text.
\nHiding the grossness with fair ornament?
\nThere is no vice so simple, but assumes
\nSome mark of virtue on his outward parts.<\/em>
\nMerchant of Venice <\/p>\n

So it is and the same thirst
\nFor something high and pure, above
\nThis withering world, which, from the first
\nMakes me drink deep of womans love
\nAs the one joy to Heaven most near
\nOf all our hearts can meet with here.<\/em>
\nMoore’s Aleiphron<\/p>\n

Alas the rarity of Christian Charity under the sun<\/em>
\nHood<\/p>\n

“Aw, what a, aw really splendid common Mistah Hughes preached
\ntoday. Aw, don’t you think so Miss Hope?” said Mr. Phineas Smythe.
\nMr. Smythe was one of the persons who find it impossible to
\narticulate the english.<\/p>\n

“I could not say, Mr. Smythe, as I was not present.”<\/p>\n

“Aw. Beg pardon. You missed a great treat and Miss Hope it was
\nreally delightful.”<\/p>\n

“What part,” asked Viva Joyce, “delighted you most Mr. Smythe?
\nAccount of the worship of the brazen Calf or the conversation of
\nthe animal Balaam rode?”<\/p>\n

“Aw, really,” said Smythe leveling his eye glass at her. “I – aw –
\ncound not say which pawt – I -aw – preferred.”<\/p>\n

“The sermon was a very able one,” said Adams, “and one by which we
\nall might profit. We seldom hear so fine a discourse here,” he
\ncontinued loud enough for Mr. Hughes to hear who was now
\napproaching.<\/p>\n

“Thank you Mr. Adams,” said the rector. “Praise from so competent a
\nJudge is appreciated as it deserves. I hope all present have
\nconsidered well the subject ‘Chose ye this day when ye shall
\nserve’ and decided like Joshua these friends,” he continued turning
\ntowards Rashboy and my self, “I trust have made the same wise
\nchoice. Have you chosen gentlemen whom ye shall serve?”<\/p>\n

“I have sir,” replied Rashboy.<\/p>\n

“Whom?”<\/p>\n

“Those who may be benefitted most by my service — mankind.”<\/p>\n

The rector regarded this almost sternley for a moment ere he
\nreplied.<\/p>\n

“And have you considered sir that you will not be benefitted by<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

such service; that in the end you will lose your soul unless you
\nserve God in spirit and truth.”<\/p>\n

“A service,” replied Rashboy, “that is prompted soley through selfish
\nmotives and for benefits that are to accrue only to ones self I
\napprehend is a sorry service at the best and will benefit neither
\nGod nor man.”<\/p>\n

“My young friend will you tell me how there can be any selfishness
\nin serving the Most High God.”<\/p>\n

“Does your serving God benefit him in anyway?”<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly not. God is all powerful and cannot be benefit by the
\nworks of men.”<\/p>\n

“Then why do you serve him?”<\/p>\n

“We are commanded to serve God and bear Him.”<\/p>\n

“And if you do not?”<\/p>\n

“We are lost.”<\/p>\n

“And if you do?”<\/p>\n

“We are saved.”<\/p>\n

“Then whom do you benefit by serving God?”<\/p>\n

“We obey Gods commands and save our souls.”<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly you work for selfish ends.”<\/p>\n

“But we are commanded by God to bring sinners to repentance and if
\nwe serve God truly we will save others as well as ourselves.”<\/p>\n

“Where you labor to serve others, if you do not do it simply to
\nsave your own Souls you bring yourself, on the same basis as
\nmyself, but if you endeavor to save others simply to save your own
\nsouls you work for selfish ends.”<\/p>\n

“Mr. Rashboy we should not bring in question the fitness of the
\ndirect commands of God. It is for him to order and for us to obey.”<\/p>\n

“But sir suppose my reason and nature rebells at what you claim to
\nknow the direct commands of God.”<\/p>\n

“We are by nature sinful and must bring our reason in subjection
\nto Gods word — the Holy Bible.”<\/p>\n

