Part 34 (1/2)
All through his public career, Dr Ryerson had many bitter enemies and many warm and devoted friends This was not to be wondered at No ly marked individuality of will and purpose, and with such an instinctive dislike to injustice and oppression, could fail to cos were opposed to his sense of right The en public questions was rarely disarenerous impulses or noble natures) by the fact that he and those who acted with hireat principles--those of truth, and justice, and freedom
When these principles could not be successfully assailed, the usual plan was to attack the character, and wound the tender sensibilities of their chief defender This was a mistake; but it was the common error with most of Dr Ryerson's assailants And yet those who did so in his presence, and in the arena of debate, rarely repeated the mistake With all his kindness of heart and warmth of friendshi+p, there hen aroused, much of the lion in his nature Feho assailed him in Conference, or made a personal attack upon him in other places of public discussion, could stand before the glitter of his eye when that lion-nature was aroused; and fewer still would care to endure the effect of its fire a second time
Most of the personal attacks , and often anonymously He had, therefore, to defend himself chiefly with his pen This he rarely failed to do, and with good effect[72] On such occasions he used strong and vigorous language, of which he was an acknowledged master Very many of these attacks were ephemeral, and not worthy of note Others were more serious and affected character, and these were more or less bitter and violent They, of course, called forth a good deal of feeling at the time, but are only referred to now as part of the story of a life, then singularly active and stor published extracts from a pamphlet issued in the Newcastle District (County of Northumberland), in 1832, in which attacks were made upon Dr Ryerson's character, he replied to them in the columns of that paper In 1828, his circuit was in the Newcastle district, and the person who ht s, this man said that Dr Ryerson ”read seditious newspapers at his house, on the Sabbath day!” In reply, Dr Ryerson said:--
Asthis person's locality until Sunday evening, and then preach in the Church there, it would be ied Were I to have done so, I would be unworthy of the society of Christian men
But the author of this libel, which was published by hied circumstance took place, was defeated as a candidate for the House of assembly, on account of a personal attack which he s! _Hinc illae lucrymae_ This person also said that I ”hoped yet to see the walls of the Church of England levelled to the dust” In my reply to this I said:--I solemnly declare that I never uttered such a sentiland Some of land [see page 41]; and a gentleyman) was authorized by the late Bishop of Quebec to request me to make an appointara District, where I was travelling After mature, and I trust, prayerful deliberation, I replied by letter declining the proposalsthe kindness and partiality of my friends A short time afterwards, I met the friend who had been the medium of this communication from the late Dr
Stewart He was deeply affected at ation to the Methodists as a reason for declining the offer, he replied that all of his own religious feelings had also been derived froht the Church required our labours
Soston, a diatribe against Dr Ryerson, in the London (Eng) _Standard_, Rev Robert Alder replied to it, and apprised hi been ston, and inserted in the _Standard_, I have been stirred up to write in your defence I expect also to have a battle to fight with Sir Francis Head, for ”I guess” he knows soston friend
Fro extracts:--
There is no man, either in the Canadas or at home, better acquainted with the former and present state of these fine provinces than Mr Ryerson, as his letters in the _Tiston slanderer admits that the facts stated in these letters were, in the ly correct, indisputably true, and for the publication of which he is entitled to the grateful thanks of every loyal subject throughout British North America But the ratitude of those who have derived benefit from our services This is proved in the case of Mr Ryerson; for while every radical and republican journal in the province has tee his character and est terms, a stinted meed of praise has been doled out to him
No wonder that persons in this country deeply interested in Canada frequently consulted him; no wonder that the British North American Land Company re-published his letters from the _Times_ at their own expense And it is to the honour of the noble lord at the head of the Colonial Departent and influential an individual as Mr Ryerson, infor the state of parties in a country so well-known to him If his information and advice, and that of another ”Methodist Parson” in Canada, had been received and acted upon elsewhere, there is reason to believe that Mackenzie and his traitorous associates would not have been permitted to unfurl the standard of rebellion in the es 176 and 183)
The inspired truth that ”A man's foes shall be they of his own household” received many a painful illustration in Dr Ryerson's history In 1838, it was reduced to a system The assailant was often ”A Wesleyan,” or, ”A True Wesleyan,” and under the friendly _aegis_ of four or five papers, which were usually hostile to Methodism itself, the attack would be made From numerous examples noted in the _Guardian_, I select a speciainst us; its cry is war, havoc, and bloodshed, with Wesley on the lips, but implacable hatred to him in the heart of its editor and his friends One of two things remain for us, either to expel the Ryerson family and their friends from our Society, who are the root of all our misfortunes, orfor all true Wesleyans to withdraw from theypt, or a leper
