Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-12-30


city has Just been issusd, IN watch they say
that the recent occurrences N the en- ar "a nave
been mIsrepTesente5, wn,ea comPets Them 70
come before the pubic ~i,n plAn STAT men.
Of the truth o.nerwise IN cnurch aad Its
pastor must suffer from nlJst unJust and in
furious accusations. Ai,er Noticing few facts
ism in this Civ. and the estabIls meat of tseir
church here, tney speak OF the Efforts of Gen.
O. o. Howard, who united with the church
some seven months afeer It's organization, ~
aid IL by, mis- name add infiueocs. They say
| i.when Il was known that General Howard
was willing TO assume the chief responsibility
If raising the needed fuuds, IL uudon btedly
iuers ased the interest and the confidence of the
pc bic in The enterprise; aud, besides, consider
able sums were given through personal friend
chip for him We are fnlly sensible that much
strength was thus given 70 the work In Its
early stages, and tbs only question on this
point In, whether the method adopted for pro-
curing the money was more suecessial in the
cad than more direct appeal from this
church to our sister churches you'd ha been.
We think There is reason to believe that III the
method originally proposed by the CJngrega-
tioBal Union had bzen carried out, most OF our
subsequent difficulties would have been avoid
ed. About one year since, our pastor preached
a sermon npoc the colored race, in which,
Gaming Tor tnem every right and privilege,
wiirout dis Junction or exception, which other
N. ENJOY, and speaking in the highest terms
Of the qualities they al exhibited, especially
during the war, and predicting that they would
wOrk OUT new and valuable form OF cIviliza-
tion, gave II as hts opinion that while they
should not b. excluded from churches, schools,
or any other place, their own highest welfare
would bs best promoted by a training far
separate. as 10 secure the Development of their
characteristics as a race, and produce n true
African civilization. One knowing only what
appeared on the surface, would find IL difficult
to see why the pastor of this church should not
te permitted quietly to express his opinions
upon this matter like any other man, or why
II was necessary TO introduce into q church
meeting resolutions implying censuIe, or why
newspapers at n distance from each other
should make upon him q simultaneous attack,
or why secret meetings should be held here,
and a protest against the sermon be dra wn up,
be printed at, and sent broadcast from the
Freedmen's Bureau, thus prociaImmg to the
country that there was a serious division In
the church, and that General Howard was at
the head OF a minority organized against the
majority and the pastor.
IL has perhaps, been generally supposed that
this sermon was the chief cause OF The division
III this church. of " hlch the whole country has
heard with surprise and pain. 50 far is this
from being true, that we are comp PEELED from
our knowledge of the facts to believe, that the
sermon was seized apon as a convenient
weapon to accomplish that for which the mi
Monty had long lsbored in vain, the removal OF
our pastor. For this reason the sermon and
protest were sent out coupled with the utterly
false impression, by whom first produ ed ami
spread abroad, we Will not here Undertake to
say, taas the pastor had opposed the admission
OF IoloIed members 10 our church. Leading
members of the minority have more than once
declared that they cared nothing for the sermon,
The difieu !ty in the church lies far back of the
sermon. The chief cause, we think, OF the
troubles which have beset Us, the one without
which no others would have given any serious
embarrassment, Is found In tine grave mistake
made In the beginning, wnen il was proposed
10 rest cur hope OF OBTAINING money upon the
personal influence OF single man.
We attribute none but the purest motives to
General Howard when, at the meeting of the
Congregational Union In Mr. Beechers church.
IN May, io66. he appealed to the Christian pub :
lie 10 give Rum the money to build the church
in Washington, as a testimonial, as the people
had already given money and houses to Sher-
man and Grant as a testimonial for their ser
vices. We certainly do not believe that the
churches and others contributing money in
tended TO put this church in a dependent and
fumlliating position: and yet we are compelled
to state that through what appears to us the
InJudIcious course of some of General Ho wards
friends, our embarrassment in the various
steps of this work mas been very much what il
would have been bad they supposed that the
church huiiding-fund was his private property,
To be used for his individual purposes. We
have acted upon the supposition that the fund
was contributed by the churches aud others to
t,ts church, 10 enable IL to provide suitable
place OF worship, and that General Howard
was generously using his name and in.
nueDce as the representative and fnan-
cIal agent OF the body to which he belongs.
But If the officers and employees of the Freed.
mems Bureau really believe that the building
fund was contributed as g testimonial TO Gen,
Howard, snd was therefore his private pro-
tempt 10 use the whole enter JrIse Tor the az
granGiz, nent of their chief; and then il would
De LTtuTal for them TO organize themselves.
v nm such ot1er material a. they could CON-
ma ID, 10 oppose majority OF tue Clurch. and
owe the pastor, If these should de3re not to
De under the exclusive control of one man, or
even OF department. Ii then II We're pos aolp.
oy direct statement or skiiIul insinuation SO To
awaken prejudice IN the mind of General How
ard, and 80 20 poison his mino against his pls-
tor that he would become their Il lder il win
h. q fnYp do
ole minority, but that the church, with its
nrances entirely il the control OF one man and
ne opposed TO the majority and its PASTOR
would tie placed in very difficult and perlIous
position
The address then proceeds 10 notice their eff.
forts to get the names OF the proposed corpora
tors changed in the bill before Congress TO in.
corporate the First Congregational church, $40
tha. the majority may be fairly represented
They say: General Howard was then Chair
man of the Business Committee and Treasu rer
OF the Building Funds, and 1t was thought he
would not desire the Oardens of another OBI -,
an d from the new list of corpcrators his name
wss omitted, W bile that of his brother was re-
tanned VI is believed that NO one in the Church
had the slightest Objection TO General Howard
as one OF the corporators, If he desired IT, and
the moment 1t was known thai he did wish it,
II was proposed TO add his name The bill
however, passed in its original form. but so
strong was the feeling in the Church, that on
the organization under the charter, after much
de bate, the rights of the majority WERE in good
measure, secured. The change of names was
made, not by the pastor, but by the Congress
slcpal COMMITTEE, at the suggestion Of IN smbers
OF the church, who deemed the iginal bill n.
fair. About this time a story was set afioar and
secretly circulated through the Church that
the pastor was, In disguise, a Presbyterian
and would attempt TO presbyterianize the
church, and must therefore be removed 1t
was spread somewhat in Boston and New
\ ork, and then u was reported here that such
were the suspicious in regard TO the pastors
Presbs terrain tendencies, that the church m ght
lose 'oe confidence Of the Eastern churches N
ne should be retained. The most unpleasant
feature In the transaction is, that when the
report was frst started, the Business Com.
mlttee, OF which General Howard was CHAIR
mar, and majority Of whom are opposed to
the pastor. wrote 10 the Vine.street Church of
Cincinnati. Of which DIR. Boynton was pastor
about eighteen years and where the sin of
Presbyterianism was SAID TO have been com.
mitte0, and received from the officers a clear
and positive denial of the whole story THIS
letter WIS never communicated to the church
and society, and the members of this commit.
tee With that letter in their possession suffered
this charge 10 be reiterated month after month
and IN their presence, without denial or ques-
ton
After speaking Of Gen. Howard IN his DO
sltion OF treasurer OF tie Church Building
Fund, having the deed for the ground ON
which the new church was to be built made
out In his own name, aud disclaimIng ssali I'M
putation Of wrong motives" in that transac.
ton, the address proceeds TO another m after and
says EARLY Ia 1c67, or q little before, il was
known to many that club was formed com
posed Of some Of the OH GERS and ern N IN veas ~