“Ay,” replied Dick. “Bring it in subjection to Gods word but without
\nmy reason how am I to tell which is Gods word. The Mohammeden tells
\nme that the Koran is Gods word. The Bramin tells me that the
\nBaghavat Geeta is Gods word and the Guebers or Fire worshippers
\nwill tell you that this Lenda Vesta are the word of God written by
\nthe divine Drmudz [sic] through his prophet Toroaster [sic]. There are others
\nwho will tell you that the record of Gods works is spread out
\nbefore us daily in the great book of nature wherein we all might
\nread would we but learn the language in which it is written. The<\/p>\n

– 14 –<\/p>\n

geologist finds a record of his deeds in characters that have
\nstood the rack of a million years. The astronomer reads of him in
\nthe myrads of worlds that wander darkling in the eternal space and
\nevery new star that is brought under the range of his telescope
\ntells its story of the greatness of God. The Botanist and
\nNaturalist read from different pages of the same God. Without my
\nreason how am I to distinguish among all thousand different faiths
\nthe true one since they all conflict. How I ask without my reason
\nam I to tell what is the word of God?”<\/p>\n

“This Holy Book is gods word sir,” said the rector laying his hand
\nupon the Bible.<\/p>\n

“I have your word for it sir as likewise I have the Mohammidans in
\nsaying that the same of the Koran what proof is there besides (—–)
\n assertion that you are right?”<\/p>\n

“Mr. Rashboy, I am disappointed in you and if you will allow me to
\nspeak plainly, you must indeed be very ignorant to be compelled to
\nask what proves that the Bible is the word of God.”<\/p>\n

A supressed laugh here followed in which all joined except the
\nBlanchards, Mr Hughes and myself and Miss Irene who appeared to be
\npained at her fathers rudness.<\/p>\n

“Aw, ignorant,” giggled Smythe. “Aw – really – ”<\/p>\n

“Oh dear!” whispered the deacons wife loud enough for all to hear.
\n“Oh dear! He must be an infidel! How dreadful!”<\/p>\n

“I really am ignorant,” said Rashboy calmly, “but since the proof I
\nasked is so apparent will you be kind enough to instruct me and
\ntell me what it is.”<\/p>\n

“What! Proof that the Holy Bible is the word of God,” exclaimed the
\nrector in a voice of thunder as he sprang to his feet, “what proof
\nsir. Proof so plain that a wayfaring man though a fool need not
\nerr therein. It is proof within its self. Every word of its sacred
\npages proclaims its truth and ( —– ) origin. It is to that Book
\nsir that we owe our prosperity and civilization both as
\nindividuals and as a nation. It has withstood the words of hell
\nborn infidel for hundreds of years and will stand for thousands of
\nyears to come. When will you find a book to equal it? Where is
\nthere a word between the lids of that Holy Book that is not devine
\nand true? Where is your heathen Bible that offers you the
\nsalvation this one does or teaches of as kind as loving and as
\nmerciful a God as this old Book? Answer me Sir.”<\/p>\n

“I will with pleasure,” said Rashboy, “and if you will listen to me
\nwith as much patience as I have to you with interest I shall feel
\nthankful. I am Sir, neither infidel nor scoffer but and pleas God
\nalways shall be an ernest seeker after truth. If a man present to
\nyou a note or mortgage incurrs the payment of a few hundred
\ndollars how carefully you examine every word and sentence to
\ndiscover if it be genuine or spurious. How much more carefully
\nshould you examine the writing of that book since on its veracity
\nyou claim, depends our future ( —- ) or woe forever. Let me
\nexamine it then not scoffingly but seriously – believing that if it
\nis of God and is truth all of mans reasoning that he can sin —– to
\nto bear against it instead of destroying will cause it to be more<\/p>\n

– 25 –<\/p>\n

fully established. On the first page we read an account of the
\ncreation (Gen 1) God it seems labored five days in creating this
\nearth and devoted only one day to the manufacture of the sun moon
\nand stars. All those countless millions of worlds that fill the
\nunfathonable infinity of space were told were made simply for
\nlights for the earth. Denton very pertinently asks what God was
\ndoing through all the eternity of the past before these wonders
\nwere created; which by the way has only been about six thousand
\nyears. Would the gentlemen be kind enough to answer it before I
\nproceed further?”<\/p>\n

“Your question is blaspemous sir,” replied the rector, “and does not concern us in the least.”<\/p>\n

