The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-27

| Inc Rev Quincy Ewing, rector of the
Church of the Advent, has written the
following open letter to the Rev DR.. R.
H. cobbs secretary of the Episcopal
diocesan council of Alabama, in reply to
Dr. Cobbs letter to Col. r. Fl. Pearson,
senior warden of the Advent. which was
dated June 20 and which appeared IN
The Age=Herald of yesterday:
The Advent Reotory.
Birmingham, Ala, June 26 1904
The Rev. r. II. Cobbs, d. D..
Greensboro. Ala
Rev. and Dear Sir: 1t has been my
wish to keep out of the public prints while
the bishop OF the diocese and the vestry
of the Church Of the Advent were en-
gagged In settling their canonical Cor un-
canonicaD differences. believing that the
able and distinguished gentlemen who
compose this vestry were fully equal to
the task of truly and wisely representing
the Advent Parish in any controversy with
anybody In which they saw fit to Join.
This wish have managed to put into eff
rect, during the past six months, In spite
Of serious provocations urging upon me a
contrary course. That contrary course I
must now take.
In justice to my friends in Birmingham
and elsewhere, as well as to myself, / can
| liOi diiON " pass nnnOIlcfQ the para
graph in your letter to Col r. H. Pearson
published in The Age-Herald, June 20.
which reads as follows:
In my judgment Bishop BeckHith was
perfectly just and perfectly consistent In
his course. ] will go further and say that
had he on September o. 1908 given the
evidence in writing, based upon informa-
ton then in his possession, It would have
been his duty after the reception of the
letter dimissory, October 4, to have with
drawn that evidence"
Such a statement published by an ordl-
nary man on the street." or by one not
so widely credited as you with saintiness
OF temper and Of character l could well
afford to treat with the indifference of
silence. But YOU, sir, are an old and hon
ored officer of this diocese: you inform
the public that you have been secretary
of the council for more than thirty con-
secutive years." and those who know you
BEST | understand, regard your reputa-
ton for saintliness to have been we'll
earned. Therefore, a statement like the
above made by you, possesses the seri-
BUSINESS of challenge which l have not
the right to ignore.
You maintain that Bishop Beckwith
was entirely justified in declining to GER
tify to the Advent vestry, September q,
1903, that I was "a qualified clergyman of
this church." Gle did not. by the way,
decline so to certify at that date, but.
on the contrary. stated to the vestry that
| was a qualified clergyman" and prom
ised the certificate at onoe).
You go further and say that had he
given the certificate, September 81, at
would have been his duty to Withdraw
It" after he received the letter OF trans
fer which was given me by the bishop of
Mississippi, October 3, 1903. In other
words, there was something in this letter
of transfer which made it impossible
~ q hnr IHnIr xr~f4 u.
a qualified clergyman of the churcs'
without violating his dutyi
This Is serious, decidedly 50! You tell
the public that IN year judgment | was
not, September p, 1903, qualified clergy
man" Of tlre Protestant Episcopal church
In the United States of Americal You
leave the public to infer that In the do
oese of Mississippi I had been guilty of
some misdeed prior TO September q. 1903,
| by reason of which | was under some
ban in that diocese-a disqualified clergy
man of the church. at that date! You
have made your statement. l now call
upon you to prove 1t, or retract II. And
this call make upon you puts your honor
and your Christian manhood at stake.
You cannot avoid in justice to your
own honor either retracting the state
ment In your open letter to Colonel Pear
| son, or furnish ing proof that you were
justified In making 1t. I challenge you
to show by proof that on September 27,
1909, my standing as a clergyman In
mississippi was not as good as that of
any other clergyman in that diocese 1
challenge YOU to show that I was under
| any ban of any sort. / challenge you to
show that there was any charge OF any
sort lodged against me with the ecclesi-
astical authority of Mississippi And If
you accept all. or any of these chaI-
lenges, and sECw by PROOF that Bishop
Beckwith could not have truly certified.
September 81 1903, that l was a qualified
clergyman of the church. because at that
date | was dlsquaifed-had been ad-
judged Justly liable to evil report for err
ror In religion. or viciousness of life"-by
the Mississippi ecclesiastical authority
the authority to which was directly re-
sponsible for my mode of life, and my
interpretations of the doctrines and
canons of the church, l hereby pledge
myself to resign the rectorship of the
Church of the Advent, and ask for
letter of transfer back to Mississippi
regular or irregular" In order that
the Mississippi ecclesiastical authority
may have jurisdiction to take action
now, on the charge. which you have by
innuendo told the public was lodged
against me in that diocese September 81
or October 4, 1903. 1t Will give you little
trouble to lay hold on the necessary and
sufficient proof of your statement II II
exists. You have but to put yourself In
communication with the officers of the
Mississippi standing committee whose
address you doubtless have
In private correspondence have sew
eral times quoted to you the statement
made to me by tho bishop of Mississippi,
October 2 1908 viz. Your standing In
this diocese is as good as my own" For
some reason YOU have chosen to attach no
Importance whatever to this quoted ut
terance of Bishop Bratton. Perhaps you
doubted the goodness or my memory II
you desire to see the quotation corrobo-
rated In writing by Bishop Bratton, | will
send YOU upon request. letter I have
from him, dated June II, 1908.
must, sir. insist thar you retract the
Objectionable paragraph In your letter
to Colonel Pearson, or justify It by evil
dence most easily obtainable That you
do one or the other, again remind you
Is demanded BIZ justice to your honor as
Christian gentleman. Yours respectfully,
QUINCY EWING.