Daily Republican., 1881-01-15
mR. HALDBMAN's DEFENCE.
what tho Reverend 0eneIemeu
Gavs Of ehe Church Tr0ubte-
Amswering Mr.. EmmOa's attack

MKssRs. BDIT0Rs: AZ Mr. harry hm
mons has taken advantage Of your COL
umns to attack me, under the specie ri
plea Of self.defsnos, will you accord mi
an opportunity through the same col
umns to answer
Mr.. Immons asserts that "the pres
eut difficulty in the Del aware Avenue
Church, in his Judgment, Is owing "
the lack of wisdom shown by the pas
tor in noticing newspaper reports" lie
then rseurs to the statement which he
supposes gave the most offence to the
pastor, viz: "that he (ths pastor) was
charged with having practically iS'
nored the Sunday School"
II IL unwiss to notice slander, II
| Ia equally unwise 10 start one. have
no direct evidence, but | believe, and
80 have charged him TO his face, that
Mr.. Rmmons, If not the writer OF the
statement in question, had at least a
large share in its inspiration.
That paragraph not merely charged
me with ignoring the school, but gave
color to the opinion that l was opposed
to Bible School work. He understood
why had not taken part in the Bible
School during this last year he even
admitted TO me that he believed the
reasons were good and just ones. He
also knew that previous to the year
Just passed, had had class In the
school for six months, but was forced
TO give 1t up because had already
more labor than could we'll accom-
plish. | ask, then, In the name OF
decent manhood, was it right TO give
birth to q statement that would lead Ia
the circulation Of 40 absolute an an
trutn that am "not the friend OF Sun
day schools!" Is this the code OF gen,
tlemAni Is It not rather the act OF an
enemy who hides, as he himself ex'
pressed 1t to me, behind 3 divided re-
sponsibility and fires his oowardly shot
upon the unsuspscting victim, and
then, when that victim finds him ouI
and hunts him down, frsntically calls
upon the "public to sustain him 7"
He states that | am not In sympathy
with the present method Of Sunday
School work. That word "nethod" Ii
either very large or very narrow In
its meaning, according 20 the intent o.
the writer. II he seeks to imply that
| am opposed TO evangelical work In
the Sunday School he states what he
knows to be q deliberate talsehood.
In respect to my remarks concerning
Mr.. FolWell | have only TO say that the
attempt to create She impression that
anything, even critical, was said o.
that gentleman, Is simply monstrous,
and is practically saying "you did,
attes man has said III did not" and
thus converts it into q question OF We
racity; and the ease with which an
enemy can take speakers words and
distort them, or even put into his
mouth language he never imagined
has had very prominent illustration o.
late. Nevertheless, If by any mental
process he really reached the oonclu
sion that was assaulting Mr.. Fol"ell
then | can only hope that his future
clients will never bs left to the peril o
o similar procsss-a process which will
make the client mean black when he
says white.
il ia not true that | charged hin
with a sinister motive as promptin.
his action before the Teachers Associa
1 ton. | stated what l believed TO b.
his motive, viz: To make 1t appear Il
the Association that | had no more
right in IL than a citizen of Kamschat
ka. As he has himself confessed thai
10 bs his motive my surmise concerning
1t was correct.
His assault upon the Board of Dea
cons is the brutal answer of q man who
smarts under the sense Of merite1
defeat. Cut the church membership
down to one halt, and after the mos
Liberal discount he cannot find six mel
who will stand with him in the breach
no. six men who have any potency
either in words or money.
II hs really believes that ga large
and respectable minority" is opposed
to the pastor, it is only charity to sup
pose that he Is the subject of mispl 4ceG
confidence, or, what is more pitiable
and at the same time probable, includes
himself as the larger part Of that mi
nority. He says there Is no 'factious'
deposition to Mr.. Haldemsn. That II
ltrue. would not remain an hour i
There was. | believe that have the
support Of my church as few pastors
have ever had and when ahy issue
has been raised they have rallied over.
whelmiDgly TO my support. have bul
lone purpose in now remaining with
them that ia to deliver them frouI
their financial straits. | took the
church when IL was bankrupt, but
hope 10 leave it absolutely secure.
30 utterly unhindered am | by the
fear of any opposition that if | had
been present at the meeting last Sun.
day morning MIR. Emmons would have
bsep givsn the widest liberty to say all
he pleased. Indeed | have learned
that the surest and safest way to defeat
him Is to give him a chaace to talk II
public,
In conolusion | have to say: The
Church Ia with me-the Association is
with me--his own sunday School class
is with me, TO- it has requested him "a
resign as it's teacher, and above all,
Mr.. Aysrs, the superintendent of thu
Bible School, whom Mr.. Emmons quotss
as against me-, is with me so also is
Mr.. Pryor, one Of the four published
as opposed and as evidence that they
are in hearty accord and sympathy
with the pastor and propose to stand
by him, tney sign their names under
mine. Feeling that | have won every
thing in this issue that propos 9 ], and
knowing that am right, shall make
no reply TO any further scurrilous az
saults upon me and my church.
Frankly yours, l. M. HALDEMAN,
Pastor of Delawa are Av. Baptist Church