THE "CANADIAN 
 
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 N BAPTIST V':';S"J^B" .H£':HriiHSON. 
 
 «•*•'••••• ••••• • ••-•• 
 
 To the luiilor of flic 
 
 / Sir, 
 
 I will tlKink you to do nie tiic ad of kindness and of jiistire (as f;ir as in your power) to insert the following 
 
 I ci.niinmnication to tlic I'.ditor of i!u' Civuuium Ihif^tht. ;'s lie has refused to insert it, though it ((.ntains not one word 
 
 ^ of controversy on doc tiine. antl is as lirief an cxpliJiiation as possible in reference to tlie matter of a irross attack upon 
 
 ' me in the Editorial of that i)apcr. The reasons of the Caiiailian Baptist for refusing to lay my explanation bef(jre his 
 
 readers must l)e obvious to every reader of my letter to him. I will make no comment upon his conduct. I believe 
 
 honorable and honest Haptists, as v.eli as others, will stamp that conduct as it deserves. 
 
 V 
 
 On the 1 ith (jf January the Editor of the Cauad'nin Baptist, after, as he himself said, he had '"perused it with 
 " a good degree of- interest and pleasure." delibtrately jironounced a decided judgment on both the necessity and character 
 of my book on Christian Morals. \Vhatever he may now say for namele.ss purposes cannot obliterate what he said on 
 '' Christian and ]»atriotic grounds the iith of January; and his now attacking me for what he commended me for 
 weeks betore for having done, is a^> pitiable for himself as it is honorable for me, apart from the al.)surdity of his charge 
 that I h.admade "an outrageous assault up(.>n the cherished religious belief" of any denomination, contrary to the whole 
 c(yursc of my public life; or of the supposition that other members of the Council would have concurred in such an act, 
 luul I bjen tbolish or base enough to projjose it. 
 
 Vours respectfully, 
 
 E. RYERSON. 
 
 TcjRONro, February 26th, i8y2. 
 
 TO THE EDITOR OE THE " CANADIAN BAPTIST:' 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I have only this hour read in the Canadian Baptist of the Sth instant an editi^rial (cut out and enclosed by a 
 friend), in which you object to the part of my little book on Christian Morals, relating to llaptism and the privileges of 
 [japtized ])ersons. Vou commenie your article by .saying: "Our first examination of this new le.xt Hook for Canadian 
 Schools and fomilies, was somewhat cursory;" and yen conclude your article with the words "(Jur denomination must, 
 in some organized way, make its voice heard in the Council of Public Instruction, in. our Provincial Legislature, and by 
 the l''xecutive Council it.sclf if need be. Indeed, we cannot doubt that all lovers of religious liberty and eiiuality will 
 -gladly make use of every ctiton within their j)ower to banish from the Schools of our iVovince. a book that at least four 
 different denominations cannot fail to regard, in its present form, as anything else than an outrageous assault on their 
 most cherished religious beliefs." 
 
 Now, Sir, I will (]uote the words of your own editorial of the nth January just four weeks before you published 
 your second editorial of the Sth instant, and before the influences which have prompted your second editorial werj^ 
 brought to bear. Vour own words of the nth of January show whether you made a "cursory" or a c.ireful examination 
 of my little book when you say that you had '' perused it with a ^ood decree of interest ■iW'\ pleasure, and regarded it as, 
 on the whole, a safe and useful handbook of religiotis instruction." 
 
 114809 
 
// 
 
 
 In the itHjlwn^ <t2iUi;iil-<:i><viiyl3rii«.;tl3i'«»k <fiyisr of the Ninth I.csson arc as follows; '• I.c.'.son IX. htitylo 
 one's self ((•ontijvii*l(risi'i5,(.'5f|.sii(ij;i^i('M : ij.^'javJitiV^.Teasons for it ; what required in it P.aiitisin the I-onl's Supiier : 
 reasons for : what implied in ; h<iw to celelirate \\\>- Lord's Siifiper. 
 
