The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-06-07
DODGE REPORT IN
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
/ LITIGATION FILED
Judge, Sitting as Master, APP
proves and Confirms Position
of ]. v. Dittemore.

|
Church, ex-Federal Judge Dodge of
Boston, sitting as Master under ap.
pointment of the Supreme Judicial
Court of Massachusetts, has filed his
Hnal report on the evidence. The
Eplaintiff, John v. Dittemore, the senior
Director Of the Church, whose service
antedates the decease of Mrs. Mary
Baker Eddy, and who his associates
sought to remove from office, seems
to have been completely justified In his
contentious that undesirable and I'M
wholesome conditions have existed in
the administration of the church gov
eminent
Judge Dodge finds from the evidence,
which includes testimony by the ma
jority Directors themselves, that Mr.
Dittemore's dismissal was for the pir-
pose Of doing away with opposition to
the wishes of the majority and also
because Mr.. Dittemore had sought to
establish standard of propriety and
conduct higher than desired by his as
sOciates. 1t is also found that prin-
cipal reason for the hostility to Mr..
Dittemore was because of his rebuke
to his associates on numerous occa-
sions when offensive language was
used and offensive jests made at meet
ings OF the governing body Of the
church. Judge Dodge holds that Mr..
Dittemore Is still legally a Director
| and that the effort to remove him and
appoint successor more sympathetic
with the policy of the board Is legally
| null and void
In regard to the illegality of Mr..
Dittemore's dismissal, Judge Dodge
gays that no Director could fairly be
supposed to have accepted his posi-
/ ton upon the understanding that he
was subject to instant, arbitrary dis
naissal whenever a majority of his as
sociates might find 1t expedient The
Master finds that the vote attempting
to dismiss Mr. Dittemore twas only the
| formal adoption of a conclusion previ-
ouAly agreed on outside the meeting"
and that 1t was for his associates, then
accusing him and at the same time pro-
| posing to also act as his judges, to
afford him "such opportunity to be
heard In his own defense upon the
charges made as would satisfy the re-
quirements of natural justice" He also
finds that the complaints against Mr..
Dittemore were not founded upon first
hand knowledge and were inadequate 4
ground for any but purely arbitrary
dismissal" The Judge also finds that
there was never any question as to Mr.
Dittemore's sincerity in maintaining his
position and that nothing said or done
by him In maintaining his opinions
could have constituted adequate ground
for dismissing him, unless the major
ity's power to dismiss could law fully
have been used by 1t for the sole pur-
pose of sitting any opposition in the
Board to their wishes
The Master declares that Direc- I
tors Dickey, Neal, Merritt and Rath-
Won were animated by personal hos
tility toward Mr.. Dittemore and that
they had long planned among them
selves to get rid of him. One of the
occasions when bad feeling was engen-
| dered was when Dittemore refused to
join Dickey, Neal, and Merritt in at
tending a play in New York which
Dittemore considered Objectionable and
which had as the leading player a
person Of notorious reputation. On
this occasion Director Merritt testified
| that he urged Dittemore to accompany
them and said: "Come on with u.s.
You are not so much better than the
rest of u.s."
Judge Dodge also finds from the evil
| dence that .There We're occasions In
1917, 1918 and 1919 upon which, at
| meetings of the Directors, the plaintiff
(Dittemore) expressed disapproval of
utterances by Dickey of kind toler-
able only when men only, and men not
disposed to be scrupulous In such mat
| ters, are the hearers-thereby arous-
| ing resentment on D1ckey's part, and
sometimes on the part of Merritt and
] Rathvon." The testimony regarding
| eight or nine such instances was taken
by Judge Dodge in private. In regard
! to all of these occurrences Judge
Dodge finds from the testimony Of
Mr.. Dittemore and others, including
the cross-examination of the defendant
Directors Dickey, Neal, Merritt and
Rathvon themselves, that Mr.. Ditto
more's account of them was substan-
! TALLY true and that his repeated in |
Sistence upon a. standard of propriety
in language or conduct stricter than
that accepted by his associates mate
rally augmented their hostility and
dislike"
Judge Dodge concludes that Ditto
more's co-Directors were "incapable,
on March II, 1919, of impartial judi
cial consideration of accusations
against him, especially of accusations
framed by themselves had they ever
undertaken any such consideration"
At the present time Christian Scien-
lists throughout the world are deeply
, interested in the facts brought out by
the Dodge report which Mr.. Dittemore
and others are distributing in large
! quantities among the membership.
The progressive element In the
Church seems to be gaining much
strength. 1t urges a more consistent
and practical Interpretation Of the
teachings of Mrs. Eddy by those in