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Description
Reports a little history of the pastoral letter--reports Church Journal as claiming collusion between certain cabinet officers and the pastoral. Thanks again for helping Harrison
Date
11-21-1862
Keywords
letter, McIlvaine, Chase
Recommended Citation
McIlvaine, Charles Petit, "Letter to S.P. Chase" (1862). Charles Pettit McIlvaine Letters. 243.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/mcilvaine_letters/243
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Cincinnati Nov 21, 1862
My dear Sir,
If you ever see any of our Church-papers, you may have seen and been amused at the fuss which a certain Editor has made about about a grand and dangerous influence exercised by a letter of yours, and another from Mr. Seward, over the House of Bishops to the instigation and production of their late Pastoral Letter. I dare say you have forgotten an innocent letter you wrote me while you were an invalid, saying you had written to Brooklyn in behalf of Mr. Harrison -- [then] that you had read the prayer I sent you and could say [?] to every world and [sus]pected next day to be well enough to go to your office. Well, as our letters were delivered each morning on our tables -- and we found them there at the assembling of the House; one morning I found that letter of yours, and just after the opening, when no [?] had been begun and the N.Y. papers were speaking of your ill[ness] and I thought that sentence about the prayers would please. I began to read it (only the sentence and that about your health) to those near me, when they said read it all, and I did. Next day a letter from Mr. Seward, just as innocent about the prayer, which was not so read, but shared to two or three. All was forgotten--till my Pastoral Letter was adopted and that prepared by Bp. Hopkins (who con[tends] for the right of secession) was rejected. Then comes out his son, Editor of this so called “Church Journal” (no more recognized as a Church Organ. than anything else that may choose its own name)--publishes the rejected Letter of his Father and ascribes my Letter and its almost unanimous adoption to the influence and persuasion of certain Cabinet Letters [?] and does it with such [?] that many suppose this must be some [?] truth in it. Of course it has all been denied in other papers. But as this is nothing in the least degree private in either letter, I am going to send the originals of both to the Editor of the Christian times in N. York. The ridiculousness of the allegation will create, when see, a wholesome effect, and make my Letter the more influential.
I am happy to say that Col. Wood of Brooklyn took a lively interest in Mr. Harrison’s case, at your request, and gave him a place which to him is perfectly satisfactory, and for which he is most grateful to you and Mr. Wood. I wrote Col. Wood thanking him and saying I would mention his good spirit and charity to you.
WIth kindest remembrance to Miss Kate, I remain, my dear sir,
Your affectionate friend,
Charles P. McIlvaine
I shall leave out [?] in your letter, and if that part about Mr. Harrison should be introduced, as it probably will be in order to [?] better the character of the letter, and lest the [?] of any part should give a handle of suspicion.