In Dr Ryerson's effort to protect individuals ere oppressed, and who had no means of defence, except in the columns of the _Guardian_, he was often virulently assailed, and even his life threatened On the 22nd December, 1838, he received a letter of this kind froal proceedings unless the naiven to hi, I have to say that the writer of the communication in the _Guardian_, to which you refer, is one of the ”peaceable ratuitously and basely assailed by the Editor of the _Patriot_ and his associate He is a poordepends upon his daily industry Were he a rich ht consult with hi in those circuainst your wealth, and relentless persecution, I at once determine to shi+eld him from your power I will not, therefore, furnish you with his naraph of his cos were published so the associate of its Editor, and an attempt was made to blast the character and prospects of several unoffending members of the Methodist Society--men, the daily bread for whose families must be taken out of their mouths, if the political or private character of their protectors is, in times like the present, believed to be what this associate has represented it to be These et rich upon ”wars and ruh church zeal would not, like yours, treble their business, and bring them into possession of a tolerable fortune in a few years It is to blunt the assassinating dagger of a ainst the character of such raph in question into the _Guardian_ If you are not the associate of the city Editor in this ”crusade against the character of peaceable members of the Methodist Society,” then you are exonerated from the remarks in the letters, and the columns of the _Guardian_ are open to you for any reparation you can desire Notwithstanding your attacks upon both my public and private character for years past; notwithstanding your late unprovoked attack uponyour late indirect threats upon my life, and the _Guardian_ office in the event of an invasion; notwithstanding all this, and much more, I am still ready to open the columns of the _Guardian_ to you, if you think that any kind of injustice has been done you The letter to which you refer, mentions no name, but adverts to an already published portrait of a certain character who is, upon good grounds, believed to be figuring behind the scenes in this high church warfare against Methodists and others, and who is known to be indiscrist all of Her Majesty's subjects ill not contribute to the profits of his newspaper craft in crying up his golden idol of a do to see you, sir, who have availed yourself so lavishly, in all time past, of the freedom of the press to assail others, so sensitive at the ainst causeless attacks upon private individuals, having been intended for yourself
Dr Ryerson concluded in the following vigorous language:--
Sir,--After having exhausted the resources of a free, I may add a licentious press to destroythe principles of civil and religious liberty which I advocate, you and your party now seek to have recourse to the ”glorious uncertainty of the law”
to accomplish what you cannot effect by free discussion before an intelligent public; but I am not concerned at your threats I know the malice of the party of which you are a convenient, active, and useful tool; I know its resources; I know its power; but I also know the ground on which I stand I know the country for whose welfare I a; above all, I rely upon the wisdom and efficiency of that Providence, whose adns of the tis in store for the inhabitants of Upper Canada (archy, upheld and pro, the anti-British, and anti-patriotic spirit of such partizans as yourself
Rev Matthew Richey wrote to Dr Ryerson fro Methodists in Montreal were inducing subscribers to give up the _Guardian_, on the alleged ground of some disloyal sentiments contained in that paper of the 12th December[73]
Mr Richey adds:--
I have written to a leading friend in Montreal, earnestly expostulating with him upon the precipitancy of such a course I have not failed to apprise histon Chronicle_, the _Toronto Patriot_, the _Cobourg Star_, and _The Church_, to Methodism, and to say that, did they read these papers, they would not be surprised at the pungency hich you express yourself on the questions at issue between the arrayed parties of the Province
To intie of your duty ibbetis not very complimentary to the freedom of the Government under whose protection you are placed Situated as you are in the burning centre of exciteh-handed reat need of patience, and forbearance
The leading Methodists in Montreal to who written to Dr Ryerson on the subject of their complaint, he replied to them, on the 7th January, as follows:--
Your letter of the 24th ult being rather unusual, both inwith your request; but I should despise ation contained in your letter
Not a few of you ined both my motives and principles in former years, I have lived to furnish a practical co the first to excite in the Colonial Office in England a deterainst French ambition and prejudice Ia second similar commentary upon your second sih church school of politics, nor of the Montreal _Herald_ school of bloodshed and French extermination; but I, nevertheless, think there still remains another basis of Scripture, justice, and humanity, on which may rest the principles of a loyalty that will sacrifice life itself in the maintenance of British supreorous support of the constitutional rights of the subject,--unmoved at one time by the fierce denunciations of revolutionists, and unshaken at another time by the imputations of ultra-sycophantic partizanshi+p