A Doctor Writes An Editor
Elder B. C. Goodpasture Editor Gospel Advocate
Nashville, Tennessee Dear Brother Goodpasture:
Speaking hyperbolically, I was walking through Mt. Olivet recently and in passing the grave of that old Saint of God, David Lipscomb, I noticed that the grave was much rumpled up and irregular. That seemed so strange that I went by the office and asked what had happened. They did not know, but a friend suggested that the Old Saint, David Lipscomb, had evidently become disturbed over the fact that his beloved Gospel Advocate had fallen into the hands of men whose ethics in journalism was on such a low level that they would allow a contributor to publish a vigorous attack on an unoffending brother and then not allow him ONE LINE of space in which to answer or defend himself.
They said that while Dave Lipscomb had as positive convictions on religious matters as any man, he would have discontinued publication of his paper before he would have used it on such a level.
No matter what his paper said about a man, he would always give that man attacked FULL SPACE for reply.
Fraternally yours, E. L. Roberts P. S. I set type on the Advocate for a long time and I believe his suggestion is correct. No, Brother Dave never let his paper get on that level.
Nashville, Tenn. 8-29-55 Editor B. C. Goodpasture
Nashville, Tennessee Dear Editor:
It has been suggested to me by a man who knows us both that your reason for not publishing my article in answer to one you had previously published criticizing me was that you agreed fully with it, and inferentially the "Brotherhood" might not, and that thereby you might lose one or two subscriptions. If that be true, that is more censurable than your refusal because of your ethics.
No wonder David Lipscomb is restless. He would have scorned to do what has been done by his paper — published a severely critical article of one who had given it no cause whatever and then refused to give the one criticized even one line in which to reply. No, that old Saint, David Lipscomb, would have lost every subscriber on his list before he would have been guilty of such unethical and such un-Christian conduct.
Fraternally, E. L. Roberts