Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-12-04
FRIDAY DEC. 4IeI4,
RUSSELL. COOKE AND THE OPEN DOOR.


II the Rev George A. Cooke, pastor of Wesley NJ E.
Church in this city. possesses any predominant
quality at all, it is deliberateness
On November he paid a visit TO this ONCE in an of
fort by threats boycott to induce us TO bar from
our columns the weekly Sunday school lesson expos
ton by Pastor" Charles f. Russell head of the Brook
lyn and London tabernaces also the world-leader
Of the International Bible Students Association which
has tens Of thousands of members in this country and
abroad
On November published editorial, entitled
mo Religious Discrimination in which we announced
refusal to accede the request of Mr. Cooke and
declared open-door policy with respect to all re-
lgioniss who might desire express their views on
ecclesiastical matters From that editorial we char
itaby omitted the boycott threats and all refer
ence to visit Mr.. Cooke had made our office sew
eral months before. at which time he magnanimously
suggested that he substituted for Pastor" Russell
as our weekly exponent Of the Sunday school Bible
lesson
And now, on December 8, month after the
publication of that editorial we receive the following
letter from Mr. Cooke in attempted reply.
To the Editor of THE EVENING JOURNAL:
Sir-Your editorial entitled, mo Religious Discrim-
nation" certainly interesting reading You make
out good case for THE EVENING JOURNAL, as
might be expected in a jug-hande argument You
make the Ministerial Union OF this city look small
AS OF special pleading is easily entitled TO
the blue ribbon. The complaint of the Ministerial
Union rests upon the fact that you do discriminate
and that too in favor Of the doctrines Charles
public through the columns of THE EVENING JOUR
NAL You may think that Russell is the fountanhead
Of all wisdom. The Christian ministers OF this city
not with that pastor We believe that inter-
pretatons of Scripture not only farcical and alb
surd but positively dangerous TO public morals This
Is not hasty Judgment the part Of the ministers
but the calm mature utterance of who have given
their lives to the study OF these subjects We have
ill-wl toward Mr.. Russell his devoted followers
but desire in the kndest spirit to set the public right
In important matter. We passed our resolutions
In good faith and submitted them TO you as a matter
Of news. There was nothing slanderous the resolu-
lions as could easily learn by consulting any law
yer who is familiar with the law of libel Il would
show broader and more liberal spirit In my opinion
for you to publish the resolutions, and then discuss
the issue on its merits.
Sincerely yours
wilmington DEL Dec O. 1914
We are well pleased to receive that letter We re-
greet that month of pastoral deliberation has not
brought forth better argumentatve fruit The letter
supplies to opportunity. however, to state
tain facts. Of which unknown to the public
and to Mr.. Cookies associates in the Ministerial Union
For the purpose arranging those facts chronology
cal order II is necessary for bark back the
early part Of this year
One day Mr.. Cooke came to our office He suggested
that we leave out the pastor" Russell exposition
which had been feature of religious page for
years, that permit him TO write the exposition
each week. We declined the ground that while
many persons might not agree with the exposition by
Pastor" Russell, doubt many persons would
agree with exposition by Mr. Cooke. further
reason lot our Cecnnauon 10 make THIS substitution,
suggested with such righteousness by Mr., Cooke was
that Pastor" Russell, be he right or wrong is a
worldcharacter, while Mr. Coole is not We informed
Mr. Cooke that columns were wide open TO him
and that should be well pleased for him TO send
US for publication any extracts from his sermons
and addresses that he might think TO pub
tic The parting amicable. days later we re-
seived from Mr. Cooke an article to which we cheer
iully gave space in paper That ended his spe-
aial contributions. It then became clear to that
what he really aimed at not free opportunity TO
press paper his religious views but to subst-
iute his Interpretation OF the Scriptures for the Rus
sell Interpretation.
The next we saw Of Mr. Cooke was when he called
Office November 8 with resolutions adopted
b. the Ministerial Union In thom Pastor" Russell
and the members of the International Bible Students
Association criticized severely They also con-
tanned request that bar Pastor" Russens expos
tion from columns In view Of what previously had
passed. it not difficult TO back Of those resolu
tons the fine Italian hand of Mr. Cooke We declined
print the resolutions unless they accompanied by
indemnifyng bond We also declined to have our re-
ligiols page censorized by Mr. Cooke. the Ministerial
Union else. We announced determine
ion to keep the doors wide open TO men and women
}, all shades of religious belief
Mr. Cooke said the Russell exposition was doing great
harm in that it was drawing members from the
churches leading them to join the International
Bible Students Association. Our reply to that was
hat all preachers, himself included were trying 10
make TO their way of religious thinking and
that if they failed to accomplish results along that
line. they had little being the pulpit We
then said TO him:
Can give the of any person, man
woman, or child, who. since you have been pastor OF
Wesley Church. has left that as result the
publication by of the Russell Sunday school Bible
lesson exrosition?'
mo" he said, after several seconds Of hesitation
Then Il canno. be terribly harmful as you sug-
certainly for Mt
replied
We added that il we to pursue any such exclu-
sion plain as suggested by him resolutions
we would have assurance that with Pastor" Rus
sell disposed Of the next demand made BY
the Union would not be for the exclusion from our
columns OF the religious views Of Bishop Kinsman
head of the Episcopal Diocese OF Delaware Bishof
Monaghan head of the Catholic nncese of Milrnaton