Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-01
Rev. J. R. Wallace's Case Causes
Bad Feeling in the U. ?. Synod.
PREACHERS DRAW THEIRDAGGERS
Foreign Missionaries Start for Their
Fields of Labor.
AN EVANGELIST NEEDED IN CHURCH

OF Jamestown, Pa, to the Synod from the
action of the Presbytery was taken up. r
The afternoon session opened with prayer
by Rev H. Sturgeon. The report of the
Committee on Narration and State of Re-
| llgion was read, after which the
report of the Committee on De-
votional Exercises was presented. At
this juncture a motion was made and sec
of jamestown, be postponed until after re-
cess. An intermission was then
| taken to allow the elders and
! members of the Synod to visit with the
missionaries present and to bid them fare
well, as they expected to leave later in the
day for their different missions Among
the missionaries present were DR.. William
| Harvey and wife and Miss Annie Thomp-
son, missionaries to Egypt, who are now on
visit to this country; Rev. w. 7. Ander-
son and wife, of Elders Ridge, Pa; Rev. E.
L. Porter, of Pleasant Unity, Pa; Miss
Minnie Parks, of Denver; Miss Susie Young,
of Kansas; Miss Marion NJ. Ebleton, of
Monmouth, Ill, and Miss Mary E. Logan,
of Pushville, Ind. The four last named
ladies are Just starting out in the mission
ary field and are going to the Sialcot mis-
sion in India, under the direction of the
Woman's Board, of which Mrs. j. w. Reed
is corresponding secretary.
BLESSING THE FOREIGN MISSIONARIES.
After recess the synod was called to order
by the Moderator, and Rev. DIR. Wither-
spoon was called upon to invoke the divine
blessing upon the synod and to God-speed the
missionaries in their mission of love in
foreign lands. The Moderator then deliv-
cred brief but feeling address to the mis-
sionaries, in behalf of the congregation, ad-
monishing them to bear up bravely with
increasing zeal and faith no matter what
tribulations might befall them, and to strike
down the monster Ignorance and idolatry
with the sword of the Spirit wherever they
NAV chance to minister.
After the missionaries had taken their
departure the special session was called to
act upon the case of Rev. j. r. Wallace
A member of Synod arose and called for the
reading of the records in the case. The call
was sustained and the clerk responded by
reading the records and also the letter from
Rev. j. R. Wallace to the Synod, refusing
to resign his pastorate and and asking the
Synod to sustain him in the matter. In
the letter Rev. Mr.. Wallace said he
could not see his way clear to resign
under the existing circumstances and
therefore, appealing from the decision of
the late Presbytery, he begged that the
Synod give him fair trial and reinstate
him in his pastorate. Papers were then
read speaking of the resignation of the
elders of the jamestown church, in which
the elders stated emphatically that they
did not believe their withdrawal or that of
their PASTOR Rev. Mr.. Wallace, would
hi, J. +lo OH hor
elements the Presbytery alleged were
lacking owingto their presence in office in
the church. 49,.
WANTED THE TESTIMONY READ.
, At the close of the reading of these pa
pers, several members of Synod, among
them Mr.. Wallace. arose and asked that the
testimony in the case be furnished before
the trial proceeded any further. A member
then jumped up and said he did not see that
the Synod, respecting the rights and priyi-
leges of the Presbytery at jamestown,
could change tle decision of that
honorable body. This brought Rev. Mr..
Wallace to his feet again.
cit is a very strange thing" he said,
"that the Synod has no action over pastoral
relations, regardless of the Presbytery,
which is a lower body
The Moderator then took hand by re-
minding the Synod that the question before
them was as to whether or not the testimony
should be heard. Motion in the affirmative
was made and carried, and the clerk then
proceeded to read the testimony in
the investigation Of the charges
against Mr.. Wallace. Among other
things tie testimony in the trial
showed that Wallace had frequently used
abusive language in the Presbyteries, and
had shown his temper on several occasions,
It stated that he had called several conere-
cations "scab" churches. Another charge
was that young people do not attend The
testimony in behalf of defendant was that
the dissatisfaction in the church was caused
by the wrangling of some of the members
over the organ and the music, and not be-
cause of unpleasant relations with the
pastor. The defendants witnesses further
stated that they had never heard any
abusive language, and had always
considered Rev. Mr.. Wallace a kind, con-
siderate and loving PASTOR and that two
thirds of the congregation, if not more,
would sustain that declaration. 1t also
stated that fully 20 young people had united
with the church in the past two years.
AT the close of the reading of testimony,
motion was offered that the contestants be
limited to one-half hour each in presenting
their case to the Synod. In order to do
this motion to extend the time of adjourn
ment 25 minutes was carried and the pre-
vious motion was then carried.
WALLACE DEFENDS HIS POSITION.
Rev. Mr.. Wallace, the complainant, then
took the floor He said:
'tIt is with great sorrow that 1 come be-
fore you to-day on this painful charge which
has been preferred against me, but must
defend myself and my position. The Pres
bytery claims that it sent committee to
investigate the condition of affairs in nv
church. They did not investigate. They
came, but found nothing wrong They
managed to scrape around and get few
little petty charges of my using abusive |
language, ETC., and brought these to bear |
against me. Then 1 was asked to
resign in the interest of peace, which re-
fused to do, whereupon the Presbvtery |
thrust me out This is not Just at all. They |
say 1 called several churches 'scabs.' adj |
NIT, at times. that may have been indis- |
Greet, but if my memory serves me right. |
the only instances in which I used that |
term was in applying it to members of |
churches by saying that there were scae in |
every congregation. What of that? l have |
heard many minister say that he would
succeed better were there not so MANY scala |
wags in the church. They say that |
1 used the term, 1T is a lie,' instead |
of saying 'falsehood.' That reminds of |
the Senator who said ofanother that he was |
not brave He might as well have called |
him coward
In conclusion of his defence, Rev. Wal |
lace said that seven-eighths of the peonle
were in his favor and that of 70 persons: |
represented only half a dozen fami-
lies and their relatives were opposed To him
and that upon them hung all the trouble
He did not think the evidence sufficient to I
convict him