The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-10-15


eqpe nheen yeatD go Rev. d.. Ondsr-
1oak bish0p Of t. Epieeopal dioesso Of New
Yosk, was suspended Inn she exsrcisss ID
his episcopal fdncsioas, By the house d
bieAnpu, 1h0 body havfx oupFeme aoth61ity
In that dissemination. Hi offences were
vsrv 1aarant, the most seaadalous being Ii
centious conduct The commission ofa0Je
over not" was mot proved, but it vas estat5,-
lishsd 70 tie conviction Il IS. associases thu,
bishop Onderdonk had made dis9rnceful
ovsrtures 70 NO Ices than dix women ii his
diocese, somc Of than wivea and acme OF them
Ffisdssd in savsnl Gases had repeated
his attempts after being repulsed. These
we're his uus0ccessfnl 6Mouss Of course
Whether he had been successful ia
oeAer instances did mot appear, but it was the
general opinion Of men Of the world that nc
man in his position and with his constant
and most favorable opportunities, and pursu
ing sensual pleasure with the persistence and
freedom that the testimony showed to have
characterized him, WAS likely to hare failed
OF aotusI indulgence. On his trial he denied
the facts, and attempted 10 convict the OBJ
Jects Of his unholy lust Of perjury in theil
testimony. He had of course O strong party
OF friends who believed him innocent, Is 4
always the case whom an eccleeiastic 10 ae
cused OF any crime, and with them the wit
nesses have remained to this day under the
reproach Of wicked conspiracy and perjury
IN order to ruin the spiritual shepherd and
bishop Of their souls Bishop Onderdonk has
allowed this false accusation to rest for IF
teen years upon those innocent women, and
only three or four years ago, when he irs,
petitloned for restoration, he persisted in de-
n.ying that he had committed anything mCsa
than an "indiscretion' He now contesses
that sentence against him was Just, processes
q general repentance, and asks his associates
TO remit his sentence, at the same time mag.
unanimously acquitting the bishops Of ipprop.
er motives in pronounaing sentence upon
him. In aid Of his petition, his diocese as
represented in the annual convention at New
York has voted by . large majority to re-
quest tho bishops to remit the sentence, or
to M time, or name the conditions, of his
future remission. This action is coupled
with an understanding that il restored, ;}ish.
op Onderdonk will not exercise his episcopal
functions, but leave them to Bishop Potter,
the present provisional bishop. Its not from
any desire to serve the church or labor for
the good of his people that the bishop desires
to be restored, but for the yindication Of his
own reputation and the recovery Of his Town
personal standing in the church and in socie
~. Yet he viii bs, If restored, the actual
bishop, it not the acting bishop, Of tho do
ceser Of New York, and if there is any oppso
brium connected with the fact il will rest
upon the church.
Very likely We do mot understand this sort
Of thing. We look at it in d worldly point OF
view, as it strikes the majority of men out Of
the church and great many In it There
is general feeling among the men thai the
men who minister in religious affairs should
be without reproach. 1t was Paul who said,
We thirk, that a bishop must be -blamcless'
by which we take it he did not mean to re-
quire absolute freedom from human weak
ness and error, bat freedom from any such
great scandal and shame o. that attdches4o
Bishop Onderdonk. 1t 10 the opinion of the
worlds people that wher minister or
bishop falls into these grosser faults mis- .pse.,
fulness as q spiritual guide Of the people is
at an end, and that no penitence can restore
lt-that it is better for him and the church
thathe should retire at once and forever to
private life and be content to make himself
asciul there This is the co1amo4 eansiesion,
ind 1t strikes US as a sound one on the whole. I
There may be something in the Episcopal
Iorm OF government that naturalizes this view
IT the matter, but UNFORTUNATELY the world
Ices not know that fact, lift be fact, and
therefore the moral effect of the restoration
1f Bishop Onderdonk will not be OF the most
character.
l poor parish parson down at Lynn fell
nto the unclerical fault ofpetty larceny, the
.thcr day, and it came out that he had in
ormer years been guilty of worse offences,
he Onderdonk weakness among the rest
md he was summarily sent :dritt He had
.assea as seducer from the Metbodists, but
he Methodists are, gratifed to discover that
lie got into their fold by forged certificate,
nd cannot therefore he reckoned az having
YER been regularly Methodist The report |
ow Is that be was once Baptist minister,
ut We presume the Baptists viii find some |
aw in his connection with them, il they can;
nd 1t is most excellent sign when Chris |
IAN scots are thus anxious to rid themselves |
the disgrace attaching to an unworthy I
bergman. We do not believe the Baptists
: Methodists at any future time will consid
: it Jndicious to reinstate this Rev. Mr. Gear
their ministry, on his profession of repent
nee They would rightly Judge that SO
ing as he lives in this world he can best
,rve the church in some private station
lis case is not quite parallel with that Of
ishOp Onierdonk, indeed but SO far as the
ulit and disgrace are concerned, the Lynn
aston has the advantage 1890
Rev. DIR. Vinton argued for Bishop Onder-
>nks restoration from Christ's pardon Of
le woman taken in adultery. This will an-
yer so far as personal forgiveness Of the Bish, +
, and personal kindness toward him is con.
'rned, but it falls considerably short of
owing that it is good policy for the church
have at its head bishop who has soied
. episcopal robes with 81 fragrant an in.
scretion,' And, speaking after the manner
mon, we should say that by nothins but
e absolute lack in the, church of man
no is 'blamslsss," 10 fill tie Office, could
oh policy be justified
The World Does Move Little. X
Mrs. Frances D. Gage has been visiting
Chester cnnnfv (ponn \ arJ 80 =, +