The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1876-04-19


PENDLEToN, S. c., March "a, 1876.
Re-. DR.. Stuart RObiasOa
My Beloved and Honored Brother,-Dr
WoOdrOw's paper brought me last night your
"Open letter" and his remarks on it. He
has so fully and 50 we'll expressed my views
upon nearly every point that l should feel
it unnecessary for me to add anything, if !
did not consider that am required, by re-
spect for my old and dear friend, to give
some public reply to what he publicly says
to me.
understand one point of your letter to
be, a protest against its being understood that
sll the members of oar Rsviea0 Association
approve of the article on the Pan-Presbyte-
rian Alliance. But my good brother, this
agrees not only with what DR.. Woodrow
calls the 8. statute Law" of our RepieD, but
especially with what is declared Just under
your honered name in the card we have been
publishing for months, and which appears on
the second page Of the cover of our January
number containing the article you criticise,
| have no objection to your saying this in
the way you have chosen. though | should
have been very glad, for one, to have had
you give US your views in the April number
of our work now about to appear Had it
once occurred to me that it could be neces
sary to say this to you, should most GER
tsinly have fastened to do so. Because 1
do not at all agree with you in what you say
in your private letter, that it is first rule
of sn Editorial Association that the members
should have no controversy among them
selves in its pages" and that for this rsa.
SOL" you would not reply in the Revies0. 3"
The whole history of our work for nearly
thirty years contradicts this notion.
Your reply, then, in the April RsUies0
would, am sure, have been cordially vel
coined by all the Editors. AT the same time
you do not seem to remember that the article
you object to was to be regarded in certain
sense as in rsPly-fOr in the July number
of our work following the last Assembly, We
repubhshed from the British and Foreign
Evangelical Rsvias0 DR.. Blaikie's earnest
and able defence of +" The Proposed Pres
6yteriaR, Council We appended al editO-
rial eaveat to it, because in truth we could
not fully give oar adhesion to his views
We appended no such eaveat to the article
in question, because in truth it had to q
great extent the sympathy of the editors both
in Virginia and South Carolina.
Another point you make is, that our
Church has hitherto had delicate and diff
fcult problem to solve, and has so far been
wisely directed concerning it; and that the
Baltimore Conference especially succeeded
in setting our true position clearly before the
North and the whole world, so that Radical
ism was struck dumb and had to bow its
head for time, but is now erect again and
renewing It's former misrepresentation Of
us; and that this article will help it to mis-
lead people about our spirit and attitude
My dear brother, have you any hope, after
all we have done and said in vain, of our
ever succeeding in convincing the world anC
especially those who listen to Radical repre-
sentations, what our real position is ? Are
there not many things of more consequence
to as than any more such endesvors
Another point is, that the Baltimore Con
ference had brought ourselves into perfec
accord as to all these outside questions
which accord is now broken up by the articl
criticised, so that division and weakness vii
be the result. But surely the very fact tina
such paper appears in our Reviea0 show
that you are mistaken as to our whole Churcl
being of one mind on this question. An
was not this sufficiently manifest in the AS
sembly of 1874, and again of 1875? We d
differ, and we can agree to differ. You mus
allow the writer of this article, and all VIII
agree with him, land they are not few o
your most trusted friends,) to say that the
cannot go into the Pan-Presbyterisn ALI
ance. Let US, meanwhile, have free and fra
ternal discussion, so that We may, if possible
come to see eye to eye. trust our diViI
ions are not serious or fatal. You have eve
been an advocate and lover of free discus
sion, and also have ever been addicted to i
What has come over you, my old friend, tha
you should say aught against it now
do suppose that one source of the Obje
tiOns many feel to our going into the Pal
Presbyterian Alliance is the strong disliE
pervading the Southern mind generally,
all that IS, or looks sensational. The
grand gatherings of eminent men, and the
eloquent platform speeches, and these il
pressive public demonstrations, suit the pc
pie Of the North and of Europe. We a
simpler in our tastes, and more iRdiUid't