The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-06-21
GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
RepOrtOf Committee of Investigation, &c.


followed. Also the proceedings of Wednesday, the
9Th day when the subject was resumed, down to the
point of Professor Woodrow's vindication of himself
against the charges already referred to, This ad-
dress and al the remarksandp which concluded
the matter, are here presented
ADDRESS OF PROF. WOODROW.
Dr.. Observation-Disclosures let me begin
by thanking you with all N.Y. heart for the
courtesy you have extended to me in inviting
me TO appear before you, and to make full
statement of my official conduct, during not
only the past year, but the former years in
which / have been serving you. 1t is no
small honor to be so invited. This General
Assembly is not merely company of cult
waited Christian gentlemen; it is not merely
a company of those who have devoted them
selves Co the upbuilding of the cause p.,f
Christ; but it IS the embodiment of that
part Of the Church of Christ which is my
al. In standing before you to give an &C
count Of my acts, | am not standing simply
before this audience, but before the whole
Presbyterian Church in the United States.
And yet it is strange, Moderator, that |
should be standing before you as now do.
l am here to defend myself against charges,
it is said, not intended to affect my charae-
ter; charges made by one "friend" against
another-mere inquiries into the official con-
luct of one to whom you have so largely in
trusted the interests of the Church. We shall
presently see the character of these inquiries.
will not now describe them. To quote par
TALLY from one of them, | will let facts "tell
their own tale.
do not deny your right to inquire into
my conduct. I have cOurted investigation
into every thing that | have ever done,
whether for the Church or any other body
Of men. l desire that the light that pro-
ceeds from the eternal source of all truth
shall be shed upon the minutest actions of
my life, and that all may be spread here be-
fore you. l am not afraid of meeting it.
But while l admit this right of the Church,
and insist upon its exercise, | at the same
time claim that my reputation for integrity
and honesty shall either be vindicated, SO
far as | have been acting as your servant,
or that l shall be condemned, cast forth as
vagabond, with a mark upon my brow more
infamous than the mark upon the brow of
Cain, to wander throughout the earth. My
brother Hill has said that we must not be too
sensitive, too thin-skinned. Moderator, l
have been eultivating the lack of sensitive
ness-thiekness of skin-fOr "lOl these
many years" would not be sensitive with
regard to any criticism of my conduct in any
direction. But when you touch that which
is dear to me as virtue to woman, | cannot
but be sensitive. If but a small portion of
the charges uttered and published far and
vide over this land, and throughout this
Church, be true, / am so degraded that you
ought, if you saw me in the street, to pass
me by as too polluted to be noticed, except
30 seek 70 Fescl6 lae .lo.-. O,~-.~. ss,,..... T."
ton.
But let me now show you what some of
these charges are. They are very hume
rous; vet l viii try to condense as far as
possible. l wish you to remember that they
are uttered by member of this Assembly,
and have been published by the thousand
copies over the land and throughout the
Church; and then say whether or not | am
too sensitive in taking notice of them.
| read first from the Christian Observer
and Free Christian C0mmOnwsahh-a jour
nal, as you all know, published in the city
of Louisville by two ministers of the Pres
byterian Church in the United States-an
article signed by the initials an. R., in
the issue for February s, 1871. It's stated
in this: at is inexpedient and unwise, and
contrary to the genius of Presbyterianism,
to give so much money and Office power into
the hands Of few men. 1t impairs the pu-
rity of the ministry-creates dominant in
Auenee dangerous to godliness and sound
doctrine. Take, for example, the Commit
tee of Sustentation; four of the Committee
are professors in the Seminary of Columbia
one of those four is also director of the
Seminary" IA pardonable error, $50, also,
are two others of the Committee directors
they are all of them also members of the
Committee of Foreign Missions-the officers
Of one being the officers of the other. The
Committee of Sustentation also manage the
fund for the Relief of Disabled Ministers,
and the Widows and Orphans of Deceased
Ministers; so also they are appointed to
manage the new assurance scheme One of
this Committee, besides being now a profess
sor in the Seminary, is also member of the
Board of Directors. Members of this Com
mittee are the editors of the Southern Pres
5yteriaR ReView and one of them is the edi-
tor Of the Southern Presbyterian these last
two are private enterprises, and are only
mentioned in this connection because of
their power to influence the Church. Now,
combine those items Of power, and any well
informed man viii see that that body of men
however good they may be) WELD a power
that may eventually crush out liberty of
thought and freedom of speech in the Pres
byterian Church"
So far, this might be regarded as discus
sion Of what mag be done but observe what
follows. Such general discussion is no part
Of the writer's object; therefore, to leave no
room for doubt as to his design to make the
application unmistakable, he proceeds: "0f
the disposition in that direction, see their re-
marks about the Committee of Publication
having issued the Ecclesiastical Catechism of
DR.. Smyth of Charleston" 1t is not that
such power may produce such effects as have
been described-that it mag create "domi-
nant influence dangerous to godliness and
sound doctrine =. and mag eventually
crush out liberty of thought and freedom Of
speech but the writer goes on to point out
"their disposition in that direction" and
therefore concludes: at is altogether expe-
dent to disintegrate that power"
Mr. Cater-Will you allow me to say to
DR.. Woodrow that we are talking here about
bis official character, and this does not refer
to that.
The Woderat0r-Unless DR.. Woodrow
r,;vos tbo Aoo- +ho Nboir coonot v;ya ;t