The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-06
"Clerical Intolerance" or Masonic
InIoleTance--Wkicha q
70 tho Editors Of Tho Intelllgeneer:

ME6~-" HUN AII
To the Editors Of tho IntSlllgeneer:
take notice Of the anonymous article
In your issue Of to-day, entitled sOlerical
Intolerance" not 90 much becapAa my
name Is mentioned, as because the &C.
count Of the occurrence at the grave Of
Nc Hamilton Is not correct, and the
Church Of Christ-that branch Of II, par.
ticularly, to which .belong-is insulted.
l. The facts arc simply these: Mr..
William Hamilton died III: communion
with the Fourth street NJ. 3. Church, Of
which am the pastor. Having given 10
bis brother, who, with himself, was hon.
ored by our church, Christian burial, Il
could do no less tor him, and so l came
from Cranberry Summit 10 oficiate, At
the dwelling conducted the funeral ser.
vice, for which our church prescribes no
regular order. In this Iwas Kindly as.
sisted by the Rev. Mr.. Mcclure, Of the
UP. Church Of this city, l then rode
to the cemetery In company With the
gentleman who was 10 oct IS chaplain OF
the Masonic Lodge. ! informed him, In.
cidentally, that as O matter of course, /
should read my own burial service; and
said that he could follow with that Of the
Masonic Order. To this he made no OBJ.
lection. At the grave, alter the body had
been lowered into II, opened my ritual,
when the Master Of the Lodge approached
me- and, learning that ] was about to
read the order Of my church, said to me
that that would mt BE- G2G0DG6k" l did
not reply with an angry voice." a. IN.
L." falsely asserts. But my indignation
was aroused blythe attempt TO interfere
with me in the exercise Of inyiministerial
functions. was not angry, for was in
the solemn presence oil death. / was dc.
termined that The church Of the living
God should not give way before any or.
der, however ancient or honorable It might
be, and 80 l replied In firm and decided
voice that / should certainly read my
church service, If lived" And did.
Nor Is 1t true that held second fun.
eral service" simply continued and
concluded the service which / had begun
at the house. Every person who Is al oil
acquainted with Methodistic usage, knows
that our custom Is 10 read the scriptures,
to make short address, to pray, and
sometimes to sing OF the house of mourn.
ing, and then to read our Order for the
Burial Of the Dead, at the grave. Hav.
ing observed the first part Of our usage,
l could see no reason why the second
part should beinterlered with, or why the
continuity OF my service should be inter.
rupted. To that | was not-am not
will not be-willing to submit.
It is not true that the Master OF the
Lodge requested the Doctor to allow the
Masons to discharge their religious rites"
No such request was made oflme. was
not in charge Of the funeral. On the
contrary, the Masons had charge OF it,
and their chiet officer gave me 70 under.
stand that my service was not allowable.
Nor is 1t true that ] s"preyentedn them
"trom performing the services Tor which
they had been convened" For not only
did I say TO their Chaplain that he could
follow with his ritual, but after had read
mine, l stepped back with my hat in my
hand and with my head bowed, in re.
spectful waiting for him TO proceed with
his. To my profound astDnishment} he
informed me that the Master had directed
him not to dose. '-t4
For twenty years have been called
on, at times, 10 perform the solemn office
over Masons, Odd Fellows, Sons Of Tenn.
perance and the like, and never, until yes.
terday, has my right to read my burial
service been disputed and never before has
the Master Of a Masonic Lodge declined
10 have the service of that order read, be.
cause that of the Church Of God had been
used. know not what the usage here
has been. Il do know that wherever else
l have oficiated, precedence has been Civ.
en-, Of right, both at the house and at the
grave, TO the Church of Christ. If any of
the Ministers Of the Gospel in Wheeling
have yielded 10 the officers Of purely hui.
man societies, It Is time they take q new
departure. And l am glad 10 be able to
say that Ministers Of other denominations
have Endorsed my action, and have assured
me that their experience corresponds with
my own. SIS
2. l am sorry that IN. L." did not stop
at this point. Why he should use the op.
portunity to compare "the ancient ser.
vices" Of Masonry with those Of the Eng.
lish Church, cahnotstell. Ny cousins Of
the Protestant Episcopal Church may an.
swer that And my;5ewish friends who
are Masops, may answer the femafk con.
corning the sound CitiSstidp doctrine. l
am willing to believe that IN lI.y did not
know that'l was reading the order for the
burial Of the dead as prescribed in the dis.
cipline of -thelM. E. Church. 1.-The did
know it, he has insulted that Church
grossly and -basely and meanly-meanly
because he has made use Of an occasion
that did not warrant it to attack the com.
pliers Of our ritual. If a Mason, he knows
lull well that the source Of our ritual is a
matter OF no more concern to Masonry
than the source OF the Masonic form con.
Germs Methodism. If he be not Mason,
his ARTICLES impertlnent 10 both Metho.
dists and AIasons. In any event his Ian
guage is insulting. 1t Is so also when he
compares the antiquity of the Fraternity
with that Of the Church. And he is not
logical, as antiquity Of itselfis no proof Of
value or.Virtue, else Hinduism Is better
than Christianity. But leave this for the
many Methodist gentlemen of Wheeling,
who are Masons, TO answer. How they
will endure many more such insults IN
the house Of their Masonic friends, de.
ponds upon their estimate of the compar.
alive value oftheir Church, and upon the
amount Of spirit they may have. Ger
tainly, il these things are TO continue, and |
If such assumptions as those made at the |
funeral are TO be unchecked, Christians
of all Churches will hesitate long before |
they will go into an order, that while il |
promises that nothing contrary to their
Church or State obligations will be de.
manded Of them, yet dares to place itself
before the Church. For the first time |
learned that yesterday, although have
been Master Mason eighteen years and
a Royal Arch Mason some fourteen or Of.
teen years When such assumptions
come 10 be general, | do not hesitate to
say that not only /, but thousands Of
others, will bid farewell 10 the order for.