“Excuse me Sir the question does concern us as we are seeking for the truth.
\nIt is certainly not an unimportent curosity to wish to know what
\nour God was doing before he had any worlds or any people to govern.
\nBut I will pass on. We are told man was created, the being for
\nwhom all these worlds were made. That he was free to do
\nwhatsoever he chose save that he eat not of the tree of knowledge,
\nwhich by the way was and still is very pleasant tasting fruit.
\nBut alas he did eat of the forbidden fruit and by so doing brought
\nsin and death misery into the world. Why did God forbid man to eat
\nof the tree of knowledge. Why has he given his reason and
\nintellegence and forbidden him to cultivate or use them.
\nFurthermore since God is all wise he knew that man would partake of
\nthe tree of forbidden fruit. And since he is infinite in goodness
\nand mercy why did he create a being when he knew he should curse
\nhim. (Gen 3 7 to 20) ‘Blessed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow
\nshalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life: Thorns also, and
\nthistles shall it bring forth to thee and then shalt eat the herbs
\nof the field In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread.’ God
\nknew that he would impose this curse on Adam before he created him
\nfor this book says (Is 48-30) ‘I have declared the former things
\nfrom the beginning and they went forth out of —- mouth and I
\nshowed them.’ Not alone on Adam and Eve did the curse fall but the
\nthousands of unborn children that were yet to people the earth
\nwere doomed to toil and death for something they could not help.
\nls that just?”<\/p>\n

“Adam was a free agent and ought to have obeyed Gods command and
\nlet the fruit alone” replied the rector.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how about the people unborn were they free moral agents too
\nand if Adam was free God knew he would eat the fruit and God was
\nto blaim for it for he made him himself and gave him —- and —-
\nand passion (Job). What one present having a family of beloved
\nchildren would set before them tempting fruits steeped in deadly
\npain if you knew they would eat the fruit and die. (Mat 7-9 to 11)
\n‘If ye being God knew how to give gifts unto your children how
\nmuch more shall your father who is in Heaven give Gods good gifts to
\n(another?)’ ask him. Man told that the lord put a flaming sword
\naround the tree of life for fear Adam and Eve might eat of that
\nand they would then have had him in a pretty pickle. Since he is
\nso good and merciful why did he not put the flaiming sword around
\nthe other tree the tree of death in the first place instead of
\nshutting off from his creations the only ( —– ) they had left by
\nputting it round the tree of life. But to proceed: We read that
\nafter ten generations mankind became wicked — will you tell me Mr.
\nHughs in what their wickedness consisted since no law had been<\/p>\n

– 26 –<\/p>\n

given and we are told in Romens 4 and 15 that where there is no
\nlaw there is no transgression.”<\/p>\n

Mr. Hughes vouchsafed no answer and Dick read from Gen 6-6. ‘It
\nrepenteth the Lord that he made man and it grieveth him at his
\nheart. And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created
\nboth man and beast and the creeping things and the fowls of the
\nair for it repenteth me that I have made them.<\/p>\n

“Should you read in any other book than the bible of a being who is
\nreputed to be all wise who had made such a bungling job of his
\nwork who failed on every hand in having them as he wished who got
\nsorry that he had created them at all and finally ended by hurling
\nman beast and fowl into eternity by one fell swoop — I say should
\nyou read of such a diety in any other book but the Bible you would
\nthrow the book down in disgust.<\/p>\n

“After the deluge had passed and Noah had disembarked from the Ark
\nwe are told that he offered up a burnt offering and as the fumes
\nof scorching bush and burning blood arose your bible says (Gen
\nVIII 21) ‘The Lord smelled a sweet savor and the Lord said in his
\nmind – I will not again curse the ground any more for thy sake’.”<\/p>\n

“Oh dear what a dreadful man,” croacked Mrs. Whipple.
\n“Aw – really – I – aw —-”<\/p>\n

“One more instance. Mr. Hughes in answer to your question and I am
\ndone. One more instance of the boasting Justice and mercy of the
\nGod of the Bible. I refer to the slaughter of the first born in
\nEgypt.<\/p>\n

