The Raymer enterprise., 1923-06-07
DODGE REPORT IN
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
LITIGATION FILED
Judge, Sitting as Master, Ap.
proves and Confirms Position
Of ]. Y. Dittemore.

0p Sss"0 ~ U0Osg
proves and Confirms Position
Of J. Y. Dittemore.
Boston, Mass.-After over four years
Of litigation In the Christian Science
Church, ex.Federsl Judge Dodgp Of
Boston, sitting as Master under ap-
pointment Of the Supreme judicial
Court Of Massachusetts,, has filed his
dnal report on the evidence. The
plaintiff, John v. DIttemore. ths>senior
Director Of the Church. whose service
entedates the decease Of Mrs. Mary
Baker Eddy. and who his associates
sought to remove from ofice. seems
to have been completely justified In his
contentious that undesirable and un-
wholesome conditions have existed n
the administration Of the church gov-
ernment.
Judge Dodge finds from the evidence,
which includes Testimony by the ma.
jority Directors themselves, that Nj.
Dittemore's dismissal was for the pur-
.Pase Of doing away with opposition to
fhe wishes Of the majority and also
tecause Mr.. DIttemore had sought to
establish a standard Of propriety and
conduct higher than desired BY his a.
sociates. II is also found that prin.
cipal reason for the hostility to Mr.
Dittemore was because Of his rebuke
to his associates on numerous 0ccn.
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 1 Director
and that the effort to remove him and
appoint q successor more sympathetic
with the policy Of the board Is legally
null and void.
In regard to the illegality Of Mr..
Dittem0re's dismissal. Judge Dodge
says that no Director could fairly be
supposed to have accepted his posi-
tion upon the understanding that he
was subject to instant arbitrary dis
fnissal whenever majority Of his A.
sociates might fnd It expedient. The
Master finds that the vote attempting
to dismiss Mr.. Dlttemore twas only the
formal adoption Of a conclusion prsvi-
ously agreed on outside the meeting
and that It 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 az would satisfy the re-
quirements Of natural justice" He also
ands that the complaints against Mr..
Dittemore were not founded upon first
hand knowledge and "were inadequate
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 bis
position and that nothing said or done
by him In maintaining his opinions
could have constituted adequate ground
for dismissinc him, unless the major.
lty's power to dismiss could lawfully
have been used by It for the sole pur>
pose Of stlnlng any opposition in the
Board to their wishes.
The Master declares that Direc-
tors Dlckey, Neal, Merritt and Rath,
Won were animated BY personal hos
tility toward Mr.. Dittemors 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 q play In New York which
Dittemore considered Objectionable and
which had as the leading player q
person Of notorious reputation. On
this occasion Director Merritt testified
that he urged DittemOre to accompany
them and said: "Come on with US.
You are not 10 much better than the
rest Of u.s."
Judge Dodge also finds from the svi-
dence that There were occasions In
1917, 1918 and 1919 upon which, at
meetings Of the Directors, the plaintiff
(Dittemore) expressed disapproyal Of
utterances BY Dickey Of Z kind toler.
able only when men only, and men not
disposed to be scrupulous In such mat-
tAra ara the hearors--thereby arOue-
ing resentment on Dlckey'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 ef these occurrences Judge
Dodge nnds from the testimony Of
VI. Dittemore and others, including
fha cross-examination Of the defendant,
Directors Dlckey, Neal, Merritt and
Rathvon themselves, that Mr.. DItte-
more's account Of them was substan-
tially true and that his repeated In.
sistence upon q 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 Ditte
more's co-Directors were 'incarable,
on March II, 1919, Of impartial judi
cial consideration Of accusationi
against him, especially Of accusati0ni
framed by themselves. had they eveI
undertaken any such confederation"
At the present time Christian Sclen
lists throughout the world are deeply
Interested In the facts brought ont b.
the Dodge report which Mr.. Dittemort
and others are distributing In large
quantities among the membership.