Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-10-30
VERMONT TELEGRAPH.
BRANDON, SATURDAY, OCT. 26, 1889.

The letter below, addressed by the author
% his church who are about dismissing him
Car his Temperance, is highly worthy the |
consideration of those conservative christ |
ANS and ;noralists who are afraid of med !
ding with erciting topics. The piece is |
ora high order as an intellectual thing, also
as 10 literary merit-and what is more still, |
manliness-and most of all, christian fidel
iy.
TO the proprietOrs cfthe Westinghouse in
Hollis street:
Mv Friends-The doings of your BODY,
., is adjourned annual meeting, held on
the evening of the 9th instant, have been,
according to your instruction. transmitted
10 me BY your clerk, and are now before
me.
Ftom the DOCUMENT communicated by
him, happears,that, at the previous meet
inc on the evening of the I'd of the
mOnlh, a vote had been offered by Mr..
Windsor Fay, which, at the adjourned
meeting, was Withdrawn by him in favor
of preamble and vote, introduced by
Mr. Dlniel Weld, nearly TO the same ef-
iec to wit that, in the opinion oil the
meeting, my usefulness, as the minister of
the Hollis street society, had become so
much impaired, that the connexion be-
tween the society and myself ought to be
dissolved. The vote, it further appears,
was lost, the ballot standing ayes SO, nays
50, and 2 blank ballots
On receiving this communication, the
first question that | asked myself was,
whether any reply was demanded or ex-
pecied from me. The vote offered was
lost; and by no rules of proceeding, in
ether civil or ecclesiastical bodies, can the
voice Of a minority however large or re-
Specialize, be regarded as the voice of the
body. And, in the present case, since
neither the voice of the whole body Of the
proprietOrs was heard, speaking by ma
ority Of their number, nor yet the voice
Of the still larger body, the worshipping
assembly-which, in cases oil this kind,
cannot be heard at all, however deep may
be their interest ia the ministrations OF the
church, or however strong their attach
menL TO its minister-but only the voice ol
minority of the pews represented, how
ever firm and strong that voice might be
y might not have felt myself called to
make-perhaps not even justified in max
Dg-any reply whatever to the communi'
Gallon of your clerk. But observing thai
this expression of the opinion of large
minority was communicated to me by in
slrucion Of the majority, and considering
The general rule, that written comTunl
cation requires written answer, / have
concluded that it IS your wish that shouts
make to the document before me, a reply
that may be acted upon al the adjourne
meeting, this evening. This, then, WI
proceed TO do as briefly as can, and
distinctly.
The preamble and vote, then, with
vagueness that may well serve as mode
for writer who studies rather to concea
than to discover his real meaning, al
which will not, thiak, greatly enlig htt
the future readers OF those records,
which they now constitute part, as
the specific and real ground of complain
p in this case, are as follows:
Whereas, it is very apparent that, fro
+ various causes, principally growing out
+ wide difference of opinion in regard
the expedieucy of discussing certain G
citing topics, the feelings Of large nu
ber OF the society worshipping in the H
lis street, towards their pastor, the r
John Perpont, have become estranged
and, whereas, it is all important that,
profit by religious teaching, there shol
T. be the utmost union and harmony exist
as well as perfect confidence Oft PEG
towards their teacher-Therefore
Voted, That, however much we n
regret, as we certainly do, the exIstenc
any Cause, we nevertheless are constra
ed TO say, that, in the opinion of
meeting, the usefulness of the, Rev. ],
Plerpont as our religious teacher, is
much impaired, that the connexion
Tween him and this society, ought L
dissolved 9es> bsai
|" That, my friends, is the documer
which feel myself called upon to re
Some of us-probably not all--k
What 1t means. But it has gone upor
records Of Hollis street society. and Z
60 down to the children of our child
VIII they know? will do what il
lies 10 help them; so that, by mean
ms contemporary paper, while they
alter, they may haply find its meanin
And will endeavor to make up 10
=. OOscuri.y Of that document, by the +
|aPO' ness Of This. =
The communication before me-
sou gives US to understand one thing an
10 10 understand another. We unaer
irOm itthat there are some subjects !,
II calls exciting topics which, i
opinion of a large number Of this SC
must not be discussed in the pulpit
we DO not understand from it what