“Plagues had been sent up on the Egyptians without numbar and (Ex
\n3-20) ‘The Lord hardened Phoroahs heart that he might stretch out
\nhis hand and smite Egypt.’ And for the misdeeds of this king this
\none man whose heart God had hardened thousands upon thousands of
\nlittle children were sacraficed. Let me read you a few verses from
\nthe twelfth chapter of Ex. ‘And it came to pass at midnight the
\nLord smote all the first born in the land of Egypt from the first
\nborn of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first born of the
\ncaptive that was in the dungon and the first born of all the
\ncattle. And there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not a
\nhouse where there was not one dead.’ There stood the poor widow
\nwith clasped hands by the bedside of her only son; that son to
\nwhom she fondly looked for solace and comfort in her old age,
\nstood and watched the poor boy as he vainly stretched out his cold
\nhand for help toward his mother. Watched with bated breath the
\nfilm of death come over those glazed eyes that were turned so
\npiteously towards his mother. Watched her last earthly comfort
\npass away into the dim realms of the misty lands of shadows. Let
\nus leave her alone with her dead and pass on.<\/p>\n

“There was the silent choking grief of the father the wild wail of
\nthe stricken mother as they stood helplessly by and gazed on the
\nsuffering and death struggles of their bright child. Saw the
\npalor of death creep into the cheeks that were rosett with the
\nhues of health but a few hours before and saw the death dew
\nsitting under those clustering ( —– ). The little form that had
\nbeen so full of promise and happiness to them; the little arms that
\nwere wont to entwine their necks in a loving embrace when the good<\/p>\n

– 27 –<\/p>\n

nights were given was now suffering in death and well might the
\nmother exclaim, ‘What hath he done, My unweaned son to move Jehovahs
\nwrath?’<\/p>\n

“And your loving murderouse God come out with his hands steaming
\nand reeking with the blood of innocents and willingly exclaims, ‘I
\nam a God of war.’ This is the God you tell me I must serve and
\nlove with my whole heart mind and strength or be damned. I had
\nrather be damned a thousand fold than debase my nature by loving
\nsuch a monster.”<\/p>\n

“So had I,” exclaimed Irene Hughs her eyes flashing with the
\nintensity of her excitment and obhorrance.<\/p>\n

“Silence girl,” exclaimed her father who had been pacing the floor
\nlike an enraged lion. “I had rather see you dead than like that
\ndouble dyed infidel yonder.<\/p>\n

“Sir,” he continued leaning toward Rashboy, “A man that will
\nblaspheme God as you have done today deserves death.
\nSuch a man should not be allowed to remain at
\nlarge and influence others.”<\/p>\n

“I have said nothing against the supreme being. On the contrary I
\nrevere him too much to believe him the supreme diety spoken of in
\nthe Bible,” replied Rashboy.<\/p>\n

“To breathe the same air with such as you were contaminating,”
\nexclaimed the enraged minister. “Come Girl,” he contenued ( —– )
\nhis daughter “Let us go home.” <\/p>\n

“Alas the rarity of Christian Charity under the sun,” replied Irene.
\n“You called on the gentleman for his opinion and now condemed him
\nbecause he gave it.”<\/p>\n

“I do not comdemn him for stating his opinion but for holding such
\nopinions and daring to speak of God as he has done.”<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not leave the field in possession of your enemy,” said Mr.
\nBlanchard smiling, “or he will look as though you were defeated.
\nBesides it is your duty to wrestle with all sorts of disbelief and
\nestablish the true faith.”<\/p>\n

“It is strange,” said Rashboy quietly, “that Christians the followers
\nof that Christ who they claim brought a religeon of love and
\nCharity should be the most mechanel of all people under the sun
\nand insist not only in damning a man, for his disbelief, hereafter
\nbut would sacrafice him here were it possible. You have endeavored
\nto show how the Bible has benefitted mankind how it is the great
\ncivilizer and has brought Peace on Earth and good will toward men.
\nChrist himself says in Mathew 34 & et, ‘Think not I send peace on earth;
\nI came not to send peace but a Sword. For I am come to set a man at variance
\nagainst his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in law
\nagainst the mother in law’.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I tell you sir,” exclaimed the rector turning upon him, “that your
\nlife would not be safe today were it not for that bible. You would
\nbe liable to be murdered at any time.”<\/p>\n

“And would be as it is,” said Dick laughing, \u201chad the Christians
\nthere sway. If I may judge from what one of their ministers said a
\nfew moments since.”<\/p>\n

– 28 –<\/p>\n

“Where is there a book that has done as much toward civilizing the
\nworld tell me that?\u201d<\/p>\n

