The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-01-27
Communicated
HIGH-HANDED ECCLESLASTI-
CAL OUTRAGE.


CAL OUTRAGE.
In Jackson township, this county, is a
church, owned jointly by the Lutheran
and Reformed denominations, known as
the Mud-Brook Church. The pastor of
the Lutheran congregation. worshiping
here, (Rev, J. Humberger, of Fulton, is
a member of the old joint Synod of Ohio,
which is ultra symbolical, and most rig
idly exclusive and sectarian. How well
the above-named gentleman carries out
the regulations of his Synod, and to what
unChristian outrages it leads, is seen by
the following incident:
On Monday, the 18th inst, there was a
funeral in one of the families of this con-
gregation-Miss Cora Braucher, daughter
of Jonas Braucher, who had been an in
valid for years. was to be buried at the
Mud-Brook Church. This pastor had
never visited the young lady during her
illness, and had expressed himself con-
cerning the family in such Il way as to
ALLEVIATE them, in a measure, from him,
but they still held their connection with
the church, and were doing as best they
could under all the circumstances. But
now, when the daughter was to be buried,
the family felt desire to have another
minister, who might take part in the SER
vices along with the pastor Accord
ingly, Rev. L. M. Kuhns, pastor of the
English Lutheran Church of Canton, was
invited to attend and preach sermon
in English, while the pastor, who speaks
both languages, should preach in Ger
man.
When the time came to leave the house
for the church, Rev. Mr.. Humberger had
not yet arrived. After waiting a short
time, portion of Scripture was read and
prayer offered by Rev. Mr.. Kuhns, and
the procession started. After proceeding
a short distance on the way towards the
church, Mr.. H., who seemed to be wait
ing and watching for the procession to
come, turned in front and led the process
sion to the church.
On arriving at the church, and before
entering it, he came Immediately to Mr.
Kuhns, who was an entire stranger to
him, and introducing himself, notified
him that he would not be allowed to
preach, or take any part in the service.
He said the family had not been doing
their duty towards him and the church,
and had sent away for another minister
without first consulting him, and he in
tended to teach them lesson that they
would not soon forget. Mr.. X. remon-
strated with him, stating that personally
he had no desire to preach, but that the
feelings and wishes ofthis deeply-afflicted
family should be, at least in some meas
ure, respected-that if the family were
not doing right, he had better take some
other time to teach and reprove them,
and not outrage their feelings by the
course he proposed that day. To this he
replied that whatever preaching was
done that day he intended to do himself,
and that if Mr. X. persisted in his pur-
pose to preach, he would use forcible
means to prevent it. To this Mr.. X.
simply replied that he would be saved
all such trouble, as he had ne desire or
intention of entering his pulpit by force,
but warned him that the whole respon-
sibility of the outrage must rest on him.
In the meantime the corpse had been
carried into the church, and the friends
had taken their places, so that all oppor
tunity of explanation or further remon-
STRANGE was cut off
Mr.. H. then entered the church and
took his place at the altar, without even
showing Mr.. X. to seat, or giving him
the slightest attention, and commenced
the services. When he entered the pull
pit and commenced his text, he com
menced his discourse by speaking of the
relations existing between pastor and
his people, making this special point =
that it was the business of the pastor to
bury the dead of his congregation-tha
no other minister had any right to come
and step in between and interfere with
the pastor; and that no family in the
church had any right to invite another
minister to come and take any part what
ever in the services of such an occasion
that sometimes families, for the sake of
display, would send away and import
another minister to attend their funerals
and make display of his eloquence, and
move them to tears, &C., &C., but this
was all wrong-it was the pastors duty
to so present the Word of God to them
as to dry their tears and that he in
tended to teach his people better by his
precepts and by his examples, &C., &c.
In the course of his sermon, or har-
angue, referring to the deceased, he ex-
pressed the confident belief that she was
prepared for death and for heaven, be-
cause she had been baptized When a babe
putting itsolely on this ground-but then
also remarked that he had understood
that she was right good sort ola young
lady, but that she might have been much
better had the family done their duty to
her more faithfully. This is a sample of
the manner in which the pastor under
took to dry up the tears of the afflicted
and sorrowing with the Word of God.
At the grave he read the burial service
and dismissed the congregation with the
benediction. Mr.. K. who had not spoken
word up to this time, now said that he
desired to make word of explanation
before the people would disperse-that
he had been invited to attend this fu-
neral and preach sermon on the occa-
sion; that he had no personal acquaint-
ance with the family, but in obedience to
their invitation he had come expecting
to preach, according to their request, but
was met at the door by this pastor, who
had positively forbidden him to take any
part whatever in the services-that he
had not the slightest intention or desire
to interfere with the pastor, and that all
the insinuations of interference, con-
tanned in the discourse which they had
just heard, were entirely gratuitous and
without foundation; and that the whole
responsibility of this days transactions
must rest upon this pastor himself.