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The Charles P. McIlvaine letters were written in the 18th and 19th century and therefore may contain language that we understand today as harmful or offensive. You may encounter paternalist descriptions of Native Americans, racial slurs, or sexism. For more information, see our policy page.
Description
Must fill a professor's vacancy - not enough in church - especially in theology. Can reshuffle the three we have and increase their salaries by not adding another. Dyer, at Urbana, added invitation to H.C. and two ladies came up. He questioned them and their faith and vestry asked his resignation. I am recommending him to Bishop Talbot. Protestant Episcopal City Mission and Church estension society of Cincinnati organizes.
Date
2-10-1865
Keywords
letter, McIlvaine, Bedell, Kenyon College, church
Recommended Citation
McIlvaine, Charles Pettit, "Letter to Bishop Bedell" (1865). Charles Pettit McIlvaine Letters. 278.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/mcilvaine_letters/278
Rights Statement
Transcript
Cinc. Feb. 10 1865.
My dear Bishop,
What I have dreaded, I suppose must come, to deal with the minus Prof. a-b=x that is an ex-prof. But the awful difficulty of finding a suitable person. How few such men our Church makes, how few of our clergy give themselves to study beyond the exigences of their pulpit work, how few are at actual learning beyond the attainment of a sort of gentlemanly refinement added to pulpit furniture, how few authors we make, & when our men do go into research & authorship how absent mindedly it is in the [love] of Church [externalism] or history or polity. Where have we a writer on Theology, or any of its great branches I mean in this country, where we who seem to have made the interior of the Scriptures his great theme & pursuant beyond the reading of a well-taught preacher? This aspect of the tendency of things among us compared with the author & students & the intellectual enterprize [sic] of other bodies of Christians is very saddening to me, & one sees it all the more, when he undertakes to find such a man as we need for the expected vacancy. The following has occurred to me but will remain shut up at present in me except as I uncork to you. Suppose at least during the present difficulty in so paying our Professor as to work their [?] we should so rearrange the studies [outside] of your Department as to make [Bancroft] Prof. of Syst. Div. & at the same time of Ch. Hist. & Mr. [McElhenny] all the rest, including whatever belongs now to [Tulbridge] besides Systematic Div. & if necessary [giving] [McElhenny] [?] in Hebrew [?] Porf. Trumble. We should thus have including you, three Professors & I believe the work could thus be done as well as with one more unless we could get for that one such a man as we know not where to find. We could then add considerably to the salaries of the two Professors. We could give Bancroft [?] well up in it & could give [?] all his study to Divinity. How does it strike you?
Poor Dyer at Urbana has got into a sad mess. He was to stay two weeks more, & was administering the communion & gave out an invitation (besides the invitation of the service) to strangers, (I do not know how worded) & two ladies came, persons of excellent character, whom he regarded as [?] & at the chancel he questioned them on their faith & refused them the Communion & of course, the greatest offence & the advice & request of the vestry that he would officiate for them no more. I have given him a letter to Bp. Talbot about John Trumble. I do not know. It is common that Dr. Dyer has recommended him, if I understand you.
His record is not a good one in my recollection, but I have known nothing of him for several years. Perhaps Mr. DuBois would go to Norwalk if called, though I know nothing from him & cannot do anything about it myself. I think he would get the troubled action [?]. That [D.D. Diss] is the root of the evil. They have very much improved the Church in Springfield in point of room & appearance, internally at both ends. The congregation has much increased, & Charles is in good spirits. We are forming here + have nearly got formed The Prot. Ep. City Mission & Ch. Extension Soc. of Cinc. & vicinity, with good prospects, the [?] sharing a great deal of interest. The final meeting for organization takes place on Thursday night of next week. The Assist. Bp. is V. P. Ex-officio. You have not told me how [?] the Ch. at Warren is built & when they expect to be ready for consecration. Are you not afraid Circleville & Lancaster will “come to grief” after such an effort as that of $600 worth to a Minister 300 at present. I have no answer yet from Cracroft to that presentment.
Yours affectionately,
C. P. M.