Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-04-12


lThe paper referred 10 appeared In the S.aF
OF February 18th, and wac proi-sl against
the church being occupied by prOmisc uous
gathering Of white and ool0red persons 20 listen
10 a lecture from Frederick Douglass on a sub
iect not religious in It's character, hut caleu-
lated 10 destroy the harmony OF the church
and 10 bring it INTO great disrepute, the lecture
slihongh ostensioly 20 obtain funds Tor ne
dement, OF Colored orphans, bring in reality 10
enable certain political parties 20 promulgaie
their peculiar doctrines in opposition - ne
views Of the President of the United S,aies
Sno large MAJORITY Of the American people.
4 was signed by r w. Carter, Deacon, W. VI.
ILLS, Deacon, w. Gunton. john 4. h'nGaIl,
WIN n. Baldwin, H. n. Gilman. l. & Camp-
@ Del, !; w Colley, w. McBain, Chas Bradley,
" " u; Snnith; Thos. Blagden. M. n. >&,yens,
1hree days afterwards the temporal COM
mliee helc a meeting al which senriraan-s were
ehprssseo hy the Treasurer and one Of the
me moers OF the committee which led a ma iori-
| " OF the committee TO believe that A plaa was
conoocting TO take the Church from tho-.a who
bad expended their means in its erection and
| have IL taken possession of by persons S~ccn,-
| ing temporary pew holders for political mr.
poses, and this was fonnd tho most eiTestnal
means Of accomplishing IT, especially II tas dis
| satisfied portion of the Congregation Hyonla
leave the Church. The committee therefore
thought IL expedient 10 urge y COn-r,syational
| Meeting at an early day, and in TIE interim
TO pass the following resolution:
"Resclred, That tie Treasurer OF ne First
Presbyterian Church b. directed 10 rcut no
more pews until further ordered, m view OF
| the contemplated meeting OF the COngreSa,ion
1 Passed by ayes s noes /"
OF propriety OF this course under the err
| cuUsfances, the Treasurer being an oGicrr ap-
| pointed by IL, the committee entertain % 40 abt
| for II such right Old not exist it would ue ln
me power Of the Treasurer on the eve of a
Congregational Meeting, without am noEica.
| TO permit all persons, without regard
10 color, 10 become temporary new holders
| without the payment Of dollar, and ,a-rrby
| Cut-yote the regular members of th,. ehur,6
and elect such officers aS might be willing 20 50
change the character of the government Of The
church. as 10 permit an inoIscrimiua,e use OF
the church 10 both black ana White persons.
| Subsequently, n was supposed bv maay ofthe
| congregation. that the difficulty might b.
! healed 10y asccrtaining the views OF the several
| members OF the church. and paper .gas PEE
pared, which signed by mora thaa one
| hundred pew holders and con,nuni,aufs nd
| Gerstocd that TINS NEST respectful paYcr sa,.
| win 10 laNor al the hands of the pastor. Gp.
| Notwithstanding his objection, the session. By
| unanimous vote, passed a resolution 10 The
| 'Resolred, That until otherwise desired hy-
| lhe congregation, the session will not grant
| the use OF the church ediGc for any purpose
except ior religious or ecclesiastical .Er, ..Ags
| or for the SahbathisChool, Bible, Tra.t ur n =
| sionary cause"
| The debts OF the church are increasing. ana
| cannot at this time be short of SIu,ts. .la ne
| committee can discern 40 mode OF a.-,.u unt-
ing the congregation and hqUid-jAg ;he
| The committee had cherished the fond hone
| that after the gratifying reception the conyre-
gaiion had so recently extended 10 ilIsIr pas-
tor, IN which both pastor and peOpla appe:.-.a
| a unit, that 1t should rot be now called .Ioon
to relate circumstance which has 90 alianat,d
their affections.
