of respectable citizens representing the best element of that public
from which he derives his support, must not be surprised if he loses
public sympathy."

I was elected a member of the teamsters' union while the teamsters
were on strike. I was in their headquarters night and day, doing what
I could for them; but I was unable to offset the bad leadership which
landed nine of them in jail.

On May 1st, I left Pilgrim Church. My farewell sermon was a fair
statement of the case. The sermon was published in the press. The
Hartford _Post_ made the following editorial comments on it:

"ONE CHURCH AND ITS PASTOR

"Plain speaking is so much out of fashion that when examples of it
are discovered they rivet attention. Undoubtedly there was a good
deal in the farewell sermon of the Reverend Alexander F. Irvine,
who has just closed a pastorate of four and one-half years in the
Pilgrim Congregational Church in New Haven, that was applicable
only to that church, but possibly some statements have more or
less general application. At any rate, it is an interesting case
and the sermon was remarkable for its almost brutal directness,
its cutting satire, its searching exposition of the wholesale
spirit of charity mixed with kindly humour which runs through it.

"After four years and six months of labour, a clergyman is
certainly qualified to speak of the characteristics of the
pastorate. In most cases the farewell sermon is, however, a mass
of 'glittering generalities,' a formal, perfunctory affair. Often
it is omitted altogether. The pastor simply goes out, leaving the
church to its fate, commending it to the care of the Almighty.
His private views are not expressed. Mr. Irvine retired in
considerable turmoil, but he made his parting memorable by
expressing his sentiments, and his frankness was absolute.

"In reviewing his pastorate, Mr. Irvine spoke of the children's
services on Wednesday nights, the men's Bible class and a group of
sixty added to the church at its fiftieth anniversary as among the
happy features of his administration. But he went on to say that
those new members were not welcomed by the 'Society' because they
brought no money into the treasury. The clash that went on during
those four and one-half years is revealed by what the pastor said
on this matter. He tried to democratize the church. He wanted to
get in 'new blood.' He tried to interest the workin