“There was a time during the middle ages when the Church ruled all
\nthe Civilized(?) nations of Europe and since it had absolute power
\nit had vast opportunity of doing good – Mark the legend.<\/p>\n

“Then,” says Ingersole, ‘the sword of the church was unsheathed and
\nthe world was at the mercy of ignorant and infuriated priests
\nwhose eyes feasted on the agonies they inflicted. Acting as they
\nbelieved or pretended to believe under the command of God!
\nStimulated by the hope of infinite reward in another world haling
\nherectics with every drop of their vestial blood savage beyond
\nconception these infamous smiats in a kind of frenzied joy, leaped
\nupon the helpless victims of their age. They crushed their bones
\nin iron boots; tore their (—–) flesh with iron hooks and
\npincers cut off their lips and eyelids; pulled out their nails and
\ninto the bleeding quick thrust needles; tore out their organs;
\nextinguished their eyes; stretched them upon racks flayed them
\nalive; crucified them with their heads downward; exposed them to
\nwild beasts; burned them at the stake; mocked their cries and
\ngroans; ravished their wives; robbed their children and then
\nprayed God to finish the holy work in hell. Millions upon millions
\nwere sacraficed upon the alters of bigatry. The Catholics burned
\nthe Lutherans. The Lutheran burned the Catholics. The episcopalian
\ntortured the Presbyterian and the Presbyterian\u2018tortured the
\nEpiscopalian. Every denomination killed all it could of every
\nother and each Christian felt in duty bound to exterminate every
\nother Christian who denied the smallest practice of his creed.
\nThey have imprisoned and murdered each other and the wives and
\nchildren of each other. In the name of God every possible curse
\nhas been committed. Every conceivable outrage has been perpetrated.
\nBrave men tender and loving women beautiful girls and prattling
\nbabes have been exterminated in the name of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

“For more than fifty generations the church has carried the black
\nflag. Her vengence has been measured only by her power. During all
\nthese years of infancy no herectic has ever been forgiven. <\/p>\n

“With the heart of a fiend she has hated with the clutch of
\naverice she has grasped with the jaws of a dragon she had
\ndevoured; petitless as famine merciless as fire with the
\nconscience of a serpent. Such is the history of the Church of God
\nSuch is your civilizer.<\/p>\n

“And you ask me what has done as much toward bettering the
\ncondition of many as the book from which all their black hearted
\nfiends recind sanction and instruction for their murderers.<\/p>\n

“The day will come,” said the rector solomnly, “when your are laid
\nupon a bed of death when you like Paine will recount all this and
\ndie forsaken by God and dispised by man.”<\/p>\n

“How many ministers have I heard say, without a thing to warrant
\nthe assertion, that, Paine died forsaken by God and man. Where they
\nget their foundation for such statements I have never been able to
\nlearn since all history on the subject state the reverse. But
\nsuppose Paine had died. So what then was there not another who
\nwhen in the agony of death was upon him turned his glazing eyes to
\nHeaven and exclaimed, ‘My God! MY God! why hast thou forsaken me?'”<\/p>\n

– 29 –<\/p>\n

The dinner bell put a stop to further discussion and I was not
\nsorry for I greatly feared Rashboy was making enemies by
\nexpressing his views so fearlessly and plainly.<\/p>\n

“Mr. Nathans will you give your arm to my daughter Hope. Mr Rashboy
\nplease show that you entertain no anamosity to your late
\nantagonist by taking his daughter down to dinner. Mr Etheridge I
\nsee hes already appropriated my younger daughter. Mr Adams please
\ntake charge of Miss Mayer and Smythe I resign you to the tender
\nmercies of Miss Joyce. Mrs Whipple permit me to act as your
\nescort,” said the gallent old gentleman and thus we all descended
\nto the dinning room and soon found our selves seated to a
\nsubstancial dinner.<\/p>\n

Go to Table of Contents for “Dick and I”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This manuscript was written before 1881 by Samuel Bartow McKenney. In the transcription I’ve not changed spellings or punctuation unless I absolutely must for coherence. There were no periods in the manuscript and I have added those. My thanks to Allan McKenney for sending this along. Chapter V ——–In religion What damned error, but some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[192,686],"class_list":["post-1250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mckenney-family","category-uncategorized","tag-dick-and-i","tag-samuel-bartow-mckenney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evermore.imagedjinn.com\/blg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}