The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-02-15
A CHRISTENING
CAUSES A SUIT.
DANIEL JONES CAUSES THE
ARREST OF REV. WEST.
AN INTERESTING POINT OF LAW.
Mr.. Jones Says the O ergyman
Had No Right to Christen His
Child in the Face Of His
Protest.

A case in which very interesting point
of law is involved was before Squire
Walker The parties interested are Daniel
Jones, of South West street, the complain
ant, and Rev. Floyd West, pastor of the
Protestant Episcopal church. the defend
ant.
Jones and his wife are living apart. TIE
latter is stopping with her mother and has
her threa-months old child with her. Sat
urday Mr.. Jones inserted notice in the
HERALD notifying the public that his wife
had left his bed and board. He then went
to Squire Walkers office and caused q
warrant to be issued for the arrest of Rev.
West.
Jones stated on the hearing of the case
that week ago last Thursday his wife
went to her mothers home because she was
sick and because she was invited there by
the mother The wife has since refused to
| return to her husbands domicile.
The husband says he belongs to the Eng
lish Baptist church. A week ago Saturday
he learned that his wife and her mother
in.ended having his child christened in the
| Primitive Methodist church the following
Sunday morning. Jones notified Rev.
r lssell, pastor of the church. not to chris.
ten the child, as he wished it baptized &C.
cording to own faith, and Rev. Russell re-
spected the notice.
The next day Sunday Jones learned
that his child wa, to be taken to the Protes-
tant Episcopal church to be christened.
When the evening service opened Jones
was in the vestibule of the church, he
learned that his wife, her mother and the
child were inside. Waiting until Rev
West asked that the child to be christened
be brought forward, Jones stepped inside
and exclaimed, holding up his right hand;
Hold up, brother. If you christen that
child you do it against the wish of the
father, If you christen the child you do it
against the religion of the father"
Rev, West, according to Jones' story,
said, "Sit down, my young man, and be
calm" Jones sat down and the clergy
man asked if it was the mothers desire
that the child should be christened. There
was an answer yes" Jones says it was
his mother-in-lsw, and not the wife who
answered However the child was pre-
sented at the font and christened. Af.er
the service Rev. West walked up to Jones
and said the ceremony was not performed
to hurt him or h religion,
Rev. West made statement to the
squire III which he substantially corrobor-
stei Jones version of the church scene.
He also stated that he learned after the
christening that Jones and his wife were
living apart
Squire Walker read the law under
which the warrant is issued 1t is embraced
in the law relating to parent and child in
Binn's dig st and reads as follows;
1T has been decided that a parent is in
structed with the religious, moral and literary
education Of his child This duty gives him the
| right TO select proper teachers-and therefore a
| minister OF the gospel has no right TO admins
| ter baptism by immersion against the express
| prohibition of father, to q female of about II
years OF age who was already baptized accord
| ing to the usage of the denomination to which
/ she belonged. But il is ruled that father has
| no right 10 control or interfere with the rights
| of conscience of his minor child who has
arrived at the age Of discretion, in relation to
the worship Of Almighty God"
Rev. West suggested that as the husband
and wife were living apart the law wou d
not apply.
Jones said that the wife did not decide
not to return to him until after the chris
tening. That he has furnished medicine
and other articles for the wife and child
since the separation and had sent Squire
Walker to his wife with request that she
return to him, but she refused.
After talk, Squire Walker put Rev,
West and Jones under $50 bail each on
their own recognizance to appear next
Thursday evening. By that time it will
be decided whether the matter will be
taken TO court to make test case