1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,600 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: show that proves there's more than one way to make history. 4 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier and in this episode, we're talking about 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,639 Speaker 1: the church scandal that rocked a sleepy New England town 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: to its core. The time when a pastor was booted 7 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: from his pulpit for baptizing a dog and thanking the 8 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: Lord for salad. The day was February twenty seventh, nineteen 9 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: twenty two. The Boston Presbytery voted to remove Reverend Edwin 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: Curtis from his church after learning he had baptized a dog. 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: For the past year, Curtis had served as the provisional 12 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: pastor at the first Presbyterian Church in Brookline, Massachusetts. He'd 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: been well received by the majority of his congregation, which 14 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: was reportedly about out five hundred members strong. But not 15 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: everyone was a fan of the new pastor, including some 16 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: of the church elders who made up the Presbytery of Boston. 17 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: That governing body had final say on whether or not 18 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: to install Curtis as Brookline's permanent pastor, and in the 19 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: months leading up to its decision, Curtis's opponents presented some 20 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: wild evidence for why he shouldn't get the job. Reverend 21 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: Edwin Curtis and his wife came to the United States 22 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: from England in early nineteen twenty one. They settled in Brookline, 23 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: and not long after Curtis learned that the pastor of 24 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: the local Presbyterian Church had just resigned. The congregation had 25 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: already considered five ministerial candidates for the vacancy, but in 26 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: the end they couldn't agree on any of them and 27 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: decided to keep looking. Curtis was part of the second 28 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,280 Speaker 1: batch of candidates. He met with churchgoers, spoke at a 29 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: prayer meeting, and for his final test deliver heard a 30 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: full sermon at the Sunday service. His strong performance set 31 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: him apart from the other candidates, and in late February 32 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: of that year, the congregation voted to extend a call 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: to Reverend Curtis to become their new pastor. However, there 34 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: was a catch. According to the polity of the Presbyterian Church, 35 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: Curtis couldn't be confirmed as the permanent pastor until he 36 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: had completed one year of probation. At the end of 37 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: that period, the decision on whether or not to install him, 38 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: would be voted on by the Presbytery of Boston. The 39 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,959 Speaker 1: presbytery consisted of all the regularly installed pastors of all 40 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: the Presbyterian churches within the Greater Boston area, plus one 41 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: elder from each church for the presbytery. Probation was a 42 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: routine measure when considering any candidate who was either foreign 43 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: born or who was not already a Presbyterian minister. Edwin 44 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: Curtis fell into both of those categories. In addition to 45 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: being a citizen of Great Britain, he was also a Congregationalist, 46 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: a different denomination of Protestantism with somewhat different beliefs than Presbyterians. 47 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: Recognizing his position, Curtis agreed to serve as acting pastor 48 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: for a probationary period of one year. By all accounts, 49 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,799 Speaker 1: the interim pastor acquitted himself well in his first few 50 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: months on the job, but then in late spring, about 51 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: sixty or so members of the church began to complain 52 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: that they didn't want Curtis after all, and that the 53 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: search for a new pastor should be started up again. 54 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: There weren't any specific charges against Curtis at first, just 55 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: the vague suggestion that someone else might be a better fit. Gradually, though, 56 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: the case against him began to take form, and it 57 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: was a decidedly strange one. First, there was the complaint 58 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: leveled by missus Gertrude Harvey, who had hosted Reverend Curtis 59 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: and his wife for more than a month while they 60 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: found their footing in Brookline. According to her, Curtis delivered 61 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: several cheeky meal time blessings during his stay, two of 62 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: which bordered on sacrilege in her mind. As she recounted 63 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: in a nineteen twenty two issue of The American Weekly, quote, 64 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: mister Curtis boarded with me for five weeks, and he 65 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: never but twice said a blessing. One evening we had 66 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: salad with our dinner, mister Curtis raised his eyes to Heaven, 67 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: and clasping his hands, he prayed, Oh Lord, we thank 68 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: THEE for this salad, he said fervently Missus Curtis. His wife, 69 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: thought it was funny, but she knew it was improper. 70 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 1: Then they both laughed. A queer idea of a joke, 71 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: picking out one little salad for a blessing and not 72 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: thanking God for the rest of my good meal. And 73 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: another time he said, Oh Lord, we thank THEE for 74 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: the fried potatoes. It sounds like a feeble accusation on 75 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: its face, and a petty one at that, But the 76 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,840 Speaker 1: story raised more than a few eyebrows among hardline members 77 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: of the church. After all, it would be unbecoming of 78 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: a pastor to use prayer to poke fun at a 79 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 1: meal served by a host. It may not have been 80 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: a dismissable offense on its own, though, So that's where 81 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: Missus Melbourne Porter of Wellesley, Massachusetts came in. She offered 82 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: a deeply troubling account in the same issue of The 83 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: American Weekly about the time Reverend Curtis performed an unsolicited 84 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: baptism on her dog Buster. As Missus Porter related quote, 85 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: I remember the day very well that mister Curtis baptized Buster, 86 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 1: the poor dog. He didn't know what to do, but 87 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: mister Curtis considered it a great joke. What's the pup's name, 88 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: Missus Porter, he asked me Buster. I told him he's 89 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 1: a fine dog, mister Curtis remarked, and grasping a glass 90 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: of water and dipping his fingers in it, he sprinkled 91 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: the dog and said Buster. Porter I baptized thee a 92 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: full fledged Presbyterian. I was too horrified to speak. Missus 93 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: Porter continued, for Buster is a very nice little dog, 94 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: but he's no church member. It's one thing to be 95 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: a Presbyterian yourself, but it's another thing to have your 96 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: dog baptized into your faith. Sacrilegious, I call it so. 97 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: I told the elders of the church about it, and 98 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: they requested me to put it all down in writing 99 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: and to swear to it. Ridiculous conduct, they said it 100 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: was for a minister going around baptizing dogs. Both Missus 101 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: Porter and Missus Harvey reported their concerns to the Boston Presbytery, 102 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: establishing a pattern of behavior which the elders felt was 103 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: threatening to the quote dignity, authority, and honor of the church. 