The Washington times., 1907-01-07
Former Poughkeepsie Flock
Enraged at the Rev.
Warren.
Allege Book Written for
Spite Because of His
Transfer.
Denounced by Press as
Unfit TO Be Tolerated
in Homes.

NEW YORK. Jan. THE book Is an
accumulatlonOf Incidents that have come
under my observation. To say tina they
occurred TO me during my term as pas
tor OF a Poughkeepsie church would be
half true. but half false. / depIore the
fact that the people Of ~Poughkeepsie
hasten 20 associate themselves with the
darker characters OF my novel"
With these words the Rev. Benjamin
Clark Warren. pastor OF the Centenary
Methodist Church. AZ Washington ave
nue. East 165th street. came 10 the
defense OF his book, In the Land Of
the Romburg. a fanciful tale tina has
caused wrath in -POughkeepsie.
The book deals with church life and
the trials and temptations OF a minister
in a small city, 1t has only just left
The presses, but has started a contro-
versy in P-oughkespsie that threatens 10
expose names and incidents. The
-Poushkeepsie ~ewspapers have taken
The matter ] one Of them printed
the tOllOW.l
Decent pelsJ-s Will not have il in
their homes or tolerate its discussion.
The author seems 10 have heard all the
nasty and untrue gossip OF this small
~+~@ AF@@ AHAa ~ AaAAA q AANEH IL
IS a ~cowardly tJack and he should be
ashamed OF himself"
One Striking Coincidence.
When Mr.. Warren was shown This he
said that while the book was composed
OF characters and Incidents that had
come under his personal observation.
not all OF them had existed or occurred
In P'u4Akeepsie. yet it Is a coincidence
d Inc novel concerns b three years
Passionate Of a minister who was a
WidoHer n who married again. Afr.
Warren was three years in Poughkeap-
siei ais nrst wife died there and he
married again.
D. people of PoughkeepsIe have no
foundation for their accusation thar r
have pictured them, Mr.. Warren said.
i have written q book showing how in
furious is the ~unflunded gossip OF wo-
men IN church circles and how a min
lister often Is deprived Of his charge
because Of this chatter.
81 might say that my book is a nIea
an equal standard of morality on
ne part OF the rich and the DOOR
Tells Of His Own Transfer.
Il was for three years pastor OF the
asnlugton Street Church In POUCH
fpsle- Daring that time my wife died
M married Miss Lydia Carpenter.
hc daughter Of a member OF the church
board Jealousy arose and the result
vas my transfer.
-Poughkeepsle is remarkable in this
Ycy-that all its pastors who marry
nus leave, That is an unwritten law.
II happened with me-. and il happened
with the Rev. Mr.. Hopkins. before me.
end there are others.
The scene of my book is laid I'm a
town that l have called Quindauoquah
The people OF Poughkeepsie may be en-
lghtened 90 learn that that was the
lame OF a crossroads church in the
State of Delaware, OF which / had
charge twenty years ago.
Singing Excerpts From Book.
The BOT covers some 800 g OF
close print and is copyrighted by Mr..
Warren, II is with his permission that
the excerpts which follow are taken. In
the Prologue he writes:
Much is being said Of the single
social standing for people Of both sexes.
II is just as necessary that there be a
single social standard Of morality for
people belonging to the classes and the
masses. IL is believed by some that
gossip n scandal are drastic remedies
for the social evil. We do not share
that view.
Grass ignorance. set in motion by .
Jealousy and spite. Is not a remedy for
anything il is, itself, a most deadly dis
ease, a social cancer which needs 10 be
CauteTiZed by the hot iron of indignant
public sentiment, but. If IL were a rem
edy, Il should be used Invariably and
no one should be exempt because of
wealth or social position.
Some of the b0okstalls in Poughkeep-
sic have refused In the Land OF Rom
burg, saving thar il is not literature
that should reach the eyes OF the Young
students of Nassar College. In reply |
Mr. Warren said he had letters from
several ministers commencing his novel |
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