The Portland daily press., 1876-03-04
PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
The Formal Charges Against
Bowen.
Last Nights Business Meeting.

New YORK, March 3,-The Brooklyn Eagle
SAYS:
"There appears no reason to doubt that
Henry G. Bowen will be expelled from Ply
mouth church at an searly day. The feeling
against him among the members of the con-
gregatlon Is at flood tide and the denunciations
of the patriarch are numerous and vehement.
Many of the brethren are dissatisfied because
of the delay at what they consider the duty of
the church. They hold that decisive steps
should be taken at once"
The special committee of five appointed
wednesday to present the charges of the ex-
aiming committee to Bowen and to listen to
any evidence he has to submit in substantation
OF his allegations against Beecher, will proba.
bly appoint next Wednesday evening as the
time and the church parlors as the place, at
which Bowen shall appear to prove his charges
OF practically show cause why he should not be
expelled ior slandering the pastor and abusing
the confidence of the members of the church.
The charges of the examining committee and
summons 10 appear before special committee
OF hve, Will probably be served on Bowen to-
morrow, by Mr.. Tilney, the clerk of the church.
The charges are as follows:
l. We charge Henry G. Bowen with a yio-
lation of his covenant with this church in that
while common rumor and report charged him
with being in possession of facts inconsistent
with the integrity and purity of the pastor.
and with having made statements damaging to
the pastors character, he refused either to deny
or affirm that he knew such facts or that he
had made such statements.
2. We charge Henry G. Bowen with un.
christian disreputable and dshonorable con-
duct in tn matter of his answering to the ex-
aiming committee of this church before
whom he had been summoned at the request of
Stephen V. White.
3. We charge Henry G. Bowen with euuiyo-
cation and fasehood.
4. We charge Henry G. Bowen with SLAM
der.
5. We charge Henry G. Bowen with I'm
christian conduct and violation of his covenant
with the church.
On behalf of the examining committee of
the church.
(signedl THOMAS J. TILNEY, Clerk.
The lecture room of Plymouth church was
crowded to overlooking at the prayer meeting
Tonight, the attendants expecting there would
be big time
The adjourned annual business meeting was
then called to order and Clerk Tilney an
Dounced that Messrs. r. w. Ropes, g. f.
Christensen and E. A. Lscomb, were unable
to act on the committee appointed to try the
case Of Henry 9. Bowen, and Messrs. Xenia
Casey, Aaron Healy and T. M. Spillman were
appointed TO fill their places.
Mr. Sherman said there appeared to be a
great deal of misapprehension with regard to
the power given to the church BY the Advisory
Council in case any charges were presented
against the pastor He said this was all be-
cause of the way men had of reading the first
portion OF paragraph and then reading the
end, and placing wrong construction on its
meaning He then offered the following res
olutiOns: rt'r fgs --t--.'.
Resolved, That for the purpose of removing
all possible misapprebension upon this point,
this church hereby declares that it has always
understood and believed the advice submitted
by the Advisory Council as leaving to the
church and its committee no option in case the
charges are presented except to forward them
to the committee appointed by that council,
leaving to that committee the sole responsible
ity of deciding whether such charges are to be
laid before the examining ommittee.
Resolved, That the examining cOmmsttee are
hereby instructed upon the receipt by that COM
mittee of any charges which the persons pre-
senting to be the claim within the plan of the
council, to forward the same at once to the COM
mittee of the council, with the request that
they take such action as may seem just without
consultation with this church or any officers
thereof.
Rosster W. Raymond said he desired to add
his testimony to that of Sherman in relation
to the general misapprehenson in this matter.
Henry q. King thought the resolutions were
very important, and should be adopted and 60
forth to the world.
Beecher then arose and said he thought it an
extraordinary matter that great church like
Plymouth had been striving through two years
by every means for the development of facts,
and last, after trial by itself, after six
months trial of its pastor in civil court, after
having called an unparalleled council, and after
having made it so plain that not one man of the
300 failed to understand that Plymouth church,
With its pastor at its head, desired above all
things to have an investigation, not by a ram
bling, self-constituted tribunal, but by a we'll
authenticated tribunal of any kind, that now
large part or at any rate no inconsiderable por-
ton, of the press of the United States should
go on putting Plymouth church in a position by
which it might hinder or prevent the truth.
There never had been the parallel of such
monstrous ignorance. He was sure he wanted
and they wanted most thorough, securing in
vestl cation. Beecher referred bitterly though
briefly to the Bowen matter, which he charac-
terized as sewerage of the most filthy kind
which had been running through the ears of
the deople. He said that he supposed 1t was
hardly in order, but he expected to have
chance to speak of it yet.
Assistant pastor Halliday could not see tina t
they were going to cure the matter by the pas
sage of the esolutions.
Other addresses were delivered in favor of
the resolutions by by DR.. DIR. Edward Beecher
| published letter from Rev. Egbert G. Smith of
Andover, ia relation to the matter.
Mr.. Halliday offered as an amendment that
the resolutions be forworded to that paper in
| quest that they be published. This was subse.
| quently withdrawn and the resolutions were
adopted.
Horatio @. King stated that he had received
the first :nstalment of the official report by the
| council and he thought they should have it
| printed Some discussion was had on this SUBJ
| ject, and on the motion of Mr. Beecher DR.. Ed
ward Beecher, Thomas j. G. Sherson and Ho-
| ratio G. King were appointed committee to
| prepare the report of the advisory council and
| with the approval of the trustees to have 1t
| printed.
Mr. Sherman moved that When the met ting
| adjourn it be at the call of the moderator
Mr.. Beecher said. he was anxious that the
| committee appointed in relation to the case of
Henry g. Bowen proceed with it's business
| without delay, ard the meeting adjourned