The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-01

versity about the Free Love lecture OF Theodore
set the public and yourself right. 1t is true
that ( did feel ob ICED TO profess against and
denounce this very ~Destilent lecture, delivered
as it was before faculty, students and very
many of The ciuzens in the neighborhood OF the
University. IL Is true that did say, THAT II
was for the audience"-made up In large part by
ycung gent emen and ladies' who are students
unsuitable lecture that could have been deliv-
cred 10 them" At the close OF this protest | was
Come from atIeast half offhe audience. II there
were Kisses i certainly did not hear them. nor
do 1 believe that any one else did. L delivered my
protest from the spot where / sat. in a tone of
righteous indignation, indeed, which 1 am sure
that you and all decent people will sbare with
me when / relate to you and 10 Them a few only
OF Mr.. Tilt ms many scandalous utierances. he
told the young men and women before him ITO
follow the impulses aud instincts OF nature.
He talked 10 those pure young minds about
prostitution and the duty of the state to regu-
late it." Nice ia k this for the rariicular aud
fence there assembled. He polluted their ears
with other words and cpl bets that L am
ashamed 10 repeat here, but whose only ten
dency must have been TO excite impure
thoughts. lie seemed to be on very i'll terms
with the state and the church, for he raid "if
Now, considering that 1 am a paid servant of
the state and a humble minister OF the church,
i submit that L could do nothing less than re-
sent the efront put upon DO h.. Nasi more
considering that all these students, as well as
the faculty, were sharers with me in the states
bounty, IN that the former are receiving their
tuition and many other advantages free, felt
bound 10 resent, on the part OF the students
crush out the state as well as the
church" These are the reasons why / felt con-
strained, then and there, TO denounce the pesri-
lent utterances OF this man. The poison had
then and there been scattered broadcast, and
it was taking eff CT i'm many of those young
minds who were carried away by the rhetoric
elOquence of this daf gerous man. There, on
the spot, one OF tue appointed teachers of the
youth, felt obliged 10 warn Them against that
poison. and to try to neutralize its effects as well
asI could. In dong so only obeyed the die
II, when this matter comes to be investigated
by the faculty and trustees, il shall be deter
mined 10 close the College Chapel a ainSt all
popular lectures. and also to c.ose that parti-
cular hail from whence a portion of the students
49, -
one OF their instructors, no one viii regret IL
more than myself. Ny fellow-membeTs of the
faculty and our much beoyed president can
tell these students and all Others who care TO
krow, now 1 have sought to shield and defend
such studerts, as have been brought before us
for discipline, and how waImy L put
myselfin their places and feelings, and earnestly
hoped for them an honorable career; and in this
late affair 1 am happy toknow have the SYM
patty and confidence of a large part of the stu
dents themselves; that but few of them APP
prove of the principles and sentiments OF Theo-
dOre Tilton, however much they may a1mIre
his elOquence. Finally, 1 beg leave 10 tell you
that in this affair, l have the sympathy and APP
decent man and woman in Bloomington, and
Of every minister in the place, nearly
pairing to warn their several hocks against the
heresies and mef utterances and other
EVIL men ana SeQucerS, VINO are WaglnR worse
and worse deceiv Dg and beirg deceived"
am, sir, your obedient servant,
]. L. GAY.
F. S.-Let me say further, that when 1 de-
nounced Mr.. Tilton's lecture 1 aid not know
fully the relation he stood in TO some of the stu
denis; did not know that he had been called for
that particular lecture. Even If they had called
for it they could not have known the character
oft, and Mr.. t. should have frankly told them
that there were things in IL not fit for the pure
young ears that would listen to II. j. o..
The controversy was not however suffered
to end here. Some among the students had
become such earnest champions of Tilton
that they organized a serious opposition to
Prof. Gay, who was eventually compelled
to resign his position, not receiving the
support of the faculty and trustees of the
college in the manly stand which he had
taken. How wise was his populations OF
TiltOn, and how just his alarm for the
effect of his teachings, the result
proved. Among the many beautiful
sentiments put forth by Theodore
was one to the effect that-"if any two
among them promised each other enduring
love, they were, in fact, as much man and
wife in the eye OF heaven, as if the sanction
Of the law and the
BENEDICTIoN OF THE PRIEST
had pronounced them So" Al least one
couple of those who listened to him put his
theory in practice, to the disgrace of the in
stitution, and their own misery and ruin.
The great scandal which ensued, whether
it could be fairly traced to the lecture or not,
had at least the effect of creating a strong re-
action in favor of Prof. Gay, and the men
who failed TO sustain him in time acknowl-
edged their error. The matter was made
the subject of a great deal of discussion, and
ministers of every denomination made it
the occasion of preaching sermons on the
sanctity ofthe marriage relation, and Judge
Buskirk, in his address to the graduating
class of the university that year warned its
members against the tendencies of the
teachings which they had defended so
warmly.
This old quarrel will doubtless be revived
by the action of Mr.. Shearman in seeking
for details in regard to it, and it is doubtful
whether the wrong formerly done in the
forced resignation ola professor for mis- on
slsught upon Mr.. Tilton, will be left un-
atoned for in the light of the Developments
OF the past summer. In touching upon this
old theme the Sentinel acts in no spirit of
enmity to the the much-abused Theodore, to
whom 1t has always been disposed to do full
Justice, but it takes pleasure in OPEN
ing up an old story OF wrong and injustice,
made Interesting by its new relations,
hoping that the cool Judgment of this year
may correct the mistakes of 1872.