South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 122

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112  THE   EX-PARTE   COUNCIL.
connected  with  the  South  Congregational  Church,  for  the
professed  purpose  of  advising  them  "concerning  their
rights  and  their  duty ;"  and  whereas,  in  advising  them,  said
Council  liave  sat  in  judgment  on  this  entire  Church  and
upon  our  ministers ;  and,  whei'eas,  the  Council  has  given
to  the  public  its  proceedings  and  result,  which  result  has
been  telegraphed  throughout  the  country ;  we  owe  it  to  our-
selves, as  a  Church,  to  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll,  as  our  minister,
and  to  truth  and  justice,  that  "Caq  facts  in  thft  case  be  stated
and  published  through  the  same  channels.
As  this  Council  has  seen  fit  to  vindicate  its  decision  to
the  public,  however  degrading  to  a  Church  judicatory  we
feel  such  an  appeal  to  be,  we  are  compelled  to  suffer  in
silence,  or  respond  before  the  same  tribunal.
The  'petitioners  for  the  Council,  members  of  the  South
Congregational  Chitrch,  ARE  NOT,  as  they  claim  to  be,
"a  majority  of  the  Brethren'^  of  said  Church.
When  tiie  Council  was  convoked,  we  had  forty-seven
male  members,  not  including  those  who  had  taken  letters
of  dismission.  [See  Church  records.]  Of  this  forty-seven,
but  fifteen,  including  absent  members,  were  petitioners  for
the  Council.
The  distinction  indicated  by  the  term  "Brethren"  in
connection  with  voting,  has  never  been  sanctioned  by  any
resolution  or  vote  of  the  South  Church.  The  right  of
voting  by  females  has  never  been  denied  by  the  Church,
and  the  exercise  of  this  right  obtained  and  was  practiced
prior  to  the  llev.  Mr.  Carroll's  coming  among  us.  It  has
simply  been  continued,  not  inaugurated,  during  his  adminis-
tration. In  the  early  part  of  1861,  the  vote  of  the  Church
on  the  question  of  accepting  llev.  Mr.  Noyes'  resignation,
(as  was  testified  before  the  Council  then  held,)  stood, —
Yeas  70,  Noes  5  ;  total  75  ;  which  is  a  much  larger  number
than  there  ever  were,  of  males  only,  in  the  South  Church.
All  this  exposes  the  groundlessness  of  tlie  assumption  that
this  practice  was  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  "imposing"
Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  upon  tliis  Church.  The  minority  of  the
Church,  as  well  as  the  majority,  have  exercised  this  right
from  that  lime  to  the  present.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Church,
Feb.  18th,  18G3,  on  the  question  of  inviting  Rev.  Mr.  Car-
roll to  continue  his  labors  among  us  as  Stated  Supply,

Cite this page

Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0122. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 122. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n126/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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