104 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 1: And so on February twenty seventh, nineteen twenty two, the 105 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: members of the Presbytery gathered in session and voted to 106 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: depose Reverend Curtis. Even though he had completed his customary 107 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 1: probation and had been embraced by the vast majority of 108 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: his congregation, he would not be allowed to continue as 109 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 1: the pastor of the Brookline Church. The elders later defended 110 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: their unpopular decision, saying, quote, the fitness of a minister 111 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: depends upon his prudence, gravity, and godly conversation. They added 112 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: that the question of Curtis's removal amounted to the choice 113 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:27,239 Speaker 1: between quote, law and order or anarchy. The reverend wasn't 114 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,240 Speaker 1: all that surprised when the verdict came down. For the 115 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: past several months he'd heard rumors of complaints about baptizing 116 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: the dog and thanking the Lord for salad and French 117 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: fried potatoes. He originally thought it would all blow over, 118 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: but then petitions calling for his removal began to circulate, 119 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: and while they hadn't garnered many signatures, he knew those 120 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: signs of unrest within the church would be perfect ammunition 121 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: for the presbytery. When the decision to dismiss him was 122 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,239 Speaker 1: formally announced, Curtis finally broke his silence on the matter. 123 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: He let loose on his accusers and the presbytery, claiming 124 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: they had acted in bad faith and had set themselves 125 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: against him from the beginning. He called them quote malicious 126 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: minded women, and went on to say they've made a 127 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: tempest in a teapot, a mountain from a mole hill. 128 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: The baptism was a joke, and so were the blessings. Yet, 129 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: after all, isn't it perfectly ethical and religious to thank 130 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: the Lord for any particular dish instead of for the 131 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: whole meal? Can't a minister thank God for anything that's good? 132 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: I came to Boston from England fourteen months ago, and 133 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 1: the elders put me on a year's probation. Then they 134 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: set about to find a lever with which to oust me. 135 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 1: Missus Porter and Missus Harvey supplied the demand. For the 136 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: most part, the Brookline Congregation stood by Reverend Curtis, believing 137 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: the pastor had been undermined by a few bad actors. 138 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: They were so loyal to him, in fact, that even 139 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,559 Speaker 1: though the presbytery had ordered the church to cut all 140 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: ties with Curtis by April first, they kept him on anyway. 141 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: That act of church rebellion was made official in April 142 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: twelfth during a congregational meeting. Attendees voted to amend the 143 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: Brookline Presbyterian churches by laws, inserting a new article that 144 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: effectively gave them the power to elect their own pastor. 145 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: From then on, the church's pastor would be elected annually 146 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: by the congregation to serve for a term of one year. 147 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: The first vote was held at that same meeting, and 148 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: wouldn't should know it, Reverend Edwin Curtis won handily. News 149 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: of the amendment and of Curtis's election was shared with 150 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: the Boston Presbytery. While members didn't appreciate the challenge to 151 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: their authority, the body ultimately decided not to take action 152 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: for fear of alienating the Brookline Church and potentially causing 153 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: a schism. Nonetheless, a minority of the church members just 154 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: couldn't let it go. For the rest of the year, 155 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: they tried every trick they could to rid themselves of 156 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:05,959 Speaker 1: Reverend Curtis. They argued that the credentials he had first 157 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,959 Speaker 1: presented were not signed in ink but on a typewriter, 158 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: and were therefore invalid. When that didn't work, they started 159 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: spreading rumors that Curtis wasn't who he had claimed to 160 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: be and that he hadn't really been an evangelical minister 161 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: back in England. Finally, in a last ditch effort, those 162 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: in favor of Curtis's removal filed a bill in equity 163 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: with the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The bill was a formal 164 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: legal request asking the court to take action against Reverend 165 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: Curtis and prevent him from staying on as pastor. The 166 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: church members who wrote it argued that Curtis was illegally 167 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: using the church and its property because the Boston Presbytery 168 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: had declined to retain him as pastor. Of course, as 169 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: the court eventually noted, the presbytery had refused to do 170 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: anything about it, and the majority of the church supported 171 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: keeping the pastor. In light of that, the courts saw 172 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,199 Speaker 1: no reason to interfere in a religious dispute and ultimately 173 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: dismiss the bill in early nineteen twenty three. At that point, 174 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: Reverend Curtis was still the acting pastor of the First 175 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: Presbyterian Church of Brookline. His historical trail goes cold after that, 176 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 1: but I like to imagine he felt emboldened by his 177 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: victory and started baptizing every pet he could get his 178 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 1: hands on. Then at the next annual meeting, the congregation 179 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,319 Speaker 1: realized they were wrong after all and voted in somebody else. 180 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. I'm gay 181 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: Blues Day, and hopefully you now know a little more 182 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can learn 183 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 184 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 185 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 186 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:59,479 Speaker 1: way at this day at iHeartMedia dot com. I'd especially 187 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: like to hear what kind of potato dish you're thankful for. 188 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: There really is no wrong answer. Thanks to Chandler Mays 189 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. 190 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 191 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: in history class