Omaha daily bee., 1915-11-24
Nebraska
AURORA PASTOR INSURGENT
DR.. Buckner Of Methodist Church
Denounces Methods and Ian
guage of Evangelist,
DEFENDS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

relative to Rev. Sam Kirkland, the
evangelist, who has been conducting
meetings here, in which he pro-
tested against and denounced the
words and methods of the latter. All
of the churches Of the city have been
united in this meeting and DR.. Buck
ner now becomes an open insurgent.
| In his state ment DR.. Buckner declares
that the language OF the evangelist is
! 'profane, vulgar and coarse" He pro-
tests against the lanSuage and the spirit
OF the evangelist.
! The ruction started In church circles
here when Miss Kathleen G. Hearn, prin-
/ cipal Of the high school, wrote letter
to the ministerial association and asked
/ the ministers to send the man out of
the town" She declared in her letter
that the influence OF the words OF Kirk
land was bad in the high school among
/ the students she was training.
The ministers did nothing with this pro-
test of the high school principal. In a
number of meetings the evangelist is re-
ported to have made covert statements
/ about Miss Hearn. These statements are
referred to by DIR. Buckner and resented
| by him. DR.. Buckner has held some of
the leading Methodist pastorates in the
state and Is regarded as one of the strong
men among the Methodists. He was for
/ several years pastor of the students
church at University Place. where he
preached to the young ministers in Yves
leyan university.
Extracts from Statement.
| DR. RIIclnar In bia Of
1T protest against MIR. KirkiSnd's attack
upon Miss Kathleen @. Hearn. Miss
Hearn has been teaching in our public
schools for seventeen years, have
known and have admired her during my
pastorate here of something over four
years. have recognized and have APP
preciated her lovely Christian character
and ideals. In my judgment no person
in Aurora has done more than Miss
Hearn to bring the Christ spirit into the
lives of our students. For the sake OF
our youth Miss Hearn requested the Min
isterial association 10 send the evangelist
| out of Aurora because of his foul Ian
guage. l consider his language profane,
vulgar and coarse, therefore. am forced
to agree with Miss Hearn that Mr.. Kirk
land should have been sent out of town
| anu eNHnBenS. secured.
II protest against his statement that
the pastors Of Aurora sent for him to do
their dirty work, which they themselves
were afraid to do; that the Ministerial
association had sent for him to Islander
our town and its officers. to abuse its
church members, to call the Young Men
Christian association a hell hole Tin
which he had refused to hold a meeting)
to damn our church buildings and to tell
us our Children are Going to hell Not
word was ever SAID in the Ministerial
association meetings about getting him
for these purposes. and as far as know
these are willful Misrepresentation OF
the pastors of this city. At least there
Ia one pastor who says all that he thinks
ought to be said-hcnce this article.
Abuse and SIander Deprecated.
Il protest against Mr.. Kirkland's be.
Hitting the pastors OF Aurora; abusing
and incorporating the churches, SIAN
dering the town officers and business men
who do not boost for himself declaring
the town is rotten and is going to hell
also that there are more liars in Aurora
than in any other town he has even seen
l protest against all these indictments
made in the name OF my Christ and His
kingdom. Why should minister criti-
cize teachers, doctors, editors, merchants
and all who do not agree with him, and
not only criticize them, but also assign
them to hell? When. on the other hand
he demands immunity from criticism and
declares that his critics are indeed op-
posing the very Christ"
Still another statement has been giver
out taking the side of Dr. kirkland
signed by these pastors. j. II. Salisbury
Presbyterian church; c. c. Dobbs. Chris.
tan church; A. s. Deshore, United Breth-
rem church; r. s. Welsh, United Evan.
gelical church; ]. w. Ferner. Congrega-
tional church; George Bonner, Mennonite
church:
THE petition which alleges that DR.
Kirkland referred to the principal in a
manner rejecting upon her character,
instead OF having been signed so uui-
Yersally as your correspondent would
have 1t appear, contained just thirty-thres
} rames. Some of these have never been
inside of the tabernacle. several never
. more than once or twice. and SO fas az
, has been ascertaine1 only one who has
attended with any regularity And here
gain we deny unqualifiedly that any re-
|
, mote connection could be said TO involve
the character of the lady in question
We all esteem Miss Hearn's character
1 most highly and people who are ac-
quainted with such religious movements
can readily understand just how such
tcmpests in teapots' are originated. Fur
thermore, DR.. Kirkland did not have the
contents Of the principals letter before
rim until it appeared In the local papers
last week. He understood that there was
Sc me sort OF a letter from some source
containing some sort OF a criticism and
asked to see II, but was refused by mem.
hers of the association. Also in order
TO avoid just such type OF criticism as has
been circulating he specifically stated thai
conditions were very much the same
wherever one went, having merely foca
n odifications, and that he used the same
sermons wherever he went and that neve,
IN any instance should his utterances b,
! taken personally. He reiterated thi,
more than once. As to whether such
criticism is general throughout the town
, or not may be determined when IL a
, known that DR.. Kirkland Is spsSJSins
Rightly to from 800 to 1900 people; tina
there have been 275 recommendations AND