The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-06-30
A REVIEW or THE CASE-WHY MR..
TILTON WITHDREW FROM mir.
BEECIER'S CHURCH.

Rev. Leonard Bacon, ID. d., LII. D.,
ex-moderator of the Brooklyn council:
SIR-After | had been for fifteen
years q member Of plymouth church,
and had become meanwhile IN intimate
friend Of the pastor, knowledge came
to me in 1870 that he had committed
against me an offense which / forbear
to name or characterize. Prompted by
my self-respect, Immediately and for
ever ceased my attendance on his min.
istry. informed him Of this detot-
mination as carly as January, 1871, IN
the presence of mutual friend, Mr..
Francis d. Moulton.
The rules of Plymouth church af-
foraed me q choice between two meth
DDS of retirement-one, to ask for
formal letter Of dismissal the other,
to dismiss myself less formally by pro-
longed absence. chose the latter. In
so doing my chief desire was to avoid
giving rise to curious inquiries into the
reasons for my abandoning n church in
which | had been brought up from boy.
hood, and therefore l did not invite at
tenton to the subject by asking Tor a
dlsmissory letter, but adopted the al
tentative Of silently staying away, re-
lying on the rule that prolonged alb
sence would finally secure to me a dis
nissal involving no publicity to the
case.
Several powerful reasons prompted
me to the adoption of this alternative,
among which were the following The
pastor communicated to me in writin q
an apology, signed by his name. He
also appealed to me to protect him
from bringing reproach to the cause OF
religion. He alleged that an exposure
would forbid HIM to reascend his pull.
pit. These and other similar reaso MS
l had no right or disposition to disre-
gard and acted upon them with q
conscientious desire to see Mr.. Beecher
protected rather than harmed.
At length my absence from the
church--an absence of which not three
members of the congregation, besides
the pastor, knew the cause-began to
excite comment in private circles.
At length, after many calumaious
whisperings near and far (since evil
tales magnify as they traved), a weekly
paper in New York in November, 1879,
published a wicked and horrible scan.
dal-a publication which some persons
IN the church ignorantly attributed in
its origin and animus to me whereas
had previously spent many months Of
constant and unremitting endeayor to
suppress tan endeavor in which
with an earnest motive but foolish
Judgment, ! made many i'll directed
sacrihces of my reputation, position
money and fair prospects in life, for al
which losses Of things precious, sine.
mine alone was the folly, let mine alon,
be the blame.
In August, 1873, Mr.. William L
West, a member OF Plymouth church
hitherto stranger to me, came TO IN,
residence accompanied Cat his request
by my friend Mr.. +. B. Carpenter ant
told me that when the summer vaca
ton was over he (Mr. Vest meant t,
cite me before the church on til,
charge of circulating scandals agains
the pastor, declaring in Mr.. Carpenter
presence that Mr.. Beecher had actet
as If the reported scandalous tales wer
true rather than false, and urging tina
l owed 1t TO myself aud the truth 10 L
forward aud become "a willing witnes
in an investigation. / peremptorll,
declined to join Mr.. West in his pro
posed investigation, and declaring tina
as had not been member of Ply
mouth church for several years | coul
not be induced TO return TO that churcl
for any purpose whatever, least Of al
for so distasteful purpose as 10 part
icipate in scandal. Some leadin
members, including especially III
pastor, desired my cooperation IN dc
featlng Mr.. West, and | cheerful
gave it. To this end | wrote, VII
tbeir knowledge and at their urgci
desire, letter declining to accept
copy of the charges addressed to me q
amenber, on the ground that ha
four years previously ceased my con
nectlol with the church. FOR THU 10,
ter / received, ON the next day afte
sending it, the pastors prompt an
hearty thanks. To my surprise aud in
dignation. j learned on the m0nin
Of October 81, 1878, that the repoI
which was to be presented at the thurc
meeting to be held on that eenin
would not be in the simple form ilread
indicated, but would declare tb,
whereas i had been cited before IL
church to meet the charge; and sher,
as l had pleaded non -membership
an excuse for no, appearing for tria
therefore, resolved, that / should |
dropped, DC. This gross imputatio
thus foreshadowed to me, led me to Al
pear In person at the church on tn,
evening, there to await the reading
the forthcoming report. This repor
when II came to be read, brought II
the following noyefintelligeooe, nam,