3

(Letter of blank signature to Rt. Rev. Leonidas Polk) -2-

received great praise from the True Delta, Era, %c., was called
the patriotic Dr. Vallas, and the “learned Doctor” got his [?]
of puffing & newspaper notoriety. Before this was known; the
vestry, three ladies & a few negroes composed his congregation.
Since then, it is rather smaller. And now for Mr. Guion! Bishop,
you will scarcely credit all I can tell you of him & his family.
They first commenced by attending musical soirees, given by
Col. Holibard & Capt. Bostwick, the letter commanding negroes,
then the order to resume the full morning service was sent to
all the churches, except his - (at least, I was hold {sic} that he
promised to reconcile his congregation at St. Paul’s to the
change) so he gave out from the pulpit that he would preach
a sermon to that effect & got a crowded church. He took the
reasons expressed by the last Louisiana Convention as grounds
for resuming the prayer for Lincoln - saying that if they were
right at that time, they were right now, but he, he said,
had even better reasons for resuming the prayer, & that was,
that no Bishop, nor no single Convention had a right to take
one word out of the prayer book. Of course I shall not con-
tinue to give you any portions of his flat sermon, suffice it
to say that a few of his congregation would have continued to
attend, had he simply said he was obliged to comply with the
Order, but now the public sentiment against him is stronger
than I have space to tell it - every one is indignant, every
one so despises him that no southerner visits him. I believe
his wife has instigated him to the course he has taken, for
she pretends to think it terrible to “barter souls for money”
&c. She sings in public concerts for the relief of the families
of Negro soldiers and to cap the climax, Mr. Guion has gone in