any one who knows the General, to pretend to be shocked at what was related of him at Buena Vista. It is a mere sham for the benefit of puritanical souls, who do their damning after a more economical formulary, than is generally used in the field. The words came out of General Taylor's mouth, and were no doubt as acceptable to heaven as the roaring of the cannon which belched forth death, and strewed the earth with slaughter."
The few instances Ave have cited (and they might be multiphed indefinitely), indicate the baneful influences to which public opinion has been exposed, through the efl"orts to create and maintain a war spirit in the com- munity.
The Church has, in some few cases, united in this un- holy work of corrupting public opinion. The pulpit has occasionally uttered its benedictions on the Mexican in- vasion ; and ministers of Christ, by joining in miUtary funeral pageants, have given the sanction of the religion they professed, to the cause in which the deceased perished. On some of these occasions sermons have been de- livered, breathing Uttle of the spirit of the Prince of Peace. Men who had lost their Uves in the act of voluntarily carrying fire and sword into a foreign coimtry, have been held forth to the admiration of their countrymen, as having fallen in the discharge of duty. But these reve- rend patriots omitted to instruct their audience, that the Mexicans who fell in the act of defending their wives and children, were no less obedient to the commands of duty than the American volunteer ; nor did they avail them- selves of the opportunity to draw the obvious inference that, as both Americans and Mexicans were but discharging their duty in killing o&ch other ; mutual slaughter is an acceptable sacrifice to the common Father of all, and in accordance with the precepts of the Divine Redeemer, Some of the clergy very consistently reduced to practice the doctrines they taught. Thus we had the announcement in a St. Louis paper, of "a baptist preacher e;illed in battle," with an eulogy on his patriotism. The New Orleans Picayune