Evening journal., 1919-02-05
PARSON fights
EDICT AGAINST
(RETNA GREEN
Continued from page one.)

tNcl yNutTc III llc ndtlOhs
Elders Lead Fight.
For weeks past the squabble be
tween the pastor and his elders ha
Wed here with the return Of the sol
= dier boys as the ruling topic for con
D versation. In truth 1t must be sal
( that the congregation In overwhelm
. ing numbers has already supports
the preacher. while the majority o
the townspeople appear Of like mind
3 They say that the matter Of marry
/ Ing couples is a function In which Doc
, tor McElmoyle at least should hav
an equal opportunity with the othe
ministers In the town.
The fight against the minister by hi
elders, who are Henry NJ. Mccullough
! an attorney; DR.. William l.. Morrison
and w. Sterling Evans, a merchant
dates back 10 revival conducted her'
by an evangelist named bob" John
son. He inflated "Billy" Sunday. tn,
tOwnsfolk say, although ex-Senstol
Frank Williams, publisher Of the Ceci
Whig, said that the only correct lmi-
tatlon Johnson gave OF the great evan.
gellst was in his success in getting
collections. The rest OF his repertoire
to quote the same source, failed mis-
erably."
The revival campaign was conducted
In the Elkton Armory, permission hav-
ing been granted by the State. Three
evenings a week prlo rto this time
! however. band Of young people had
been holding athletic carnivals and
basketball games to raise funds for the
Red Gross and various philanthropic
I activities connected with the war Ad-
jutant General Warfleld, after he had
! granted permission for the revival,
/ suddenly remembered this prior claim
OF the young people. known as "The
Elkton Amusement Company" He then
suggested that the revival committee
obtain permission OF these folk first
and straiGhten out the situation.
Trouble Starts In Revival.
"A number OF these young men," said
Doctor McElmoyle, "were members OF
my own congregation. The matter was
laid before them and they agreed to
relinquish their rights for four weeks
the length OF the revival. We gave
them $500 to Offset the loss In their
funds that this hiatus would create"
When the fourth week ended. how
ever, Evangelis. Johnson wanted 10
continue for another week. The young
men opposed this. saying that IL Inter
fered with the program they had out
lined. Doctor McElmoyle. a member Of
the revival committee, said he accept
ed this position as justified by circum-
stances. The doctor said. bargain had
been made. and that he felt 10 would he
dishonorable 10 revoke It under the
conditions. So. he says, he argued
against a continuance Of the revival.
The committee, however. ignored this
plea and thesmembers went ahead max
ing plans. They refused 10 meet the
young people. Doctor McElmOyie says,
and talk matters over. Because OF this
fact. the pastor says, he resigned from
the revival committee. The resigna-
tion and his attitude, he insists. arOus-
ed his elders. also members OF the COM
mlttee. 10 start after the pastor in an
attempt TO compel him TO get out Of
the church.
At any rate, it was shortly after this
episode that Messrs. Mccullough, Evans
and Morrison requested him 10 resign |
from his pastorate. He refused and a |
meeting was held TO act |
upon the matter. Here the elders re-
newed their request. but were voted |
down SO TO IS, and by this ovrvhelm- !
Ing majority the members refused TO
dissolve pastoral relations.
Married 1000 Couples Annually.
The charges on which the elders
based their acts, It was revealed. cen
tered largely. about the marriage cere-
monies performed by the minister. The
latter said that for the last three years
they had averaged 1000 annually. but
That since the war he had been marry
Ing soldiers and sailors free OF charge.
The charges Of the elders. Doctor Nc
ElmOyle said. were that he had been
making a commercial matter OF the
rite, and that this CONNER
,ialization had gone so far that they
lccused him Of tipping drivers at the
station to bring elOpers TO the manse.
The elders also insisted that the man
Ter in which Doctor McElmoyle had
the business" was bring
ng the church into disrepute and
vrecking his congregation.
Despite the rebuff which the cOngre-
,ation had administered, the elders
we're not defeated. They appealed TO
he presbytery to appoint committee |,
o investigate the charges which they
ad brought. This board of inquiry
Omprised two ministers and two lay
nen. headed by the Rev. ]. L. Gilnllan,
T Wilmington. The committee sat for
hree weeks daily In the church from
0 o'clock in the morning till midnight ,
ometimes. The inquisltion set the !
own by the ears. :
Finally the committee reported to 7
he Prssbytery, and the majority re- >
Ort was given in favor OF the elders. :
was recommended that pastoral rela- Z
Ions be dissolved, and Il was especial >
Y asked that the promiscuous marry
lg be stopped. Friends OF the clergy
IAN who went TO the Presbytery meet
lg. headed by Warren j. Haines. came !
ack lighting mad. They declared that 4
memorial which they had prepared, Y
nd which was a complete answer to1 1,
Il charges Of the elders from the stand
oint Of the congregation was not per-
lifted TO be read. When a clergyman
tempted to Introduce this memorial ! :
speaking on the question he was A
they said by the moderator.
he Marriage Mandate Issued.
With the recommendation that the
astoral relations be dissolved came the G
about marriages. This,
ays the pastor, and he has the opinion
several experts in church law in his
lvOr, is an. invasion of his ministerial @
ghts and Is unconstitutional. Hence
he synod must pass upon the matter.
Doctor McElmOyle denied that he had
yer INDUCED In any meretPicious acts
Obtain anV "huSfnpSS