Some Editorial Charity
The editor of the Gospel Advocate has twice within the month departed from his customary impeccability to take an editorial swing at us, which quite naturally provokes a reply. This is a free country and we are in favor of editorial swings by anybody who feels the urge to swing and feels capable of taking the consequences.
The brother's effort to be "charitable" in dealing with us is--most touching, and we should, I presume be duly appreciative. Some of the readers of the Gospel Advocate have probably learned for the first time that somebody has been challenged for a debate and in an effort to evade it have resorted to a "dodge" which "is a very lame excuse, a mere subterfuge." This is "the most charitable thing that" the editor can think to say about it. What are we to suppose he could say were he to lay aside his cloak of charity?
Brother Goodpasture speaks vaguely of "the issuer of the challenge" and has some "charitable" remarks to make about the "lame" antics of the challenged. Under the circumstances, it seems to me that the public is entitled to some information on the question of who's who and why.
Since I am in possession of some information on these matters, I am going to accommodate the public. "The issuer of the challenge" is Brother H. Leo Boles. He submitted an affirmative proposition to the editor of the Bible Banner for him to sign. He did not invite him to submit an affirmative proposition of his own. The proposition submitted to him was unacceptable and he plainly said so in a letter to Brother Boles, He further asked Brother Boles why he should pick on him if he wanted a debate. Why not keep it in the Gospel Advocate family? Brother C. R. Nichol, Brother R. L. Whiteside, Brother Walter E. Brightwell are on the Gospel Advocate staff. They agree with the editor of the Bible Banner on the "war question" as does also Brother Leon B. McQuiddy the publisher of the Gospel Advocate and the employer of its editor. I am wondering just how far Brother Goodpasture's "charity" extends.
Sure enough. Brother Boles took the cue from our editor and submitted his challenge and his same proposition to Brother C. R. Nichol and Brother R. L. Whiteside. The proposition was unacceptable to them. Of course there couldn't be anything wrong with the proposition and it is to be inferred that these brethren rate the same degree of charity from the editor of the Gospel Advocate that the editor of the Bible Banner does. They are both on his staff. What does he propose to do about it? Then there is Brother G. C. Brewer who seemed ready a few years ago to shed most of his blood in defense of our liberties. Maybe Brother Boles could get a debate out of him?
Brother Boles was indefatigable in his efforts to get a debate, so he wrote me a challenge and submitted the same proposition for me to sign. I informed him that I would await the outcome of his correspondence with the others. He wrote me that they had "declined" and wanted to know what I proposed to do about it. I reckon I must be also a dodger, a lame excuse maker and given to "mere subterfuge." I replied that these men were better and abler than I, and I would not presume to ignore the reasons they had given for declining his advances. I suppose that Brother Goodpasture's mantle of charity hovers over me too. He obviously thinks we have saved our lives by allowing our "discretion" to ham-string our "valor." In fact we are told that C. R. Nichol, R. L. Whiteside and Foy E. Wallace, Jr., are Falstaffs fleeing for their lives before the doughty H. Leo Boles. When did the editor of the Gospel Advocate assume the role of a comedian? The terrible Leo has roared and we shake in our boots and flee for our lives! "That's not the way I heered it!" Brother Boles says he has been "declined." My information is that Brother Nichol is still waiting, after some weeks, for a reply to the letter he wrote Brother Boles in response to the challenge. It would be good reading if Brother Goodpasture would tell his readers just what Brother Nichol said to Brother Boles. The time is premature for him to hop up on his desk, flap his wings and crow. And I would not blame the "good brother from Texas, whose name need not be mentioned in this connection" if he decided he did not want it mentioned in such a connection.