Daily Republican., 1881-05-28
OUR DELAWARE CITY CHURCH.
An Open letter frOm DIR. Stewart TO
BISHOP Loo.

An Open Letter from DIR. Stewart to
Bishop l~o.
DELAWARE CITY, May 25.-My dear
Bishop Allow me to demonstrate with
you for continuing to permit and encour-
age the agitation of matters connected
with the attempt of persons to rule the
religious affairs of the church, not being
called thereto, and to over-rule the
clergy. Take one set apart for the SER
vice of God and the oversight OF their
tlocks. ] refer to the fact in Trinity
church, Wilmington; in Christ church,
Delaware City, and elsewhere, you have
seen fit, with persistent determination,
to insist upon the resignation of men
who are your equals in every quality
and work necessary for the public min
istry of the church, and, in one case,
your elder in this diocese, but who We're
not capable of agreement with you in
State politics, in yOur church politics,
or in the conduct of human life ; and II
happens that all of these men stald
very high in the communities in which
they live You will remember that
again and again | have demonstrated
with you by letter and in person against
the disposition charged upon you by
some of the best of our clergy to sympa-
thize against your brethern, and with
the women and men, who, by private
letters, influenced your mind to evil.
Icall to witness the community around
me, who are now preiudicod against
you beyond my control, that until You
melted the officers of your staff to brand
me rs a lunatic-if thereby you could
be saved from an investigation of the
past-l have defended you othe utmost
of my power.
now ask you to consider how you,
and YOU alone, are responsible for all
the evil that results from this cruel per-
secution of your brethren. The Stand
ing committee are not responsible, see
ing they have uniformly acted as
prompted by you, for they decided in
favor of the rector Of Christ church,
when you wished it; then they reversed
their decision when you wished them
to do 50. Their president wrote most
friendly letters to Mr.. p. and to me, and
in few days they treat us in the most
dishOnorable, unChristian and cruel
manner, and that without any reason,
save only to sustain you in your present
course Of action.
When an effort was made by the pre-
sentiment Of these men to bring ont be-
fore church councils all the facts of the
case and stay proceedings, you sup
pressed the investigation and pro-
nounced it absurd. When lawful
measures are taken to inquire into your
own conduct, you assemble the Stand
ing committee and they (in your own
words addressed to me by letter) pro-
noumce it absurd, and stigmatize men
who are your peers in the communion
and fellowship of the church, as unfit
to ask for an investigation into your
conduct. Seeing they belong to the pro-
tlucing classes, and the committee re-
echo the words used by you behind my
back, (befOre the Chancellor) to de-
stroy the character OF a brother, if so
be, you can,be saved this investigation.
When begged you to let me come to
you and that you and could settle this
matter in an hours frank converse, you
cause us to be disturbed in our parish
you cause us to be brought be-
fore the chancellor; you then have re-
course to the Supreme court; your friend
tIltt IOlliStl llNtS lt clIlOllftl NpluHliS
)f q paper of which he is part owner, to
brand my good name because ! was
ruilty of the objectionable crime (in- |
,anit7, Of having the confidence Of the
,r0duG;lig ClasseSwhqnominated me as I
governor of the State
1t is unfortunate for you, that up to
he day when | consented to act rs
.ounsel for Mr.. Phillips, your letters
ire all that confidence ami personal re
gard could make them; and that, from
hat time, they change their tune, and
hat being guilty of no other crimethan
hat of seeking to save and defend these
suffering people, and my brother, you
now seek to destroy Ee.
Who steals my purse, steals trash,
Twas mine; 'tis his,
1t has been slave to thousands;
But he who tilches my good name takes
that which not enriches him,
But makes me poor indeed.
The last of all these monstrous pro-
'eedings is that you allow your friends
o blame this poor and prosecuted peo-
Dle and their rector for results.
Truly yours, X. j. STEWART.