The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09
BLAMESPOTTER FOR FAILURE.
RECTOR JOHNSONS VIEWS OF
his PARISH TROUBLES.

bayB the Church Here Il Not Truly EpiSs
cOpai and mat ItS C0ndnCt IL Driving
Men 10 the Roman Faith-Witnessi
His Predecessor Is New = Catholic.
Tho Rev. W. Everett johnson, rector Of
the Church Of the Redeemer. in West iSeth
street, will distribute In his church to-day
a letter 70 mis- congregation, showing his
attitude toward the Episcopal Church
authorities In this diocese. In this letter
Father johnson attacks Bishop Potter and
other authorities Of the diocese for their
administration OF the diocese.
This Il, IN part, the letter;
I became connected with ths Church
Of the Red0gmsr In the fan o. fBa3 e. an
assistant 70 the Rev. Henry A Adams, who
had then been rector for about sfK months.
There was a FIRST mortgage on the property
for teS. ooo held by the city, bearing per
cant. interest, and second mortgage for
$4,000 at per cent. interest. At this time
the interest on the first mortgage, Of $50 q
week was being paid by the parish, and the
interest on the second, OF q. 500 a year, vas
being paid by Trinity parish This debt
OF 80, 600 was due TO one error, and thar
the attempt TO build large church inland
10 which there was an insecure title. After
nearly $50 600 had been expended in build
ing the church was compelled TO purchase
titlelto the land. Had il not been Cor thin
the church would have bsen built without .
debt
AT the end Of three months Father AdHrnO
insisted that assume the rectorship, t.
which was elected by the vestry on Dec. =
1881, and he became the assistant During
the following summer Qso3J Adams par
vertad 10 Rome and the effect produced
expecting me 70 follow him, and ali hope
vas abandoned What little wealth therO
was In the congregation took fright and
went over, not TO home, but TO safer
churches.
After most careful ouusideryt ton By,
the VaStry 81 the vhole situate n II was
determined to make an effort to raise the
whole amount OF the first mortgage, t85, 600,
and If We failed in that TO sell out the church.
property. An appeal was therefore made
to the congregation on Jan. l., 1877,
for pledges contingent ON the subscrtnng
OF the whole amount by April 1, 1921. The
oonRreRation and those directly inter0etod
in the church soon subscribed $4,000, .
very large amount under the circumstances,
vet $4,000 short Of that needed. II was
then decided to sell the church property,
which was done Just before the end Of
that year, leaving a large and devoted
con aggregation churchless.
had the parish been really Episcopal
Il would never have been allowed 10 build
a permanent church unless the title TO the
land was incontestable; one cannot ina Rtno
the Roman Church making such blum
der, for the Bishop is one OF the trustees
OF each church corporation, and OF course
il obliged TO maintain system OF legal
advice thoroughly independent OF casual
parochial ambitions.
The perversim Of Adams was due
principally 10 his disgust with the congre-
tioDal and competitive methods OF operation
Of Episcopal parishes. IL was thst that
end has turned hundreds Of others in the
Church in the same direction.
'Our utterly hapbs zard method Of
church extension and maintenance has
proved an entering wedge for the peDs-
Gation Of Roman errors in faith and doc
trino. As q business Institution every
one Of us admires the Roms9 Church IN
this city, and yet a most unnghteous oon-
scrvatiEm prevents US from doing ike
AT a time when the Church Of the Re.
deemsr was doing it's best work, and had
attracted the attention Of the press a.
well as Of church people Eenesrslly. the
withdrew it's appropriation for the
interest on the second mortg thus
increasing the fixed interest charge nom
$50 to nearly $50 week to be paid by the
parish. Il must be noted that Trinity /
parish was a party to the absurd blunder
~ creating the debt, for without its aid
the second mortgage would have been
impossible. and, having made the blmdeE,
vas in hCror bound to continue that sid.
an our final effort TO subscribe the hrEt
mortgage Of sos 600 there was received
In this parish end smong its friends $4,000,
leaving $4,000 az the object Of appeal to
the Church throughout the city. In order
that the appeal might carry some weight
n Uas necessary 10 obtain the Blshop's
Endorsement This the Bishop refused 20
give. for three reasons; first that the orea-
tion OF the debt had been kind OF ecole-
Hing gnCnnd that the RDniI0
OF the church was not suited TO its neighbour
hood. third. that the rector belonged 70
school whose only use for n Bishop was thst
Of his name for the purpose OF raising money,
In the minds OF those TO whom the appeal
was made. As a result OF this refusal AL
efforts for a general appeal were abs ndoned,
and during that year uSs1) the church was
i trust that have made plain in thb
letter the fact that the Church OF the ne
deeTner was lost because the Church In this
city Is paroohAl and not an LLplsooIPe -
church. do not mean that we have lost
the apostolic order, but that we have lost
the apostolic missions and unity OF LIE.
/ am not blaming any individual man, but
our general loss OF that when we rlgnuy'
Later on / intend to show you how the
Church has become weaker and weaker
IN this city from the same causes, end what
a travesty Il IN that we pose as ardent
workers for a Christian unity which We DO
not possess ourselves.
Il love what men call the Episcopal
Church, and ! feel a right TO express that
love. because | have had TO bear 10 long
the active pressure that has driver 30 many
OF nv brethren to desert It.. SO many
times I have listened 90 the plsint 'Doa'S
you think you are leading men 10 homef
while well know from sad experience that
those below are driving them 20 disloyalty
not to the faith only but TO the order and the
discipline Of our Catholic heritage.
TWO Miles OF Dead Fish In Minnesota axe.