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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
Had to investigate President [St/H]owe for teaching false doctrine. He must either resign or be discharged. Resigned. Had a connection with high church party. Tried to elect Fiske and Snively to General Convention - lost 25 to 140. Have bishop of Chicago for St. John's. Good man. Little doubt about Grant's election.
Date
7-30-1868
Keywords
letter, McIlvaine, Hewson, Howe, Stowe, church, election
Recommended Citation
McIlvaine, Charles Pettit, "Letter to John Hewson" (1868). Charles Pettit McIlvaine Letters. 363.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/mcilvaine_letters/363
Rights Statement
Transcript
[H]ome July 30/68
Dear John,
We have had two sets of letters from Nain & her party, the first from Nain & dear Ellie from the plea of [arrival] in France, the second from Nain & [Mr. M.] in Paris. They expected to meet your party in Geneva the next day but one, we have also had your letter & E[mily]’s, in which to our great comfort, you expressed your delight [that] Ellie was going with Nain. Your’s [sic] was from [Hamberg] [sic], E[mily]’s from Brussells. You have now had the happiness of receiving the [darling], & [?] is full of joy to have her sister, & Ellie is [brimfull] of happiness to be with her parents; & you & Nain & [Mr. M.] have met at Geneva, & been to the great [Swiss] mountains (my special friends) & you have seen why I so delight in these scenes, & by the time this reaches you, Nain will have left [you] for her London home, & you will be [?] France, especially Paris.
During the tremendous heat that we have been enduring for a while [month], with scarcely a [?] of any consequences, it was [tantalizing] to think of those Alpine snows & glaciers. The [torrid] has [now] been broken & we are having the [?] [summer] [weather] which though warm is nothing to what we have had. A [thermometer] ranging from 93 to 100, & in [?] place 105 for a month was a heat. It was highest along the northern regions such as Iowa, Minnesota & Canada. When it was 95 at our home, it was often 98 or 100 in town. I have been [enabled] to [bear] it surprisingly. But during it all, I have had great [pressure] on my mind. After you left [in] the greatest [?] I ever had with the College came on. I had to investigate charges against [St/Howe] for teaching false doctrine in his place as President. After obtaining his answers to a series of [?] questions which I addressed to him. I wrote my judgement a paper of 32 folio pages. The result of which was the [thorough] conclusion of the Trustees that he must either resign or be dismissed. He resigned. Meanwhile however he had very seriously affected the college standards & acquired a considerable party in the college Faculty. It was evident that he had [been] a thorough [sympathiser] with the high Ch. party & was being [used] by them. The matter [?] at the Convention where the most [?] & [?] effort ever made among us to revolutionize the policy of the diocese was made, [?] the most active agent & Snively, a leader & tool [?]. He & [?] are with Fiske, insomuch that the latter [?] a Standing Committee, the object of which was to get in Snively & [?] (the latter not knowing any thing about it & [professing] [indignation] at it) in place of [Clements] & [McGully], the former [?] a thorough [?] Ch. [?] for the Gen. Convention, with Fiske at the hard of it. The other elections in the same way. The result was [their] word thorough & [?] defect in every single instance. Fiske got 25 votes out of 140, Snively 40, [?]. But it was amazing that Snively should have so suddenly [unmasked] himself. Whether he has been [tending], had been seen by the [?] ones of his Ch. some months before, & they had become convinced of their mistake in electing him, but they did not suppose he would come out so soon & so [boldly]. It only shows how confident they must have been of [?] in the [conspiracy] & [?] how conceded he has become of his position & influence. It has done him [?] damage in his church, & I do not believe that he or [?] can stay long. [?] has gone to England for 2 or 3 months, in $700 currency, given him I suppose by some of his people. He will come back with new [follies] in his head & prepared to make his place more indifferent to him. He has become so engrossed with these [schemes] that his preaching is neglected, & the [emptiness] of it is manifest to all. They have [Mr.] Bishop of Chicago for St. Johns. He is abroad also, & takes charge in Oct. I think he will do well. He has more in him of mind & heart of theology & truth & steadfastness than a dozen such men as the as the men I have mentioned.
Mr. & Mrs. [Probasco] leave in for [Newport] next week. I have seen no evidence of what we once feared in him. No man could have been more kind & attentive than he, at the time of the wedding. Much of the success of the whole affair in its social aspects was due to his and Mr. Clements is gone on account of Mr. C. who is in very poor health & as I [intend] to stay at home I keep the Ch. [served] once a Sunday. So far as I know your [pet horses] are [well] & much liked. But Mr. [Posts/Ports] [occupation] of your horse has been [?]. He had been in residence on a month & had just returned our visit when he came to me & said he was going to leave it & not to return, that his [partner] Mr. [Levinston] in N.Y. was [seized] with [paralysis] & he was going to see about the business there & leave his business here to other [care]. Moreover he said he would lock the homes & leave the keys with me. I thought that pretty [cool] & said I could not be answerable. Burglar might get in & do great damage. I asked what about Michael. Oh! He must take care of himself. I said somebody must stay in the house to take care of it, & suggested Michael & his wife. He at once came [into] that & said he would have them there. So they are in the homes with of course an understanding between Michael & him that he is to pay the [wages]. But he told Michael that he should get somebody, if he could, to take the house off his hands (in other words, [sublet] it). This [?] me. I took legal advice & wrote him a cautious note, saying I trusted he would make no arrangement with any body till I was made acquainted with the person proposing to take it. I do not think it likely he can find any body at this [season], but the very idea is a pretty cool sort of thing. I shall [resist] the introduction of any but such as I would suppose you would consent to. But it is vastly better the house should be as it is now, instead of in [their] case. I have taken the cow. She has calf about three weeks old, which will soon be sold. As Mr. C. has gone, I have [brought] Fanny here & she is [put] with my pasture to [?], loose foot. She is in very good order. The buggy & carriage are now in your stable, the latter has not been used. The [?] has been carefully handled. Mr. White is very kind in doing what he can for me in my little transactions. He & Mr. W. were at the wedding & I have asked them to come when they can to see us. I suppose he writes you about the [business]. He has once or twice expressed to us his satisfaction with its prosperity. I cannot tell you much about the [political] condition of things, but I believe there is little doubt about Grants’ election. But the prospect of stable government any where in the world is getting [less & less]. The last [experiment] in government is for man to govern themselves, people’s gov’t. Every thing is getting to that. And it will be the last failure, as all human devices for man’s peace in this world are to be [finally] failures, the Lord having reserved all that to Himself, & when men have found out their impotence, He will come & take the [dominion] & then the peace & the quietness & the [stability].
We are all well here, that is all three. Anna is remarkably well. Mr. M. rather better than usual. Frederick is just as good & reliable as before you went. I have never been so well satisfied in a man in his place.
You must keep us well written to you & [dear] [Emmy] & sweet Ellie. We delight in her letters. Our best love to them. We would so delight to have the children here. The Lord bless you all.
Yours very afftly.
C.P.M.