"Those Naughty Methodists—Just like Them."

A Presbyterian minister, writing to one of his own newspapers, published in the North-West, has this to say about Union Sunday Schools: "I have yet to learn of one Union Sunday-School, which our Methodist friends have not forced into a Methodist School, by order of the Presiding Elders, who are reported as working under orders from the Bishops."

We beg our long-suffering Methodist reader to keep calm, while we try, by way of improvement of the subject, to comment on this fruitful text. We confess to having received some amusement and instruction from it. There is nothing specially new or original there. It is just what we see irregularly, or more strictly, regularly now and then, in all the religious newspapers of the land. We Methodists are firmly convinced, that if our principles would allow us to proselyte like some other churches "which we could name," we could make a good thing out of these Union Schools, which our less scrupulous neighbors are using, to enrich themselves at our expense. Our Baptist friends declare that if they could stoop to partisan warfare, like their neighbors, they could get large accessions from the Union Schools, in which many lawful prizes are snatched from their unresisting grasp. And here now, is a wail of distress from a Presbyterian brother, who sees the fine harvest gathered from Union Schools by these wily Methodists, with their remorseless "Bishops," large and small.

All this goes far, Mr. Editor, to prove to my satisfaction, that Union Schools, in many places, are doing a good work, and should be supported by all Christians in communities which need them. There are some in all the churches, who do not appreciate these Schools, or their results. A Union School is a means of grace and usefulness, which some cannot attain to. There are others in our churches, who do know their worth, and feel it a duty and privilege to start them, and work contentedly in them where the circumstances seem to call for that especial form of aggressive Christian work. Some good men have felt authorized to say that Union Schools are the curse of the country. If Huxley or Herbert Spencer should say that a community would be cursed, in which Christian men and women should gather a few children together, and teach them the great, general truths, doctrines, and facts, of the Bible—it is possible some uncharitable persons might call that bad, infidel talk. But good men, in their zeal and haste may say so, and it must pass without protest!

It is often said the teaching in such schools must be "colorless," "diluted," &c. Not so. The truths of Christianity, as held in common by several leading Protestant churches, form a body of Christian truth, which has positive shape and power. Try an experiment if you doubt this. Take any work published by any one of the leading protestant churches, let it be a commentary, a series of catechisms, or a religious book for general reading. Draw your pen over every sentence, which is peculiarly, and distinctly, characteristic of the Church which has issued the work. You will probably make two discoveries. The size of the book, its literal, physical dimensions, has not been seriously lessened. And what you have left, is more important than what you have stricken out. Or, take a file of the Southern Christian Advocate, from its first number up to date, and subject it to the above process, and you will find the result the same.

Not a few of the best books, published by any denominational publishing house, are written by those of other churches. This is right. The books are good. No one church ever had, or ever will have, a monopoly of the power to write effective books. And these books which are found on the shelves of all religious publishers, are not colorless, or diluted. They are positive, vital, Christian truth. When a conference or synod, meets in session, and all the various pulpits in the community, are filled by preachers of one school, is the ministry colorless—no power in it to warm the bad, reclaim the erring, or strengthen saints?

I have no fear that this nation will ever be given over to anarchy or violence, because the masses are not drilled in any denominational peculiarities. But I do fear, that Heaven's just punishment may fall upon us, because the great elementary laws of God, written in his word so that all may read them, are not obeyed.

I am no agent for any union enterprise. I am not a teacher in any Union School. It is not probable that I ever will be. There are many dark spots in our land, in any of which, if providence should cast my lot, I should construe it into an intimation, that a Christian effort should be made to teach the ignorant.

At a gathering of Christians in Scotland, a few years ago, a French Protestant was surprised at the number and kind of questions which were dividing the Christians. "I find you," said he, "debating whether you should wear gowns. In France, we are debating whether there is any God."