A Word To Brethren Totty, Watson And Harper
The word of Bishop Purcell, whom Alexander Campbell debated on Catholicism, quoted in "Haley's Debates That Made History" is pertinent to current events:
"Campbell was decidedly the fairest man in debate I ever saw, as far as you can possibly conceive. He never fought for victory, like Dr. Johnson. He seemed to be always fighting for the truth, or what he believed to be the truth. In this he differed from other men. He never misrepresented his case nor that of his opponent; never tried to hide a weak point; never quibbled. He would have made a very poor lawyer, in the ordinary understanding of the term lawyer. Like his great friend, Henry Clay, he excelled in the clear statement of the case at issue. No dodging with him. He came right out fairly and squarely: He was what used to be called, in good old times, 'flat-footed.' Rather than force a victory by underhand or ignoble means, he preferred to encounter defeat. But whenever he fell, he fell like the Chevalier Bayard, with honor and a clear conscience." (Quotation from "Alexander" Campbell by Benjamin Lyon Smith.)