Pope Vs. Hildreth Again

To the Editor of The Résister : Sir ;- Will you kindly allow space to correct a sensational article in your last issue, signed T. P. Wilson, and headed "Pope vs. Hildreth." Mr. Pope's family have more authentic information from his physicians, which wiil greatly rejoice his many friends, that lead them to expect his complete recovery. It has been known to Mr. Pope's friends for some weeks that he has been in an asylum ; that he went there voluntarily, because he could secure more quiet, rest, and better conditions for recovery. A man of ardent and generous impulses,courageous,truetohisconvictions, hating hypocrisy, believing in an active and practical piety; that a church was only strong when pure, and that the ministry was a sacred office, - it is not strange that he was intolerant of pious frauds, in or out of the pulpits, and that he was quick to detect and prompt to exposé them wherever found. Itis well known that he protected the pulpit of the Methodist church here from imposters on several occasions. He may have been over-zealous - perhaps indiscreet - and erred in judgment. Who has not? He has doubtless had opportunity to see the inconsistency of a public that is swift to criticize, and condemn wrong in general, in high places, yet, when some one sets earnestly about exposing a particular wrongdoer, the same solicitous public condones the offence by its lack of support in bringing the offender to justice. All this may have influenced his mental condition, (though he had previously suffered from sunstroke); but the statement that " his change on the temperance question " was due to this cause is too silly for refutation. He has undergone no change, but stands where the great mass of practical temperance men - including the majority of the bishops and leading clergymen of the Methodist Episcopal church stand. During the prosperous period of the Eeform club, when its motto was " Nonpolitical and non-seotarian," ttip organization was a power for good and count ed among its inembers the best elements of all political parties, of all denominations and churches. When its managers sought to turn it into a political party, thousands upon thousands in company with Mr. Pope, seeing a great agency for temperance not only being destroyed, but ita few remaining forces practically giving aid and comfort to the enemy, left it in sorrow that so great a forcé should be so hopelessly wrecked. If this indicated insauity in Mr. Pope, then were all these many thousands insane, and more are becoming so daily, who do not choose longer to waste the highest privilege and duty of a citizen, but vote to secure the best practical results in this life time. As for the malodorous ex-Rev. reth, it is only necessaiy to say that he was not mianimonsly aequitted ; and public opinión, clerical and lay, is now fargely against him in Cleveland, where Ihe facts of the case are known. New evidence againat him appeared and old evidence in his favor was shown untrue. ïhe Cleveland papers, notably the Sunday World, in its issues of Sept. 2, 9, and 16, charged him with recent immoral conduct, demanded of the conference that he be compelled to meet the charges or resign from the ministry he disgraced. These papers, with other evidence, were made the basis of charges ready to be signed, and the cabinet of the N. O. conference which met at Ashland, O , in September, decided that he must meet the charges or withdraw, and the presiding bishop wasinstructed to notify him, - and Hildreth withdrew! His former counsel having said " No innocent man would withdraw under such circumstancea." This much need not have been said, but to show that your correspondent evidently was not better informed on that point than on other points of his letter. Bespectfully, Sinoe tbe above was in type Dr. Breakey received a letter from Mr. Pope's brother, stating that Mr. Pope had so far regained nis health as to leave the asylum and return to his home at Forest. Ind., with good prospects of complete recoverv.