Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-09-24
The Report Of the Presbytery Pro-
GpetIin1S

My card OF Monday was intended to apply |
only to that portion Of the report published on
Saturday that referred especially to myself. |
But to show how hastily and seemingly, with
out reflection, the six gentlemen who certify to
the substantial correctness Of the report acted.
will refer to the items in their order (tlere
are ten 10 ally: The first is wholly int orrect.
We did not ask the Presbytery to instruct Us
as to the .orm OF certificates Of dismSslon, but
how to answer certain Orms of request for dis
mission. In the second, Mr. Plzer's resou
ton Is incorrectly reported. In the third item
the word practicable is incorrect. 1t should be
possible. ln the fourth, the impeuitent por-
tiOn Of the one hundred and one are represent
ed as asking to be organized into a church.
The fifth Is Incorrect in two particulars. First,
it represents the Pres ytery as granting the
lnpcnltcnt signers request and second, the
order 10 organize the church is imperative,
leaving out the words, IF the way be clear .
The sixth item refers to the presentation Of
the narrative Of the state Of religion in the I'd
Church. | dee n it proper here to state that
the narrative contained the answer Of the SEES
sion to the charge of DR.. Bullock in his resig-
nation paper; also to his charges made before
the Presbytery iu April, with reasons for not
replying TO them sooner. After reading the
major portion OF this part oil the narrative the
Moderator asked NE to suspend reading, as he
thought the paper was not 10 order as para
tive, and should have been presented to the
Presbytery in some other form. | replied to
this, that it would have afforded me pleasure
from our church, but was obliged to speak Of
arrangements of lifelong friends, divisions in
families, &c. &c 1t seemed proper, therefore,
tp RI
Of things Here the Rev. Peyton Harrison rose
ard urged that the paper should be read, say
ing it was not more vituperative than the
Presbytery had allowed Dr. Bullock to be.
Dr. Bullock rose and said in substance: You
are the last man to make that statement. 1t
is well known that for twenty years you have
been inimical 10 me.
Rejoindcrs passed freely. The Moderator in
the meantime calling them to order threatened
to leave the chair it they did not come to or
der. Mr.. Harrison denied that he had been
inmical to him: said he had shown him many
kndnesscs, and had been his friend DR.. B.
replid, "rhc Lord deliver me from such a
friend, and took his seat. The Moderator
then turning to me, asked me to examine the
paper and see if | could not omit what re-
manned Of this part Of the narrative. | at
once complied with his request. After the
narratives of several churches had been called
for and read, informed the Moderator would
omit the recaptuIation Of statements previous
ly made, and then read to the close OF the mar
rative. 1t will be seen from this that Presby
terry took 40 action. 1t will also be seen that
if vote had been called for there would have
been several dissenting votes.
The seventh Is a misrepresentation, because
it places me on the floor of Prcsbytery as an
opponent of ST.. Johns Academy, without any
assigned cause.
The facts are these: We had charged DR..
B. in the narrative with this inconsistency !:
That, after making for long period vigorous
assaults against the Roman Catholic Church,
aud warning his people against patrobziDg
their schools, alleging that large portion Of
those attending such schools became Catholics,
he had sent his own children to what was re-
gardcu By many in the community as a Catho-
lie school.
After the reading of the narrative, DR.. B.
replied to the statements it contained, contra
dieting especially the charge of Inconsistency
by saying it was not Catholic school, and was
proceeding at some length when he was called
to order. had the privilege of replying to
his statements and deuials, and in this connec-
ton | offered to present the evidence upon
which the Session relied in proof Of its charge
of inconsistency The Moderator ruled it out
of order to present the proof.
The next day rose to question of privi
iege, which was, that as the truthfulness Of a
statement of the Session 10 the narrative had
been questioned and reasons assigned, it was
my privilege, therefore, to present the founda-
ton upon which it rested. stated before go
ing into the argument that had nothing to
say against Mr.. Carne that we were on most
friendly terms, aud that we had frequently
complimcnted him for his efficiency as Super
intendcnt Of Schools, &c. 1t was my desire to
present no statement that did not give facts
we'll knowo in the community, aud thus guard
against doing him unnecessary harm.
And here comes 10 the perversion and
Misrepresentation Of the eighth item: 1t
was not my statement that st. Johns was
a Catholic school but the statement of the SEES
sion and the foundation upon which it rested
its charge.
| said Mr. G. does not conceal that he is an
ardent Catholic and is Il member of Jesuit
church. Here DR.. B. asked the privilege OF
making 4 statement which granted He said
MIR. G. had told him with his own lips that he
was not Jesuit. | replied, did MT sayhc 'oas
but that he belonged to a Jesuit church.
My next proposition was, that he did not con-
ccal the fact that he taught the catcchism and
church doctrine in his school. Here | took
pains to guard against mistake, stating
that he did not tech them to bis protes
taut scholars. then stated the files of the
Gazette would show that premiums were
given to those catholic scholars who were
proficient 10 these studies Pervcrson is seen
here in the fact that au charged with calling
Mr.. G Jesuit, and asserting that the cate
chism, &C., was taught indlscrimlnatcly. Al
ter referring to few passages in a text book,
used iu the school some time since, DR.. Ham
mer, said, Brother Winner it is enough; then
went on as it is stated in the 9th item, except
that in response to him, said did not wish to
press the matter any further. The Presbytery
took no action whatever.
1t will be seen by the report of the stated
clerk in the Baltimore Gazette, and Central
Presbyterian, that no mention is made of items
published here, for no other purpose, thibk,
than to do me harm--and when it is known that
the party who did it and remains out of sight
is personal enemy, his purpose, apparent upon