Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1895-06-17
A" DEMON OF DISCORD.
That is What the Post Terms
Rev. P. B. Lightner,
THE LATE NEW CASTLE RECTOR


Mr.. Lightner States That He Found In
Christ Church Mixed Congregation
That Badly Needed wedding Out mo-
body Can Remove Him But the Bishop.
weII-Known in Delaware.
Special Correspondence Evening Journal.
NEW CASTLE, June II According
TO the Denver Evening Post Of June IL,
Rev, ?, B Lightner, late rector OF In
manuel parish. this city, has launched
his craft into troubled waters Under the
big head Demon Of Discord, the Post
says;
Rev P B Lightner, rector Of Christ's
Episcopal Church, came 10 Denver from
New Castle, Delaware, abont year ago
~ response to a call from the members
of that parish According to The story
told by the psrishioners his pastorate
has not been a success, ard before he had
been there two months dlsintegration
commenced to set In in various branches
Of the church. Individual members FIRST
took exc ption to the pastors effort to
reorganize the Sunday school, which they
had always regarded as moderately
successful. However, Mr. Llghtner was
convinced that the Sunday school needed
reorganization and accordingly 1t was
reorganizsd according to his ideas.
"fhe disaffection caused by this in
novatlon was increased soon afterwerd
by change that Mr. Llghtner insisted in
instituting in the church choir. The
choir up TO that time had been a very
contented and peacesble choir, but when
they discovered that they, too, would be
obliged to submit to the reorganization
process hey settled matters by resigning
in body However, this circumstance
did not appear 10 phase the rector in
the least, for he speedily replaced the
anarchistic choir BY boy choir, which
has been chanting anthems and leading
the music each Sunday ever sincs
"a large msjority of the congregation
did not like this arrangement and
absolutely refused to be conteated with
thelnew regime, and in allprobRbility the
pastors lot after this was not one TO be
particularly envisd II is said also that
Mr. Lightner had falling out with the
ladies' guild, in addition to the choir
and the Sunday school, and SO on it came
to pass that more and mo re became
srrayed against him.
Rector Became worldly.
About this time it Is claimed that
Mr.. Lightner made the discovery that the
church finances were not in such = con-
dition as they had been stated to him
when he had been induced to leave his
Delaware home to locate in the West.
al d occasionally he manifested his dis
approval Of matters from the pul pit in a
manner that was not soothing to some OF
the church people.
Finally 1t became evident that a
church cr house thus divided within
Itself could not STAND, and the vestry
determined TO take action The matter
was discussed among themselves, and as
ell appeared TO be unanimous, one Of Mr..
Lightner's personal friends. who happened
to be a member OF that body, thinking to
do him a service, wrote him a letter
stating that the vestry was about TO ask
for his resignation, and as the SC c.lon
would undoubtedly be unanimous it
would probably render their task much
easier II be would voluntarily sever his
connection with the church The letter
was written about May Is and stated,
further, that q meeting was to be- held
at Judge PAtterson's 3 house at which the
vsstry would ask for his resignation as q
body.
''Mr Lightnsr evidently did not feel
called upon to tender his resignation.
and notified the vestry in such emphatic
terms that they decided that the easiest
way out Of it was to resign in a body.
which they did at meeting held after
ward
THE resignation Of the vestry left Nr
Lightner in triumphant possession Of the
church, and since then It is said that he
has held service there regularly every
Sunday, oblivious Of the fact as to
whether or not a congregation was
present to listen TO his remarks It Is
said also that he has made use Of the
expression that the congregation could
only get rid Of him In two ways. One
was by freezing MIN out, and the other
By starving him out, and that he in
tended to maintain his position as rector
Of the church until removed BY the
bishop
rhe situation is simply this, said
Mr. Lightner in an interview. srhe
vestry had not succeeded in raising the
necessary income with which TO maintain
the church. aud having failed, were
compelled to step out. The bishop and
] are working together in perfect hgr-
mony, and he Is of the opinion that
took the right course The only way
congregation can get rid Of a pastor in
the Episcopal church is by petitioning
to the bishop, aud II he sees ht he can
remove him The vestry, Ia the first
place, did not 90 to work tight, and then
sgain, they never took action as a body,
asking my resignation
''Mr. Lightner was asked II IL were
true that majority OF the parishioners
had left the church He replied that it
was not, IS the congregation Of late had
been more than unusually isrge, but as
the last three Sundays have bsen very
rainy he has beer unable TO tell whether
the veslry have left the church or not
THE great trouble with some Of that
congregation, he said, was that they
were made up of Congregationslists
Methodlsts, and every other denomina.-
tion except that which they tried TO be-
There we're but few Episcopalians among
them. l presume that the element
which was largly responsible for pro-
noting the dseord that there was said
TO be, has now left the church and their
places will be filed by more harmonious
set Of members 1t will be for he best
Interests of the church If this is So
The Bishop IN Baltimore.