Wednesday, December 6, 1922

Fair, bright, cold and breezy. Arose 5:45 A.M. Studied. Breakfast. Swept room. Studied. Dr. Goodell talked at 9:30. Class 10:30 to 11:30. Dinner. Worked 12 M to 2 P.M. Classes & chapel with Xmas exercises 2:15 to 4:45 P.M. Down street with H.H. Looked around stores. Supper. Studied. To bed 11:30 P.M.

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Dr. Goodell is a very interesting character. He was Charles L. Goodell, born in July 1854 in Dudley, Massachusetts. Below is a biography of him that came out in the 1916 edition of Who's Who in American Methodism. 
In 1922 he held the post of secretary of the Commission on Evangelism and Life Service of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. Information about that Council can be obtained at this website.

An interesting aspect of the above biography is that it doesn't mention his first wife, Louella Harris, who was married to him when he was a pastor in Providence, RI in the 1880s. But that's not surprising, considering the scandal at the time surrounding his affair with a church member. Below is the story as told by Diane Boumenot, one of the relatives of the church member in question, Mary Murdock Foster, in her genealogical website, One Rhode Island Family; the story includes excerpts from three newspaper reports.

Mary, Theodore and their family of five children enjoyed growing wealth and prominence. And then something very strange happened. The family moved to Providence, and attended the Methodist Church on Chestnut Street. The couple was very friendly with the handsome minister, Rev. Charles L. Goodell, and his wife, Louella. Theodore was director of the Sunday School. When Mr. Goodell was assigned to his next church, the Trinity Methodist Church on Broad Street, the Fosters obtained a pew and switched their membership there. In 1886, newspapers in the eastern U.S. were reporting that Mary was being sued for divorce by Theodore, on the grounds of her affair with the minister. In fact both couples filed for divorce and the cases were heard in the Rhode Island Supreme Court during the same week in 1887; Theodore Foster obtained his divorce, but Louella Goodell, wife of the minister, faced counter-claims of infidelity and her divorce was denied at that time. The Methodist church exonerated Rev. Goodell and he did not lose his job.

In that parish was Mrs. Mary T Foster, a prepossessing lady, whose husband, Theodore W. Foster, is of the manufacturing jewelry firm of Foster & Bailey. Mrs. Foster lived in elegant style at the corner of High and Brigham Street, her house being richly furnished throughout with every comfort at command. She had a most interesting family of children, lovable and attractive, and many an envious eye was turned toward their carriage as it rolled along toward the Chestnut Street church Sunday mornings. The Goodells and Fosters became very intimate, as Mr Foster was superintendent of the Sunday School and Mrs. Foster was prominent in church work, and between the two families a bond of friendship appeared to have been formed … — Boston Herald, September 2, 1886, p.5.

Mr. Foster took the stand and told of his wife’s confession in a broken voice, and with tears running down his cheeks. His wife’s confession was that one day in the vestry of the church Goodell took her by the hand, retained his gaze, and almost seemed to magnetize her. A few days later he came to the house, kissed her hand, and then placing his arm around her waist, asked her to be his sister, as he never had had a sister. The next advance and the first direct overture, was when he came to her house, told her that she did not love her husband and that he did not love his wife. Therefore they were in the eyes of Heaven married. The remainder of the testimony was too indecent for publication. — Cleveland Leader, December 16, 1886, p.2

One day Mr. Foster told his story to the newspapers. “My wife,” said he, “began to act queerly. She seemed disturbed, and said that she had a confession to make. With amazement I heard her story. She told me that she had been unfaithful to her marriage vows, giving the name of Dr. Goodell, my pastor and my bosom friend, as her paramour. I was thunderstruck. I took her face in my two hands and begged her to say no more then. Mary, said I, let me think … let me think over it. From that hour she ceased to be my trusted wife and companion. She besought me piteously to condone her sin, but I told her that henceforth she might occupy our residence, but we must be as strangers.” — New York Herald, December 19, 1886, p. 8.

I'm pretty sure Stanford knew nothing of the Reverend Goodell's colorful past. It's interesting that the story of a sexual scandal involving a Rhode Island Methodist pastor would make it to three newspapers! I wonder, though, about the Methodist's church later involvement in the cover up of the scandal (through the official biography) which included the virtual erasure of the former Mrs. Goodell . . .