St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-07-03

letter, but adopted the alternative of
silently staying away-relying on the
rule that prolonged absence would
finally secure to me Il dismissal invOlv-
ing 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 writing an
apology signed by his name. He also
appealed to me to protect him from
bringing reprOach to the cause of re-
ligion. He alleged that an exposure
would forbid him to reascend his pulpit.
These and other similar reasons | had
no right to disregard and acted upon
them with IL conscious desire to see Mr..
Beecher protected rather than harmed.
ii. At length my absence from the
church-an absence of which not three
members of the congregations, besides
the pastor, knew the callse-began to
excite comment in private circles.
Some of the members limited that | had
lapsed into lamentable change of re-
ligious views ;-whereas my views con-
tinued to he the same as they had been
for many years previous: AMI though
they had long before ceased to find
their honest expression in the formal
creed which | had professcd in my
childhood at the altar of Plymouth
church. yet my religious faith had not
changed from that early original more
than the views of some of the most
honored members and officers of the
same church had changed within the
same time. Other persons insinuated
that had adopted un-Christian tenets
concerning marriage and divorce :
whereas. touching marriage. ! have al
ways held. and still hold. with ever
increasing tirmness. the one and only
view common to all ChriStendom and
touching divorce. the substance of what
held was. and still is. the needtul alb
rogation of our unjust New York code,
and the substitution of the more hu-
manc legislation of New England and
the West. Other persons fancled that
had hccnme Il Spiritualist of an eX-
travagant type ;-whereas have never
Vet seen my way clear to he Il Spiritu-
aliSt at all-ccrtainly not so much IL
Spiritual>t as some of the most prom
incnt members of Plymouth church are
known t" he. All these suppo>itions-
MANY others never the right one
became current in the church land still
arc) to explain my suddenly sundered
membership the true reason for which
has been understood always by the
pastor, but never 10y his flock.
Ill. At length. after many calumni-
ouS whi>pcIlngS near and far (Sincc evil
tales magnify a> they travcD Il weekly
paper in New York in November. I-72.
published il wicked and horrible scan
Il Ii Il,
III the church igmorantly attributed in
its origin and animuS to me. whereas
had previously spent many months of
constant and umremitting cndcavor to
suppress ii an cndeavor in which,
with an earnest motive but Il foolish
Judgment. made many ill-directed
sacrifices of my reputation. position.
money. and fair prospects in life : for
all which losses of things precious, since
mine alone was the folly. let mine alone
he the blame.
". In May. 1873. occurred the sur
rcptitIouS publication of Il tripartite
agreement signed by II. C.. Bowen. H.
W. Bcccher and myself an agree
mcnt. which, 81 far aS | WAS concerned.
had for its object to pledge me to silence
against using OF circulating charges
which Mr.. Bowen had made against Mr..
Beccher This covenant. aS originally
written. would have bound me never to
speak, not only of Mr.. Bowers. but
also of my own personal grievances
against Mr.. Bccchcr. Ircftlsed TO sim
the original paper. My position III the
paper was this: Mr.. Bowen
had made grave charges against Mr..
Bccchrr. These charges MIR. Raven
had hccn induced 10 recall in writiuo
| chccrtulIy agreed never to circuI,tr
the charges which Mr.. Bowen had re-
called.
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