Evening star., 1926-06-06

paper whether the colored persons
: were let in or kept out, but my i'm.
preston is that one was admitted
; and that a large part of the congre-
cation asked letters of dismission TO
found a new church" | am not clear
as to what happened, but no doubt
any Congregationalist could set me
right. Mr.. Gift said:
AT that time it was called quar-.
rel. but. looking back upon it with the
light of over 20 years. / have made
up my mind that it was no quarrel;
emily. Still. this division of sentiment
There We're good people on both sides,
and people will look at things differ.
emily. Still. hits division of sentiment
is undoubtedly the greatest fact in
our church history.
I'm November. 1867, three colored
persons presented themselves for ad-
mission to the church. They were ac-
cepted by the committee. but before
they We're officially informed of that
fact, DR.. Boynton preached a sermon
advising people of color to worship
With their own race. At once two of
the three withdrew their applications
for membership. DR.. Boynton's SER
mon was printed and severely attacked
by every one of our denominational
papers. The church proceeded at once
to vote that our church doors were
open to all. but they would not dis
own their pastors sermon. A request,
signed by 64 members of the church,
was now presented asking that a mu-
tual council be called TO settle the diff
ficulties between church and pastor,
but the motion was promptly voted
down. For many months the battle
ragged whether q council should be
called where the minority was SO
large. but ii was always decided in
the negative by strictly party vote"
X y
Mr.. CLIFF tells of the meeting of
council in January, 1869. and
says: We presented our evidence.
marshaled by our leader. William F.
Bascom, and the council found for the
minority on every point presented, and
great was relief to that minority"
The minority assumes that the minor
which opposed the pastors stand on
the color question. Mr.. Cliff con-
tinueS:
Not long after the council depart
ed the pastor stated that he could not
meet the expenses of the pastorate
without a salary of $4,000. The late
minority, now become the majority,
Immediately voted that it could not
afford to pay over $1,000 year
Whereupon Rev. DIR. Boynton ten
dered his resignation and it was at
once accepted. And paper was pre-
sented. signed by 80 members, or half
the church. asking letters of dismis.
sion to found a new church. The let
ters were at once granted and "a resi-
dent members We're left in this church
with an unfinished building on their
hands and $4,000 of debt on their
property-nearly $500 for every man,
woman and child in the church. To
all outward appearance there was no
hope of it's survival. Nor could it
have survived had it not been for the
influence and character Of Gen. How
ard, the financial skill and energy of
some of it's best members and the
very liberal donations made by many
of its members"
Much Of the matter which the Ram
bier credits to MIR. Cliff was quoted
by him from paper written by Will
liam X. Hooper and read at the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the church
in 1890. DIR. Boynton was succeeded
as pastor by Rev. DIR. jeremiah E.
Rankin of Charlestown. Mass. The
church historian says: "He was well
known among Congregationalists of
New England as a vigorous preacher
and warm-hearted pastor, as we'll as
an ardent friend to that unfortunate
race whose position in this church
had been the subject of so much con-
troversy."
The Rambler would like to give you
the names of all members of this
church, but he has space only for
those who were it's members in 1865:
Charles H. Bliss, Mrs. Eliza M. Bliss,
Dwight H. Bliss, Mrs. Mary F. Bliss,
N. B. Bartlett, Mrs. C.. H. Bartlett,
Lester A. Bartlett Hiram Barber,
Mrs. Rebecca G. Barber, Charles H.
Buxton. Henry A. Brewster. Mrs. p. l..
Brewster Mrs. Rebecca NJ. Bigelow,
; - .ss i =. ~