 Now, I think, il luav he left to vourself or to any person of coninion sense to say whether when yon "/icrust-J \u\ 
 book with a i^ood de.i;ree of interest, " you did not peruse what reiatetl to Bapt'um : and if it contained ''an outrageou'; 
 assault on \our most cherisiied reliifio is lielief." wouhl you not in a moment have perceived anil resented it? \oui 
 own word^ I n the i ith of januarv in ren.uil to m\ hook are as follows ; 
 
 '•The ohjetl of thi> little treatise is to supjily for our Public Schools a text book containinj,' the element-^ oi 
 moral and Christian trutii. We ha\e I'eriised il with a j^^ood de.i;ree of interest and |)leasure, and rej^ard it as. on the 
 whok'. a safe and useful hand book of relij,nous instru( tion. There can be no doubt that it will sui)ply a want that lias 
 long been fell in our Common School system. We reioi<e that the venerable author is s[)ared to bring forth I'ruit like 
 this in a green old age : and we iiave good hope for the future of our coimtry, if the minds of the rising generation are 
 imbued with l!ie important truths contained in this \alualile little work, whicli gives evidence of wide resean h. vigorous 
 thought, and judicious arrangemen'.. " 
 
 Whril you thus wrote and the words you emi)k)yed on the iith of January speak for themselves; but I may add, 
 that I am iiot aware of e\ er having in my life, either delivered a discourse or written an article, discussing tiie theological 
 question of Maiitism. as between the liajitists and other Denominations ; and that the three paragraphs of my book i^w 
 Baptism we:e inte.ided to be written as much ii\ the sjjirit of a I'aptist, as of a I'edo-baptist ; and I can, if need be. 
 demonstrate every |)art of il from the works of baptist writers. 
 
 Nor is this all ; the "voice" of the Baptist Church is "heard in the Council of l'ul)lie Instruction;" for on my 
 recommendation, the (lovernment appointed, in the place of the Reverend Dr. Ormislon, the HcMiorable William 
 McMaster, member of the Council — ])erhaps the oldest, ihj most widely-known, and I may say. most representati\e 
 member of the IJajttist Church in Toronto, if not in Canada. When my Ixjok was going through the press, I hail 
 copies of it. as it was piinted, sent in sli|)s to the several members of the Council, in ortler that 1 might be informed ol, 
 and be able to modify or correct anything to which any member of the Council might lake exception. 'The li.Ajk. 
 when printed entire, was submitied to the Council in my absence, and was referred to a Special Committee, of whii h 
 Mr. McMaster was a member, 1 Aas present when the Committee re|)orted, recommeiuling the book for use in ijie 
 Public Schools for those children whose parents should not object to it. Mr. .McMaster had found nothing in the book 
 of which he disapi)rovcd, and he api)roved and recommended it for use in the Public .Schools, as did two clergymen of 
 the I'resbyterian Church, and two clergymen (Dean and Archdeacon) of the Church of T.ngland. So ( arefully was 1 not 
 to have anything in the book to which any Ba[)tist might take exception, that 1 si)ecially retiuesled Mr. McMaster's 
 careful attenliim to il ; and on one occasion, on the eve of leaving town, 1 lalletl upon Mr. McMaster at tlie Bank of 
 Commerce (of which he is President), stating tlnu the next slips of my bo<jk. which would be sent to him, would contain 
 what I had written in regard to Hajjlism. and wished him to let me know if what 1 said met his approval. 
 
 The rec{)mmendalion was as follows, as ])rinted in the preface of the book itself: 
 
 'i'he Cofmcil of Public Instruction for Ontario, having examined the "First Lessons in Christian morals for 
 Canadian families and Schools, by the Rev. I-'.gerton Ryerson, D.D., I.L.D., recommend it for use as designed,' in 
 Canadian families "ai\d Public Schools," with the proviso in the case of Schools (as contained in the Consolidated 
 School Act. section 128), that: 
 
 "No per.son shall recjuire any pu[)il in any .School to read or study in or I'rom anv religious books or to join in 
 any exercise of devotion or religion objected to by his or her parents or guanlians ; but within this limitation pupils 
 shall be 'illowed to receive such religious instructic)n as their i)arents or guardians ilesire. according to anv regulations 
 provided for the Ciovernmcnt of ('ommon .Schools. " 
 
 1 will only ask you. Sir, in (•onclusion, whether the above facts and your own words of the i ith of January bear 
 out your assertion that 1 have made the least, much less, "outrageous assault on your most cherished religious l)eiic-f." 
 
 Toronto, Feb. 13, 187.'. 
 
 \'ourij most rcspectlully, ' "' 
 
 K. FIVKHSON. 
 
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