Had the pastor acted as his friends 'rusted
he would, (and this could have bern done
| without IN the least changing his own couNts-
uon,l and shown like respect for The feelings
OF others this diff entity would have been ran
STORY, and very soon entirely forgo.tsu This
event. however painful To contemplate, - tie
result Of no fault on the part o. the of.icers
y hnrC Cnfa Ia rr,,
| ton on the part OF the pastor as 10 the duty he
owes 10 the people of his Charge
The pastor OF this church was called, ~ all
hls predecessors were, 'sto preach the uusearch-
able riches OF Chrisf," and not TO interfere WIN
the political sentiments OF its mem bers: and
any departure from this legitimate du.y - an
offence to all worshippers therein who may
| differ with him.
The congregation is now called upon 70 saw
whether this venerable mother OF ali the Pres
| byierian churches Of thIs city, erected anew
by the present occupants fOT the purposes for
Whlch II was originally designed, is 20 con-
tlnue in the hands OF its friends or be turned
over 10 comparative strangers for political
ends.
Mr.. Gallaudet rose to a point OF order. that
| the paper was not the report OF a ma jori,y of
| the committee. In the course of The d. nare
that followed be alleged that DIR. Gunton was
not 4 COMMUNICATE.
hr. Milburn defended Dr. Gunton. speaking
OF that gentleman as having been the pillar of
the church, having been mainly instrumental
IN ATS construction, and As having furnished
Dr. Sunderland 10 Europe, TO ray his travelling
expenses while there, and TO bring him back
from there.
The Chair decided against the point OF Mr..
GGllaUdet, and the report was receiNd and
read by the secretary.
MIR. Bushnell moved that the repo-, be ae-
ctIied.
Ar. Klaucie moved TO lay Mr.. Bushnpu's
motion on the table, but subsequently with
drew it,
Mr. GaIlaudet addressed the meeting, and
Teao paper embOGy yng his views. The paper
gave the history of the Fred. Douglass affair
from the Sunderland -Gallaudet stand point,
uphOiGlEg the course OF the pastor on fkaf occa-
sion, and asserting The equal-rights d.sc.rine.
and counseied forbearanee and allo wing tungs
10 take their own course.
The vote was taken On the adoption of the
report as offered by Dr. Gunton. aud AZ was
lost-5a IN the affirmative and 20 in the neg
alive.
This result astonis he'd everybody e1cept those
In tie ring, and set folks TO wondering where
the votes came from And then was deyel-
Oped one of the smartest election lodges thac
Was probably ever carried out in chris,sndom
either al church or hustinSs. We don't know
wheiher Df. Sunderland or MIR. Gallaudet is
entitled 10 most Of the credit but they could
well afford 10 divide the glory of so big thIpg
The respectable old iogies of the church, who
punt snd paid for II, could scarce believe heir
eyes When they saw Gallesdet actually voting
thirteen Of his deaf mUtes like ock OF sheep-
"Asylun paupers" one old gentleman Irrevpr-
entity styled Mr.. Gallaudet's Eew-fangIed
"Noters." But this was only one Wrinkle OF
the dodge. The interdict OF the solid men of
the church upon the letting in OF pew voters,
Hanulactured Tor the occasion, had bern skill
fully nanked, and not only were there a num-
Der OF strange pew-holders in ATTENDANCE upop
whom the eye Of Washlngtonisns never b.tDre
Li, cur lhest new holders, each and every, had
his squad of sub-pew holders having s.sitfinr,'s
IN salo peWs, who had been thus made voters
by this smart Sunderland @ aIlandrt dodge
lhese stranger voters all wore spectacIes ana
had respectable bald places on their heads
so that nobody looked upon rhsm as
lythlng more than casual specta:orS-sen-
llemen from Bosting or therea bouts-GropDed
~ 10 zee ht W church rows Were managed in
nskhlngtcL Who eould have suspected that
These mild, bald headed, dyspsp'ic- looking
gehtiemen would develop into the dead rab-
bat" and "Mackerelsville Roughs" who were
10 DO the business for the owners OF the church
ana oust them from their Iaboriousiy built
property! And the most astounding part OF
the business was the number OF s.EOtsrs''
achleVed for each pew. The comfortably
built OLD hunkers Of the church don't like 20
crowd themselves into closer quarters than
four sittings 20 the pew: but There dyspeptic
gentlemen from Bosfihg being narrow OF hasp