The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-03-08
NUMBER 46.
For tho Register.
Tho SFacts In relation to "ths Late
Bishop IVES"

AS the Artlco III your paper OK
the stA ult., relative to the late Bishop
Ives, Wis published by special request"
it is tcbe presumed that some Of your
readers are specially interested in the
history of that unhappy man, aud desir-
Gus Of acquiring and circulating infor-
nation respecting his apostacy to the
Church Of Rome. The article in ques.
tion is, however, as you remarked in the
editorial column, unjust to the Church
from which he seeded, and evidently
written by person Of strong sectarian
feelings" 1t was, in fact, written by two
persons "of strong sectarian feelingsn-
a Protestant ("Orthodox") minister in
Rome, and Roman Catholic editor in
Nsw York. The sectarian feelings "
Of both seem TO flow together md com.
minglo in beautiful agreement against
the Episcopal Church. The "Orthodo1"
clergyman writes that hc has seen Bish-
op Ives in Rome, and "takes the oppor-
tunity Of saying, lest he should forget
1t hereafter, that this gentleman is no,
insane, as tho American papers havo dc.
clar'd, but q, perfectly in his right mind
US any Of the bishops Of the Church he
has forsaken !" that he has "heard him.
(the Bishop explain the process Of
his conversion step by step, and is salts
fed that the change was most delibsr.
ately made, without any undue excite
men, or external influence" He takea
the opportunity Of sa.ing furthermore
that if he (the writer) chad started
from tho point whsre be (the Bishop
started, the Same courAs Of logic would
have brought him to the same copclu.
sion" And after lauding the disintere.t.
sdness Of the Bishop in making great
sacrifices of friends, of influence, and Of
fortune"--he adds, no doub. for tie pur-
pose Of illustrating his logical PROPOSE
tion, the Bishops "caso Is not solitary
ONE" that "the English Church is con.
stantly sending its best men to rscrui.
the ranks Of the Jesuits m and that ait
is the stringency Of logic, compelling
those who believe in apostolic success
sion, which draws men from the younger
back to the elder" (sic) "housc Of faith"
The Roman Catholic editor ohinos in
at once in delightful concordance is
"glad to find the late Bishop of North
Carolina, Doctor Ives, treated with
something like fairness end manlinsss by
Protestant Clergyman" and lin part
ofthe article which you did not publish)
praises the liberality displayed BY tho
reverend tourist" though he thinks it
may perhaps shock the nerves Of some
of tho anti Catholic ssctarians Of this
country" and confesses that it smaoks
Of aspri, that lead, one to believe that
it would be no difficult thing for the su-
thor Of it, to unite himself with tho
Romish Church, (D and hecOms a disci.
pie Of the Pope" CD
Now it may be doing some Of your
readers q service, since it may free them
from uncharitabs and unjust conclusions,
to lay before them the following Jacts
in the history Of "the late Bishop Ives
He was born about the year 1892 in
Meriden, Conn. Both his parents wero
members Of the Presbyterian commun-
ion in which faith this son WAS strictly
educated, and whose communion he also
joined. lie entered Hamilton College
in order to prepare himself for the Pres
byterian ministry, but left it, at the closo
of the Junior year, and took charge oftho
Academy in Potsdam. subsequently he
united with the Episcopal Church, and
was ordained by Bishop Hobart in 1922.
lie oficiated as clergyman Of tho
Church, zealous.y and successfully, in
the Dioceses of Penn and n T., until
1880, when he was elected to the Epis-
copato of n. G. From that time down
to the year ls47, the Bishop faithfully
and efficiently discharged the duties Of
his Episcopatc, and no ono suspected
that he was infected with Romish ten
dsncies In that year, or the following,
he was prostrated by verx.ssvere illness,
which not only interrupted his Episcopal
labors for the time, but which pcrmsn.
emily impaired bis constitution, and
weakened his faculties both Of body and
mind In his partial recovery there bo.
gan to be observed e1citabilities and in.
consistencies in his conversation and con.
duct which often wounded the feelings
and excited the fears of his friends, both
clerical and lay One ofbis most mark
ed eccentricities was tondncss for Rom
ish books of devotion, and a sensitive ad.
for some Of the most objection
able Roman Catholic practices. This
could not fail TO awaken the vigilance
of the clergy and the laity of Church
which is now, as its English Mother in
the time OF the Reformation was ac'
to be, "the bulwark Of Pro
Accordingly whom the Di-
ocesan Convention met in 1910, tho
+" Committee on the state Of the Church"
introduced the following in their report: