The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-12-12
Card from the Rev. DIR. WestwOod to
the Public.

am" 'n thio hVihi PoP0As q SpAs
from the Rev. Bishop Whelan, ad
dressed to the editors thereof, and com
mencing thus, 81 am sorry to be oblige,
to invoke your aid to repel what re
gard as a most unchristian attack upor
the character of myself and the clerg,
of my diocese, and large portion o
the laboring classes who compose m!
flock.
That the circumstances connected
with what the Bishop calls an attack
upon him, his clergy and his people
may be fully understood, / wish to state
that on Sunday, the 10th of last month
! preached in my pulpit a sermon or
Class Meetings, in the course OF which
felt it my duty to notice and answer the
objections which are made to this pecu
liar feature Of the economy of the Me
thodist church. Among these objec
tons was this, commonly made by mem
bers Of other Protestant branches of the
one true and Apostolic Church: "They
the Glass Meetings, partake too largely
Of the nature of the Romish Comics
sional." OF course, in justice to my
own church, and to one Of its most
cherished means of grace, it seemed to
me right to show the difference between
/ il and the Confessional. La Ia, article
the Bishop asks these questions: What
/ other intention can we conceive for the
rttterance Of his judgment but to dam,
age, to excite suspicion at least in the
minds &c his auditors2 Is Chris.
tianity 10 be thus promoted Does
Methodism, Professionalism, require such
means for its support or extension
Does the end justify the means p
think that my candid statement, as
above given, will show the entire COM
munity that 1 had no other object in
view than the plain, honest truth, es-
pecially as our class-rooms had been
likened unto the confessional boxes of
the Roman Catholic Church, and a
comparison instituted between their
services by those who knew nothing
about them. In my effort to show the
difference. / suggested that the comics
sion of faults one to another" in the
former was and could be only for spir-
itual benefit, while the latter being q
private arrangement, and the confession
made to one man in a whisper, might
be used to accomplish any end. This
was the wherefore Of my remarks, and
am happy to be able to state that
gentlemen, not of my church, who were
present that morning, voluntarily have
said to me more than once that they
were pleased with my gentle handling
of delicate subject. The Bishop |
think is the last man who should ask:
Does the end justify the means? He
knows full well why.
BY some means, the venerable pre-
late heard Of the remarks made by me,
and without asking me why and how !
spoke on the occasion referred TO, (al-
though the "non-Catholic" to whom he
refers in his communication, informed
the committee that called on him, Of
the connection In which my remarks
were made put straight question to
me, which my own self respect, without
fear of any damaging revival of intoler-
ance, would not allow to be answered in
any other way than will be found be-
low. | wish it distinctly understood
that have not rushed into print, nor
have | invoked the aid of editors Of
secular papers. feel myself called on
merely TO reply to the card Of the
Bishop. Then | shall be done with the
subject, so far as the press is concerned,
reserving to myself the right to speak
in my pulpit when occasion requires
upon any subject within the range of
pulpit discussion-and that too, without
any fear Of that which l have heard Of
as fayorite pastime Of the Roman
Catholic clergy of this city-the drag
ing of Protestant ministers into the col
umns of 'newspapers. 1t occurs to me
that too great readiness to appeal TO
outside help is An evidence Of weakness,
either in the cause, or in the advocate.
Enough here-I present the cores
pondepce, commencing with the Bishops
letter, of which the following is copy.
WHEELING, Dec. 9Th, 1870.
Rev. Dr.. West,oood,
Sri was somewhat surprised to
hear that in sermon preached by you,
it is said, on Goth OF November, you
observed: Ito use the words in which
the report was conveyed to mel "The
Catholic Bishop Of this diocese pos
sesses knowledge of all the private af
fairs of all respectable protestant fami.
lies having Catholic servants, said
knowledge being obtained through the
confessional by the priests and by them
impaired to the Bishop"
Many considerations demand Of me
to inquire respectfully of you whether
nv information respecting this matter
! is correct, substantially at least and TO
what extent.
1t is proper to state that it is my in.
ten,ion to publish the correspondence.
! With respect, X. V. WHELAN.
II. C. Bishopof Wheeling.
/ replied as follows:
FOURTH ST. NJ. E. Gu. PARsoNAGE, }
WHEELING, w Va, Dec, s, 1870. ]
| Tie Rev. Bishop HEelaa, ID. ID, Wheel
ing, W. Va:
MY DEAR SIR:-iours of this date
was handed me by your polite messen'
ger this morning.
You say that have been reported
10 YOU as having said in my sermon OF
the Goth of November last 1.-THE
Catholic Bishop of this diocese possess
es knowledge of all the private affairs
of all respectable protestant families
having Catholic servants, said knowl'
edge being obtained throug n the con-
tessional by the priests and hy them
impaired to the Bishop"
You wish to know if | said so. In